Sitaram Yechury
“Ringing out the old and ringing in the new” has customarily signified the ushering in of yet another new year. Last year this time the gongs were clear and loud. They revebreted the echoes of the previous couple of years. “Socialism is dead”, “the end of ideology”, “end of history” et al. The history of human social evolu¬tion, we were told reached a plateau. No ups and downs any more only a straight line of the triumph of the “market forces”. “Capitalism is eternal” and hence the right of exploitation. Bourgeois ideologues and immoral penpushers had appropriated the more will known Hemming¬way’s creation, “for whom the bell tolls”. Conveniently forgetting and now reluctantly recollecting the original John Dunne’s essay (from whom Hemmingway borrowed this phrase) followed these wards by, “it tolls for thee”.
1994 was on ordinary year. It was one that recon¬firms, despite the media control by the bourgeoisie, the ultimate incapability of the capitalist system to offer any solutions to the problems being faced by the vast mass humanity. If nothing else it confirms that despite the relative victory it gained in capturing the markets of the erstwhile socialist countries, despite ideologically emerging superior, albeit superficially, it is incapable of overcoming leave along resolving the contradictions of the system, that leaves the majority of the working people worse off than before while simul¬taneously devastating the ecological balance in the rational world.
No longer therefore do the powerful gongs of yester years echo today. World capitalism is unable to recover fully from its crisis, despite the best of circumstances since world war II. The “jobless growth” has only demonstrated its inhuman character in the millions of the third world being consigned to squalor and depreda¬tion while the working people in the advanced capitalist countries are themselves facing unprecedented insecuri¬ty.
In the socio-political arena this is best reflected in the elections that were held. 1994 was witness to a large number of elections sweeping across social systems from Nepal, South Africa to Italy and European Parlia¬ment. Never earlier, in a single year, have the ruling parties lost ground as they had done this year.
The year began dramatically with the armed rebel¬lion, in the early hours of January 1, by the indigenous peoples in Chiapas, south Mexico. Shattering the hangover of New Year celebrations in imperialist capi¬tals came the news of the guerrillas taking control of four towns and marching towards the capital. The action was timed to coincide with the coming into effect of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) which the guerrillas described as, “the death certificate for the indigenous people of Mexico” and “to suspend the pillage of natural wealth in the areas controlled” by them.
The NAFTA, readers will recall, is an agreement between USA, Canada and Mexico today curisioned to include the whole of the Western Hemisphere by 2005. It is an economic treaty that permits US monopoly capital unrestricted access for its super profits. While Cana¬da, has to suffer fall in domestic industrial activity as a result of US overproduction dumping, Mexico is outrightly pillaged. Giant US agro-business multina¬tionals are displacing hundreds of thousands of Mexican peasants and expatriating millions of super profits. Last year they thus drained Mexico of 40 billion US $ (equivalent of 1/3rd of Mexico’s total debt).
Developments of 1994 have vindicated the CPI(M)’s assertion that imperialism’s grand design of imposing a “New World Order” will not go unresisted. As capita¬lism’s drive to intensify exploitation increases so will the people’s struggles in defence of their liveli¬hood and towards liberalistion.
This can be seen all over Latin America. Valiant Cuba continues to defend its independence and socialist choice in most adverse of conditions. USA continues its criminal economic blocade despite overwhelming UN gener¬al assembly resolutions calling for its withdrawal. It has not only bravely withstood US provocations but in a sense disarmed imperialism by forcing USA to enter into an agreement on the refugee quest on.
The Sao Paulo forum held its fourth reunion. Drawing together the progressive anti-imperialist forces across Latin America it adopted, in Havana, the decla-ration to oppose the neo-liberal economic policies imposed by imperialism for its advantage. Latin America today is once again in ferment. The common cause is the struggle against US imperialist domination and machina¬tions.
The rare display of socialist diplomacy is echoed in Asia with North Korea displaying uncomfortable firm¬ness vis-a-vis US imperialism. Despite all provoca¬tions, US designs have been thoroughly exposed. The firm and unequivocal stand taken by China in not allow¬ing the USA to highjack the UN once again like in the gulf was exposed the vulnerability of the “new world order’ in imposing its dictates.
Yet, exploiting the non-existence of the socialist countervailing power in world politics, USA led world imperialism has foisted the GATT-94 and world trade organisation to further its hegemonic designs. Wide¬spread protests in the third world have taken place against this. The struggle has not ended. It continues not only in the third world but in advanced capitalist countries as well.
