WSP Answers the Queries of the Young Protestors

Our Correspondent/ 1.1.2013
 
WSP participated in the December Uprising in New Delhi from beginning to the end. The Uprising was triggered by gang-rape of a 23 year old student of physiotherapy in a moving bus in New Delhi during early night hours on 16 December. But beneath the immediate cause was hidden a whole series of innumerable crimes and unlimited violence under which the working and toiling people had been reeling for long.

 

During the protests, as WSP, remained with the young protestors, it faced queries that came up during the course of discussions with the protestors about its slogans, its program, its aims and prospects of the revolution etc. WSP answered and clarified these issues among the youth, bulk of which hailed from working and toiling classes. Hereunder we are reproducing the questions that were raised by young protestors, and the answers given to them by the WSP:

Q. What you have to say about the demand of death penalty to the accused of gang-rape?

Ans. We are not demanding death penalty. This farcical demand is coming through the channels of the ruling class, which wants to reinforce itself through harsher laws and harder penalties. All these laws and penalties are ultimately directed against the weak and poor and they protect the real criminals among rich and elites and above all the system of capitalism and their criminal power. On the pretext to control the crime, but with no real intention to do it, the state of capitalists wants to arm itself with ever new laws and penalties to crush the people and not crime.

Q.  Do you stand for improvement in laws and policing etc.?

Ans. We have no illusions in demand for improvement of laws or policing etc. In fact, the ruling classes are cleverly misdirecting the protest to find fault with the laws and policing. Is it not the same police and laws that successfully provide complete security and protection to the rich and elite even today? The problem lies not in laws and penalties, but the pro-rich character and class nature of the state itself, that secures only the elite and the rich. It produces lumpens and criminals and lets them loose upon the working and toiling people, on streets. So the demand for stringent laws or policing is an illusion. 

Q. Why you are here then at the site of protest?

Ans. We are here to support the protest that is directed at the failure of the government to secure life and dignity of the people. Criminals and lumpens are ruling on the streets and are targeting the most vulnerable sections of the society, above all women. Sexual violence of extreme nature has become a routine affair. The government is concerned about the security of the rich and elite and provides no viable security to the rest. Resourceful, have employed private guards and bodyguards, while others face the wrath of crime everyday.

Q. How this situation can improve? What are your suggestions?

Ans. We must not have illusions that this situation would improve. On the contrary, it would worsen more and more in the coming days.

Q. So how the question of security must be addressed?

Ans. The question of security has a class angle. For rich and elite, there exists no such question. Crime on streets threatens the security of working, toiling and poor people only, especially their women. The state has huge armed forces at its disposal, but more than 70% and best of them are deployed in service of the elites and the rich. Remaining 30%, lazy, unfit, corrupt and brute personnel are left to govern the working and toiling people.

Q. Do you believe that men must be made more gender sensitive and cultured beings?

Ans. This is very false orientation. Breeding ground for crime is not the mind of the man, as the ruling elites and their media is propagating. Crime is rooted organically in capitalism itself. Capitalism, we are talking of is altogether different from the old 18th century capitalism of European national states. Today, capitalism in its state of decay, is living through multi-million dollar drug peddling, prostitution, and porn industry, and through wars, violence and manipulations, all over the world. This degenerated capitalism, has produced a whole generation of lumpens and vagabonds, that lives by loot, robberies, ransom, drugs and all sorts of crimes against humanity. All capitalist countries present the same picture when it comes to crime. Crime is thus by-product of capitalism and is integral to it. You cannot have capitalism without crime and crime won’t exist without capitalism. To accuse man and his mind as the source of crime, means to bail out capitalism of its essentially criminal nature.

Q. But the feminists and other reformists also argue that patriarchy and not capitalism is responsible for sexual violence.

