Asia

A one-kilometer long march of workers celebrated May Day in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. A moderate estimate puts the number of participants on the rally at 60 to 80.000 workers. No doubt this was the biggest workers march on May Day for decades. More important was the fact that this time the May Day rally was organized without the support of the government. It was also probably one of the most combative ones. The driving force behind this massive gathering is the two-month old struggle against the privatization of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT). The bulk of the demonstrators came from this protest movement.

Due to the extremely busy agenda of the Marxist MPs elected to the Pakistani Parliament, we received this report on their intervention in the World Social Forum with a little delay. In spite of this, we believe the report gives an idea of how Marxist MPs – workers’ MPs – can have an impact far beyond the borders of their own countries, and build links with workers around the world.

Members of the National Assembly Qamar Zaman Kaira and Chuadry Manzoor Ahmed have submitted two resolutions directly related to the real issues in society and the problems faced by the working classes in Pakistan. The first resolution is for the total repealing of the anti workers ordinance IRO 2002 (Industrial Relations Ordinance 2002). This was imposed by the Musharaf dictatorship at the behest of the IMF and other Imperialist institutions to raise the profitability and exploitation of the multinational corporations in Pakistan. This ordinance even deprives the workers in Pakistan of the meagre rights they had attained after the revolutionary movement of 1968-69. It

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November 23, 2003 was a very significant day in the history of Georgia. For the first time in Georgian history a revolution took place in the old southern Caucasus state... We are publishing this letter from a supporter of In Defence of Marxismin Georgia.

November 23, 2003 was a very significant day in the history of Georgia. For the first time in Georgian history a revolution took place in the old southern Caucasus state... We are publishing this letter from a supporter of In Defence of Marxism in Georgia.

By. Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmed
(Member National Assembly of Pakistan)

 

Specific historical events give rise to populist leaders and movements. When these movements are organized around a revolutionary leadership that adopts scientific methods based on the ideas of Marxism, it can then lead to the transformation of society and of the whole epoch. However, during such extraordinary revolutionary periods, if the social transformation of society fails to take place, there follows a period of reaction, breeding barbarism, oppression, poverty, and backwardness.

The Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign (PTUDC) and Youth for International Socialism (YFIS) have launched a campaign against the ongoing suppression, terrorism, brutality and corruption of the Chairman of steel mills in Karachi and his administration. To this end the PTUDC, in collaboration with YFIS, organised demonstrations throughout Pakistan.

Dramatic events in Tblisi indicate a sharp turn in the situation in the Caucasus. Opposition supporters stormed Georgia's Parliament on Saturday and took it over, forcing President Eduard Shevardnadze to flee as thousands of protesters outside demanded his resignation. Opposition leader Mikhail Saakashvili led hundreds of his supporters as they forced their way into the chamber, overturning desks and chairs, fighting with members of parliament.

The Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign and Youth For International Socialism (Pakistan) celebrated the 86th anniversary of the Bolshevik revolution on November 7, 2003 throughout the country. For this purpose they arranged many public meetings in Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi, Multan, Quetta and Hyderabad simultaneously.

Today one fifth of the human race inhabits the South Asian subcontinent. This region has one of the oldest civilisations and rich cultural traditions. They contributed immensely in the development of human knowledge in various fields of science and the arts. This region is one of the most fertile and rich places in the world, yet hunger, starvation and poverty is on the rise. Around 1.5 billion people will continue to suffer in this quagmire. Is this the destiny of this and future generations to come? This book very affectively answers this question.

Felix Zorba looks at the peace talks taking place bewteen some of the armed left parties in the Philippines and compares the behaviour of these parties with that of the Bolsheviks at Brest Litovsk in 1918. He explains the dangers involved in trying to achieve partial, or even regional, deals when the only lasting solution to the problems of the working masses is the socialist revolution.

We have received this article from a Chinese sympathizer who gives a very good insight to the real situation facing millions of workers in China. In spite of all the gloss about the economic development of China in the past few years thanks to the introductions of “market economy” methods, there is another side to the situation. The closure of state-run industries is creating millions of unemployed and to these further millions are added from the rural areas drifting to the cities in desperate search of work.