Following the revolutionary upheavals
that have spread from Tunisia to Egypt, and which are inspiring
solidarity protests throughout the Middle East and the world as a whole,
the University of London Union Marxists decided to postpone their
discussion on Marxism and the State to discuss the revolution in the
Arab world. Egyptian socialist and SOAS student, Walaa Quisay, was
invited to introduce the discussion on a movement that the whole world
is watching.
Following the revolutionary upheavals
that have spread from Tunisia to Egypt, and which are inspiring
solidarity protests throughout the Middle East and the world as a whole,
the University of London Union Marxists decided to postpone their
discussion on Marxism and the State to discuss the revolution in the
Arab world. Egyptian socialist and SOAS student, Walaa Quisay, was
invited to introduce the discussion on a movement that the whole world
is watching.
Walaa
began by noting the astonishment that seemed to have gripped the
Western media, but in her opinion what was astonishing was that, given
the conditions of the Egyptian people, a movement had not begun before!
Infact, it was only the Marxists who were able to predict that the
growing instability, in particular around food prices, would lead to a
political and social instability(see Egypt: The gathering storm).
Walaa then
went into the historical background of Egypt since the begining of the
regime of Nasser and his pan-Arab movement that brought him into the
sphere of the Soviet Union, in the process nationalising almost the
entirety of Egyptian capitalism and almost expropriating the capitalist
class. At this time Egypt enjoyed some of the highest living standards
in all of Africa and the Middle East. This was reversed after the
accession of Sadat following Nassers death in 1970, who switched
allegiance to the US sphere of influence. This was further increased by
when Mubabarak came to power, who over the past 30 years has presided
over privatisations and an increase in the gulf between rich and poor.
Walaa
also pointed out that Britain has the same relation toward Egypt that
France has to Tunisia, as former colonial master. This means that
British imperialism still has key business interests in the area. After
Walaa finished her introduction the discussion opened up to questions
and contributions, among which the question of the role of leadership,
the question of political Islam, the role of the state and in particular
the armed forces, were discussed.
After the meeting a statement by the Worker Communist Party of Iraq was forwarded to the ULU Marxists, which you can read below.
End the Mubarak regime! Overthrow the entire rotten capitalist system!
Further mass uprisings erupted in most Egyptian cities over the last
few days. In the early phase the protesters demanded reforms like
increase wages to 1200 Egyptian pounds, No to bequeathing of power,
work, freedom and social justice. But this soon developed into the
political demand for a total regime change.
The impact of the workers and popular uprising in Tunisia close by
(which led to the undignified departure of the ruling dictator) helped
turn the protests in Egypt into an unrelenting volcano. A mighty
uprising has swept all corners of Egyptian society, shocked the ruling
regime and forced Mubarak to start backpeddling e.g. by appointing Omar
Suleiman as vice president. However the concessions that he has made
have not satisfied the masses of the people and the uprsing has reached a
point where no promises or reforms like dissolving Ahmad Nazif’s
government will work.
The masses in Egypt are heading toward overthrowing the oppressive
regime of Mubarak which is hostile to the people’s freedoms and
prosperity.
Whatever label attached to this uprising by various political
currents there is no doubt it is the uprising of millions of the masses
of people who suffer from economic misery and political oppression and
aspire to liberation and a better life.
It is the uprising of the workers, the youth and liberationist masses
against an oppressive political regime and the injustice of the
capitalist system.It is a manifestation of a sharp struggle in Egyptian
society between two main classes: the working class (and along with it,
all the deprived and freedom-loving people) on the one hand and the
ruling capitalist class on the other. Capitalism in Egypt (like anywhere
else) is a political and social system that creates misery, injustice,
oppression and exploitation.
This is the uprising of millions of people who are saying a loud NO
to this repulsive regime with its injustice, lack of respect for basic
rights, its corruption and plunder . The message of workers, toilers and
freedom lovers of Egypt is clear. This regime has to go and go for
good!
Following on from the overthrow of the dictatorship in Tunisia,
current developments in Egypt are a sign that deep political changes are
in store for the entire region. As Egypt is a major political, social
and cultural force, the impact of these developments on the region will
be bigger, deeper and will have more historical significance than the
events in Tunisia. Moreover, the working class in Egypt has built up its
strength over the last decade. It has a long history of struggle, it
has experience and it has wisdom refined by its manouvers with different
sections of the bourgeoisie.