While the imperialist designs are meeting this resistance, what is happening in the advanced capitalist world? The inherent contradictions of the capitalist system are surfacing more markedly.
The OECD ( consisting of 24 developed capitalist countries) estimated in June 94, an unemployment of 8.5% of the labour force or 35 million. The G-7, in July 94 estimated unemployment of 24 million people. Both these are the highest since the second world war.
The result of this has been the growing misery of the working people. Social expenditure is being cut. The concept of the welfare state developed in direct challenge to the socialist threat. With its absence today, capitalism is withdrawing the incentive it gave the working class to support the exploitative system. Even in the high growth' Germany nearly 8 million live below the poverty line and over 8 lakh are homeless. Even theTime’ magazine had to carry a cover story on the homeless in New York. In USA, the welfare measures are severely cut and President Clinton recently an¬nounced a further cut of seven million US $ from exist¬ing social programmes.
This crisis has reflected in unprecedented working class actions across developed capitalist countries, on the one hand, and defeat of the ruling parties, on the other, in the elections in these countries.
Apart from the massive strikes that paralysed the economies of many capitalist countries (eg. In Spain 90% of the 12 million workforce supported the general strike of January 27, 1994), popular discontent took the form of rejection of the ruling parties in the elections in many countries. In the advanced capitalist countries, the ruling parties lost the elections. In Japan, the LDP ruling continuously since the war was displaced. In Germany, Kohl just about managed to retain power. In Italy the ruling coalition list to the right wing. But by the end of the year even this government could not retain office. The Left had considerably gained the uncertain future now only represents the alienation of the bourgeois parties. Sooner than later another elec¬tions are due. In Germany, the former communists made an impressive showing. In USA the democrats who won a landslide victory were now humiliated in the elections to the senate.
The European Parliament elections also revealed the same pattern. The effects of the capitalist crisis and consequent discontent reflected in the increase of influence of the Left where its presence was signifi¬cant, eg. Spain. Where on the contrary, this was not so the new fascist right gained. Proving once again that a cogent left communist orientation pays while the re¬formists, those who wish to reform capitalism for the better were marginalised.
Elsewhere however there were significant develop¬ments. The historic victory of ANC in South Africa has not only meant the end of the hated apartied regime. It has also in a sense liberated the frontline states from imperialist domination.
Big changes have taken place in other countries as well. In Guyana, Cheddi Japan’s People’s Party bounced back to power after a quarter century of CIA inspired isolation. In Namibia, Sam Nojomo’s SWAPO registered a massive over 75% victory. In neighbouring Sri Lanka the ruling UNP lost to Chandrika Bandarnaike promising an era of peace in the violence torn island. In Brazil, though the right wing won, the communists received greater support. In Barbados, the ruling party lost to a progressive coalition. In El Salvodar, the communist guerrillas retained their base and prevented the right wing ARENA from getting a 2/3 majority and hence ren¬dered it incapable of any constitutional reform. In Chile, the hated dictatorship following Allende’s mur¬der, was defeated and a democratic government elected for the first time after 1970.
The most significant has however been the elections in neighbouring Nepal. The CPN(UML) has formed the minority government survived a unanimous acceptance of the vote of confidence. At a time when the future of Communists was doubted this victory has come as a shot in the arm.
In Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, those who had hoped for the emaciation of Communists, came to face a rude shock. The May 94 elections in Hungary saw the former communists come to power. This followed the pattern of Luthiana in November 1992 and Poland in September 1993. In Russia, the Communists not only became a significant force but also were responsi¬ble for massive mass actions.
The miserable conditions of the people in the process of restoration of capitalism in these countries are forcing then to relect Communists whose social security structure many in these countries have come to rely on. In Byelo-Russia (now Byelarus) Lushkashenko, a former collective farm manager and supreme Soviet deputy was elected President winning an overwhelming over 80% vote. In Ukraine, the Communist Party backed candidate won the presidential post. So in Kazakhistan as well. And now, as the year closes, the former Communists in Bulgaria have won the elections.
What do all these developments in 1994 seem upto?
First, that capitalism is the El Dorado, is dis¬proved, once again by experience. Secondly, the transi¬tion of former socialist countries to capitalism is not only not easy but met by resistance. Thirdly, the struggle against imperialist domination in growing. Finally and most importantly, capitalism is not the end of history',end of ideology’ or the triumphant eter¬nality of `market forces’. The struggle for liberation from exploitation will grow — till a non exploitative social system is established.