Ans. This argument of feminists falls flat in face of the fact, that the advanced capitalist countries, where there is no question of patriarchy, surpass the backward ones in the matter of crimes against women. Fact is, that patriarchy does not exist separately from capitalism, in backward countries. World capitalism has already subjected the patriarchal structures in backward countries to itself. Patriarchy is not destroyed by capitalism, but adapted to itself. Therefore the fight against patriarchy in backward countries presents itself immediately as fight against capitalism. Lost in the dreams of old European capitalism, feminists and other reformists, target patriarchy saving capitalism and thereby become defenders and apologists for capitalism. Feminists are worst enemies of working class and defenders of capitalism.

Q. What do you say about the left parties like CPI-CPM?

Ans. These parties are Stalinist parties. They are communist for name sake only. They hold red flag to deceive workers and peasants and to subordinate them to the ruling capitalists. They have a whole past behind them, where they had remained adherent to this or that section of the capitalist parties. They are crisis managers for capitalism. Their job is to hold back the working class and prevent it from taking to the road of revolution.

Q. But Maoists are different from Stalinists.

Ans. We do recognise that Maoists have many dedicated and honest elements in their ranks, that are serious towards revolutionary cause. But the politics of Maoists is peasant oriented, and they turn their back upon working class. Like Stalinists, Maoists also believe in progressive character and revolutionary potential of national capitalists. Maoists agree with Stalinists on all fundamental political issues, and they have failed to challenge the opportunism of Stalinist parties among working class, instead they have taken to rural and tribal regions, by-passing the working class. LIke Stalinists, Maoists are also hostile to the 'permanent revolution'.

Q. But Ramdev, Anna Hazare and Kejriwal are fighting against the system?

Ans.  These reformists, despite their good or bad intentions, are not presenting any challenge to the rule of capitalists. They have never brought out their program in black and white, and never they said even a single word against the rule of capitalists, or ever presented any real opposition to it. On the contrary, they are pledging for cleansing of the capitalist system, signalling to the ruling capitalists that they are more effective in holding the masses behind them and in running their regime with more honesty. Ramdev himself is a big corporate now, and all of them are connected to this or that section of the corporate houses. Reformists are agents of capitalists. They appear on the scene when the system of capitalists lands in crisis and people rebel against their misrule. They appear on the scene not to smash the old rotten system, but to defend it against the revolutionary assault of people. These reformists are no threat to system, rather assist it in many ways. It is for this reason that the corporate media is propagating them so much, while it blacks-out the revolutionary party of the working class, the WSP.

Q. What according to you is the remedy against crime?

Ans.  Socialism is the only hope for mankind against criminal system of capitalism. Capitalist anarchy is pulverising the working people. Humanity as a whole is standing at the crossroads of history, where it has to decide: capitalist barbarism or socialism. Crime is product of capitalism and supports the rule of capitalists. Workers and toilers, poor and weak, women and children, are its worst victims. It is thus pertinent to put an end to the capitalist anarchy, savagery and barbarism. The remedy, thus lies in revolution. Only a new state directly based upon working and toiling classes can suppress the crime, by forthwith eliminating the whole rut of lumpens and criminals.  

 
Q. But this is a democracy and people have the power to change the government through elections? So why a revolution?

Ans. People can change the government through elections, but not the political power. The real political power vests in the armed forces and bureaucracy of the state, which is neither elected by the people nor is responsible to them. Capitalists and landlords, the profiteers, big-investors and business tycoons, hold and control this power from behind the curtains. Political parties subordinate themselves to his power, serve it and play a subsidiary role in deceiving and holding back the workers and toilers. In these sense all of the parties, like Congress, BJP, SP, BSP, JD, RJD etc. are battalions of the same army- the army that serves the big corporate. Whichever party or parties may form the government, the power remains in the hands of the same class.  This power can be seized by workers and oppressed only through a revolution.

 Q. So you want to say, that this is not a democracy?

Ans. The brutal lathicharge on December 23, at India Gate, upon peaceful protestors clearly shows that the claims of democracy are nothing but farce. It is dictatorship of capitalists. You cannot protest even peacefully against the injustice. The government and the police under it responds to every protest with tear-gas, lathi-charge and even bullets. It is democracy only for a class, the class of rich and elite, while at the same time, it is dictatorship against workers and toilers.

