The Guardian 27 April, 2005
Editorial
No reason for pessimism —
time for confidence
As this year’s May Day is celebrated around the world by workers and community organisations there is unparalleled action by trade unions, communist parties, environmental, peace, women’s and youth organisations and many governments.
Developments are taking place which are changing the world. The leaders of 104 Asian and African states have just met in Indonesia to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first Afro-Asian meeting also held in Indonesia in 1955 and which adopted the Bandung Declaration.
In the 50 years since the first conference great strides have been made by the Afro-Asian countries and they have agreed to “reinvigorate the Spirit of Bandung”. The conference declared that “we are all independent, sovereign and equal nations striving for the promotion of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law”.
Of great interest is the fact that while PNG, Fiji, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu, Nauru, East Timor and several other Pacific Island states attended, Australia did not.
Speaking of Iraq, Zimbabwe’s President Mugabe said at the conference, “A year later, we know that the greater danger comes from the United States and Britain’s weapons of mass deception. Far from resolving the Iraqi crisis, ordinary Iraqis bear the brunt of a world-designed strategy to exhibit bloated military might over an innocent, small country.”
The leaders of socialist China and capitalist Japan shook hands.
This conference brought together governments representing about two-thirds of the world’s people. It is of great significance but has been almost totally ignored by the Australian media.
On the other side of the globe the people of Ecuador threw out a conservative President last week and appointed a replacement who immediately sacked the former repressive police and army chiefs (see Ecuador elections).
The Venezualan government has decided to suspend an exchange program of Venezuelan and US military officers. The exchange program has been functioning for more than 35 years. Now the US instructors are out, having used their presence in Venezuela to criticise and attack Venezuela’s system of government and politics.
The recent election of a new President of Uruguay also marked a tectonic shift in that country’s direction. The first act of the new President was to extend diplomatic recognition to Cuba which had been denied for years by the defeated President and government.
The US-led “Coalition of the Willing” in Iraq is steadily disintegrating as the governments of Ukraine, Poland, Denmark and before that Spain, withdraw their occupation troops from Iraq. “All foreign troops out of Iraq” remains the slogan of the people around the world.
Recent Congresses of the South African Communist Party and the Communist Parties of India have adopted strong and confident resolutions charting their activities in the immediate future. The SACP resolution made the point: “It is not possible to win in the negotiating forum, or policy conference, or legislature what you have not won through active campaigning on the streets and in our communities”. (see declaration of the SACP).
China and India have also recently cemented ties bringing together more than 2.3 billion people and two rapidly developing economies.
In many countries the working people are on the march for their demands. They are marching in Asia, Africa, in the Americas and in Europe. China and Vietnam are rapidly building their socialist systems. South Africans, having defeated apartheid, are preparing to build a workers’ and peasants’ state, the workers, the poor, the impoverished men and women of Venezuela have taken control of their countries and the ideas of socialism are catching on.
The working people of Australia have many proud traditions and many achievements. It is time for hundreds and thousands of new participants to join the march to peace and freedom, for job security and welfare rights, for public education and health systems.
Can we also throw out a Prime Minister who is steeped in conservatism, who detests the working people, even those who had voted for him, is trampling on a century or more of working class and community achievements, glorifies war and arrogantly struts the stage as a lick-spittle of the USA.
Let’s get going!