Working masses should come forward to spearhead the struggle to create a new society.
The 1st of May, International Workers’ Day, is when the working masses throughout the world display their militancy and unity. May Day is not a mere holiday given to the masses by liberal capitalist rulers to rejoice. It is the day to commemorate the militancy of the working masses and their sacrifices.
May Day was based on the massive struggle carried out by workers in Chicago in 1886 demanding an eight-hour working day. Although US capitalist rulers conspiratorially suppressed the move by murdering workers, they could not defeat the struggle. Finally, the working masses won the eight-hour working day. At the Second Socialist International session held in Paris, the 1st of May was declared as the International Workers’ Day to commemorate the workers who sacrificed their lives. Hence, the real owners of May Day are the working masses and left movements in the world.
However, the capitalist political parties representing the capitalist class that murdered the workers in Chicago and certain people in business and opportunists interpret May Day to suit their objectives, destroy its spirit, and attempt to make it a day of welfare and a day of festivities. One challenge before the working masses is to protect the real meaning of May Day from those who attempt to distort it.
Last year and this year, the working masses throughout the world and Sri Lanka have been forced to celebrate May Day within unavoidable limitations created by the covid-19 pandemic. The corona pandemic that spreads uncontrollably and has killed people throughout the world for more than a year has also taught the working masses invaluable lessons. The primary intention within capitalism of the capitalist governments and capitalist movements is not saving human lives but gaining more and more profits to fatten their capital. Capitalism exposes its cynicism by the attempt by capitalist businesses to somehow or other maintain their businesses despite the pandemic and how capitalist racketeers and governments maintained by them make the pandemic a profit-making racket.
This time May Day is commemorated by the working masses worldwide when global capitalism and imperialism are in crisis within the neo-liberal strategy. As a result, the rights the masses have won after bitter struggles are slashed, working masses are deprived of their livelihoods, their salaries are slashed, and they are heavily burdened. Also, it is a time when imperialism in crisis is creating wars to plunder the natural resources of the world and human labour, destroys nature, sustains communalism and religious fanaticism and escalates disasters and killings. There is no other alternative left for the working masses other than defeating global capitalism and imperialism.
The working masses in Sri Lanka too have to commemorate International Workers’ Day amidst several crises and challenges. It has been proved now that capitalism in Sri Lanka, the capitalist government, and the President cannot solve any issue in the country. They could escalate the issues and take the country, people, and the economy towards chaos.
Capitalist governments that ruled this country broke down all production avenues, making the country depend on debt and now is selling the country, giving away important economic centres, lands, and resources to foreign countries and companies to compensate for the debts taken. The present rulers who came to power adorning patriotic garbs too are betraying the country to foreign powers for the sake of foreign debt. This administration attempts to build a western terminal in Colombo Harbour and give it to India to compensate for the East terminal India could not get due to protests from various quarters. It has already prepared laws to make the port city a region outside the country’s administration. On the other hand, the capitalist government that makes unlawful profits through fraud and corruption now attempts through ‘kangaroo’ commissions to acquit thieves, fraudsters, the corrupt and criminals, and punish those who exposed fraudsters, the corrupt and criminal.
The present government that came to power showing the Easter attack and promising to punish the perpetrators of the Easter attack, instead of fulfilling justice to the victims of the Easter attack, is carrying out mudslinging campaigns against those who demand justice to the victims and pursue them.
On the other hand, the present administration has proved it cannot solve any issue confronted by the general public of this country. The government has shown that it is not prepared to give rights to the working masses and pay the increased pension for the retirees.
The government has shown that it is not prepared to arrange a just price for the agricultural products or provide marketing facilities for the farmers. Nor does it want to solve the human-elephant conflict or to listen to the agitation carried out by the farmer community for more than three months, demanding a solution for the human-elephant conflict.
There is no solution for the debt trap crisis of the rural women folk created by microfinance institutions. All governments have failed to solve the issues confronted by the womenfolk who are stricken by all sorts of oppression. There is also the danger of children of low-income families who cannot follow online educational services that are active due to the closure of schools withdrawing from education as the government has failed to provide necessary facilities and relief. When this is added to the crises in the educational sector, the whole educational system becomes a massive tragedy.
The government has failed to provide any solution to issues confronted by the fisherfolk, small entrepreneurs, those who are unemployed, issues of those who have been made unemployed due to corona, employees of the private sector, and Sri Lankans employed abroad etc. The young generation is severely distressed as issues confronted by the youth, including the unemployed graduates, have not been solved. It is nothing but the failure of capitalism.
The government that came to power stating it would protect the environment is now ‘dozer clearing’ the jungles and handing over forest reserves to companies or their associates. In front of us is a country of issues without any solutions, a country of tears without a smile. There is distress but no peace. It is an undemocratic country where threats and suppression are present.
When we commemorate May Day this year, the downtrodden people, including the working masses, have a massive challenge before them; a massive responsibility. It is evident that the capitalist system and the capitalist administration are incapable of solving any people’s issues. All what capitalism could do now is to take the country towards destruction, immerse it in an ocean of debt and finally sell its sections, submerge the people in superstition and ignorance, arouse communalism and religious extremism and divide the people, plunder public money, collapse democracy and suppress masses struggling for their rights.
Hence, it is futile to have hope in capitalist political parties and capitalist leaders. Capitalism is now outdated. Masses should be rallied to defeat capitalism and create a Socialist society. We must struggle to defeat imperialism and liberate humanity. The spearheading of this task has fallen on the working masses. We call upon the working masses to take over this task while struggling for their vocational rights and request all downtrodden masses and progressive and democratic forces to rally with working masses to rally with us.
Long live International Workers’ Day!
Political Bureau
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna
01.05. 2021