 Q. But you also propose an open dictatorship of working class?

Ans. Of course. We propose the dictatorship of working class, followed by toilers in the city and peasants in the village. This would be dictatorship only against capitalists-landlords and their lumpen lackeys, but at the same time a democracy in the hands of workers and toilers.  

 Q. Why do you say that the present government is incapable and unwilling to eliminate crime?

Ans. Present government is organically linked to the crime, criminals, lumpens and vagabonds, in more than one way. These criminals, are directly linked to one or the other leader of these bourgeois parties, in power or in opposition. They hold benami business for these bourgeois leaders and state officials. They are conduits for deals in bribery and illegal collections. All crime is protected and patronised by local police everywhere. This nexus among criminals, police and politicians is the life-blood of capitalist power. Capitalist state controls the people at grass-root level through this criminal network. Criminals of all sorts, have even taken to leadership in these parties and occupy seats in Parliament and Assemblies. These parties and the governments under them are full of robbers, murderers and rapists. The crackdown of December 23 on peaceful protests at India Gate, is the tacit admission by the government of its inability and unwillingness to suppress the crime. Instead it has demonstrated its eagerness to suppress any protests against crime and criminals, with hard hand.

Q. How the new government would deal with crime?

Ans. The new government would rest upon the armed power of workers and peasants, and not police or criminals. It would liquidate the crime in no time, by setting up revolutionary tribunals, summarily try those accused of ghastly crimes against humanity, and exterminate them on the spot.

Q. Would WSP fight elections to Parliament and Legislative Assemblies?

Ans. Yes. As a matter of rule, WSP would take part in elections, and would send most militant and vocal youth and workers, not only inside Parliaments and Assemblies, but even at levels of Municipalities and Panchayats. These activists of the party would take the fight of the party inside these bourgeois institutions and would undermine them through exposures.

Q. If WSP comes in majority in an Assembly or Parliament, what would be its program?

Ans. We are not counting upon this outcome, so favourable to the revolutionary forces under the rule of capitalists. This may happen in very extra-ordinary circumstances, and much before this really happens a true revolutionary situation would surely ripe. But if this happens, the new government would come to head-on confrontation with capitalists and other organs of their power like army, police, bureaucracy and judiciary. In that situation the living correlation of class forces would decide the final outcome.

Q. So how do you propose to take power?

 Ans. The power of revolutionary classes- workers and toilers- can emerge only through a revolution. It is for the ruling capitalists, how they would permit us to take power. However, as history has shown, they would not abdicate their power to us without resistance and violence.

Q. But revolution is a dream project in far distant future?

Ans. That none can predict. In backward countries, the built up of capitalism and the capitalist power is not organic but abrupt, so the built up of revolution against it would also be sudden. You can see it was so in spring revolution in Arab countries recently and more recently this December Upsurge at India Gate also demonstrates that sudden character of revolution.

Q. But for a revolution to occur, certain pre-conditions are necessary?

Ans. Those objective conditions are maturing in India, like elsewhere, since the advent of imperialism, at the turn of 19th century. Only deficiency is the level of consciousness of the working class as a whole including its vanguard forces. These subjective forces are not sufficient to meet the needs of a revolution and thus again and again the revolutionary opportunities are missing.

Q. Would WSP fight elections to Parliament and Legislative Assemblies?

Ans. Yes. As a matter of rule, WSP would take part in elections, and would send most militant and vocal youth and workers, not only inside Parliaments and Assemblies, but even at levels of Municipalities and Panchayats. Only in very exceptional conditions of an upsurge, WSP may propose a boycott. The militants of the party would take the fight of the party inside these bourgeois institutions and would undermine them through exposures, one after other.

Q. Why did the left governments in West Bengal and Kerala, that remained in power for such a long time, not  introduce any substantive changes?

Ans. In the first instance, we object to their claim of being communists. CPI-CPM are Stalinist Parties and are ‘B’ teams of capitalist parties. Stalinists are not interested in revolution. Their role is in keeping the capitalist rule intact through maintenance of political status quo. Stalinist parties and the governments under them are no different than the capitalist parties themselves. These left parties are in fact left wings of capitalist power.