These developments will sharpen the social conflict, lead the
mentality of the society into a different direction and impose a retreat
on the many traditional conflicts which have shaped thinking in the
society for decades involving parties which antagonised the working
class and other deprived people.
The momentum of struggle must be maintained, its pace stepped up
and the widest possible political and living gains consolidated out of
these conditions. The expansion of these gains in favour of workers
and the masses depends on the strength of the working class, its
organization and unity as a great political force. Of special relevance
will be the revolutionary spirit and initiative shown by elements among
the communists and the vanguard of the class.
It is alarming however that there has been a blurring of the issues,
slogans and demands raised by the working class with those of certain
elements within the bourgeoisie. The workers leaders need to be armed
with a clear, well defined, radical message which accurately reflects
the expectations and aspirations of the deprived masses. For this a
party is required which represents the working class in the political
field that will allow it to intervene in shaping the political future of
the society. A party is what this movement needs to harness its
struggle, channel its energies and make the most of its abilities.
The first and immediate task of the working class and its leaders is
to intensify the struggle to overthrow the Mubarak regime and sweep it
from the life of the community. The protesting workers and the masses of
people must act to impose their authority in neighborhoods, factories
and in universities.
The protestors must exercise their authority over the adminstration
of society, ensure that the people are protected from attacks by both
oppressive state forces and gangs of looters and establish general
councils in working and living places.
Workers must separate out their struggle from the demands of the
bourgeois parties, currents and prospects and fight attempts by Western
leaders to steer the uprising into acceptable channels e.g. through an
orderly transition of power to people like Mohammed ElBradei and the
like and/or by offering minimal reforms.
We should vigrously oppose all attempts to maintain the status quo in
some guise or another. The entire political and social system… the
system which created all the hardships which face workers and freedom
and equality seeking people in Egypt… needs to be changed.
The workers movement must make a clear and explicit distinction
between itself and the currents of political Islam which seek to
exploit the situation in order to carve out for themselves the biggest
piece of the political pie. The Egyptian workers should make sure there
is no repeat of the experiences of the 1979 Iranian revolution that
toppled the Shah’s regime: a development the Islamists used as a
springboard in making their grab for power.
The Iranian workers (and in particular the oil workers) were the mainstay of the revolution to overthrow the Shah’s regime and
achieve
prosperity and freedom. But the working class did not protect itself
against armed Islamic groups and their ideas of "Islamic justice". Out
of the worker’s revolution in Iran arose its grotesque opposite: a
medieval, chauvinist, fascist Islamic regime that engages in mass
executions, wars, systematic crime, stoning, compulsory vieling and the
assassination of opposition political activists and imposes abject
poverty, hunger, deprivation, drugs, sex work and moral and spiritual
regression.
Workers in Egypt need to beware of these currents and strive to marginalize them.
Workers, communists and leftist activists of Egypt!
You have an urgent task: to shape a distrinct political line… a
radical, liberationist, Marxist line that is independent from the
bourgeoisie and its currents like nationalism, liberalism, Islamism and
so on.
Yours is the task of leading the uprising of workers and deprived
masses according to this distinct political line and posing a radical
political alternative before the society which aims at establishing a
political regime based on the conscious, free and direct involvement of
the masses. A regime of workers’ councils and a workers’ government
which immediately endorses all of the basic demands of the masses in
Egypt;
Unconditional political freedom
The right to organize, strike and gather
Unemployment benefit for every unemployed person 16 years and over
Separation of religion from the state and from education
Full equality between men and women
Abolish capital punishment
Enact a progressive labour law
Economic security for workers
Workers in Egypt, workers’ leaders and labour mass organizations!
Freedom and equality seeking people in Egypt!
We, in the Worker-communist Party of Iraq regard your struggle as our
struggle. We express our strong solidarity and stand with you in the
dearest, most important and dignified trench: the trench of freeom and
equality. Helping to strengthen your struggle against Mubarak’s
bourgeois regime and the entire capitalist system in Egypt is a priority
for us, the communists and workers of Iraq. We are eager to see you
win!
Your victory would be a victory for all workers worldwide, but
especially in the Arab world and the Middle Eastern region. Every one of
your victories and every gain you make will have a major impact on the
societies of the whole region.
Long live freedom, equality and workers’ government
Long live our class unity
Worker-communist Party of Iraq
29 January 2011