Q. What would be your attitude, if WSP comes in majority in an Assembly or Parliament?

Ans. We are not counting upon this outcome, so favourable to the revolutionary forces under the rule of capitalists. This may happen in very extra-ordinary circumstances, and much before this really happens a true revolutionary situation would mature. But if this happens, the new government would come in head-on confrontation with capitalists and other organs of their power like army, police, bureaucracy and judiciary. In that situation the living correlation of class forces would decide the final outcome.

Q. You have hailed the situation as a revolution in the offing. Is that not an over-estimate?

Ans. Its not an over-estimate, in so far as this upsurge of the mass goes beyond all ready-made moulds of mass movements hitherto seen or planned by the customary parties and even their mass organisations. The whole upsurge has a spontaneous character, that has refused to be cowed down by bourgeois or petty bourgeois leaders, either of ruling benches or opposition. The movement has already taken an anti-govt character. Demand of resignation of the government and the loud cry- “we want justice” is not limited to a particular stance of gang-rape. The cry of the oppressed masses is against the decades old injustice handed over to them, in all spheres of life.

Q. But the character of this upsurge is apparently middle class and its demands and slogans demonstrate this?

Ans. No real revolution in the world starts according to a given pattern and set moulds. Every revolution has its own peculiarities. Specially at the start of the revolution, after such a break of decades, it always presents a multi-faceted character, where the classes appear and act not in accordance with their actual political weight and alignments, but as a revolutionary mass. As it progresses, the class patterns emerge more and more clear. No doubt that the middle classes did participate in this upsurge, yet the bulk of protest was made of youth in their teens, majority of which was either students or workers. Only charlatans, who did never care to visit the protest, claim that the protest was middle class. It was a historic rising and a new experience for the generation which has to make a revolution, but had a complete break from the revolutionary past.

Q.  Did this upheaval come as a surprise to you and everyone?

Ans. This upheaval came as a surprise to everyone, but the revolutionary Marxists, who had been predicting it since long. Though none could have fixed a definite timeline for this upsurge, but if you would look at our articles over few months, WSP was claiming that a revolutionary situation was maturing. Country as a whole was feeling suffocation under the criminal misrule of capitalists. Petty bourgeois had offered its meek solutions to this radical situation in the form of demands for a Lokpal and anti-corruption protests etc. but they failed to hit the nail at the head of this misrule and kept on beating the bushes. Then appeared this thunder of youth protests.

Q. How do you assess the role and importance of this movement?

Ans. This movement, one of its kind, was most powerful after 1947. It shattered all myths about passivity of the Indian masses. It reinforced the faith of youth in its strength, that will have immense importance for the times to come. The brutal crackdown ordered by the government upon the protest at India Gate on Dec. 23 was a lesson in political curriculum of revolutionary thought that made the class character of capitalist democracy so clear to the youth. Lathi-charge, that injured many and left one dead, on the spot, belied all claims to democracy and exposed the regime as dictatorship of elites. The government that failed to control crime, demonstrated its bravery through breaking skulls of unarmed citizens, including women. These lessons are important in political arsenal of youth which has real disconnect from all revolutionary experience of the past. Through these experiences in revolutionary politics, youth would take definite turn to the revolutionary lessons of the past and would arm itself for the coming revolution.

Q. Why could the revolutionary situation not advance further?

Ans. Needless to say that Stalinist and Maoist parties, who possess huge apparatus of trade unions and peasant organisations, under them, kept this apparatus inert and immobile and prevented it from taking to the protest movement. Mischievously and silently, they isolated the young and inexperienced protestors from the mass of workers and peasants under their control. These left-parties made only nominal appearance in protests, that too with narrow intention to capture them and subject them to their partisan politics. Instead of joining and assisting the protests at their main site, these left groups continued to split them and cut them down to their own size. Only the Workers’ Socialist Party, despite of its small size, participated in the protests with all revolutionary vigour, sincerity and seriousness.