May Day statement
- CPDM (Campaign for Peace & Democracy (Manipur)) -

New Delhi, 01 May 2010

Office of the Campaign for Peace & Democracy (Manipur)

Ref No: 2010 CPDM 05-01 / Statement/ May Day

Subjugated and oppressed peoples unite
May Day statement 2010

Dear friends,

On this glorious day of the May Day to celebrate the achievements of the international labour movement, we, the Campaign for Peace & Democracy (Manipur), join the workers, peasants and subjugated peoples of the world in celebrating their struggles, sacrifices and victories. Since the capitalist world order continue to subjugate, exploit and oppress peasants, workers and peoples cutting across territorial and community boundaries, CPDM hails high the banner of unity and struggle against imperialism, neo-colonialism and all reactionary regimes.

Protagonists of capitalism, neo-colonialism and reactionary regimes would also celebrate May Day and would try to win support claiming that their respective regime would be able to establish socio economic equality and a peaceful democratic order in their respective domain. However, widespread and consistent proletarian struggle, peasant resistance and national liberation movements for economic and political rights in capitalist (or semi-capitalist) countries would reveal an unresolved crisis inherent with capitalist world order.

Bourgeois democracy has not been able to improve the economic livelihood of the bulk of workers and peasants who have been subjected to exist live below poverty line. Subjugated and oppressed nationalities are asserting the right of national liberation from colonial / semi-colonial rule. Millions of subjugated and exploited workers and peasants are lining up on the street raising the banner of revolutionary change towards a world where there is development, peace and democracy. Reactionary bourgeoisie states had adopted divisive politics and repression as the last option to retain in power. They demonstrate their contempt for the democratic rights with their lies and violence. As a result the casualty inflicted by state terrorism upon democratic forces is higher wherever the intensity of struggle for democratic rights is higher and consistent.

In the Indian sub-continent: How long should the workers remain submissive to the bourgeoisie controlling over their labour power and forced extraction of surplus value from them and live under permanent impoverishment and slavery? How long should the landless peasants at their own economic and physical cost work hardly for the profit of the absentee landlords? Should the tribals parted with their primordial land and natural resources or encourage displacement and ruin themselves for the material benefit of the selfish industrial capitalists and comprador bourgeoisie? Should the dalits continue to remain a weaker class and allow socio-economic discrimination by higher castes? Should the women remain a weaker gender, less paid, less cared and tight up with drudgery household slavery in a patriarchal social order? Should the subjugated and oppressed nationalities willingly welcome a mechanical and oppressive capitalist state superstructure being superimposed upon them in the name of promoting an overarching alien territorial identity enacted by the colonial rulers?

Already the revolutionary forces in the Indian sub-continent have answered to these questions in their own ways. The industrial and factory workers are consistently raising red flags; peasants are unionizing and raising red flags; the tribals have shown stiff resistance to SEZ policy and against all forms of displacement policy that are camouflaged under the cover of development projects; the dalits have realized the class character of the caste system and class consciousness is gradually developing among them; the women have realized that, in as much as material benefits of reforms or reservation are being misappropriated by women of upper class, a revolutionary change in the property relation under a socialist order would liberate them from patriarchy; and nationalities in Manipur, Nagaland, Assam, and Kashmir are waging liberation wars.

However, the fighting power of the democratic forces remained relatively weaker compared to the ruling power of the bourgeoisie state. The main weakness of the democratic movements in the Indian sub-continent is that the movements remained largely confined into certain vested pockets, isolated and as a result movements are largely uncoordinated, lacked simultaneity and a unified planning against the common enemy is missing. Democratic forces are largely divided and sectarian, comparatively weak, sentimental and issue based and sporadic. Characteristically a peculiar issue based movement is confined to areas where a particular party or organization is active on that issue.

Bourgeois state has taken advantage of the weakness, maneuvered the situation, recuperated its militancy, suppressed democratic movements easily, and continued to retain ruling power. Several voices for solution within the constitutional framework have been either suppressed or neglected from attention. Instead, the state sanctions short term cosmetic economic package to a few selected categories of population on roster basis from time to time, incite communalism and articulated psychological propaganda to divide opinion and divert the attention from the structural crisis of capitalism and class revolution. Lack of commonly accepted minimum unity among the democratic forces rendered the democratic forces relatively disunited, weak, uncoordinated and self-defeating.

On this glorious day of International Labour Day, CPDM endorses its commitment towards a world free from subjugation, oppression and exploitation mechanized by the oppressive capitalist regimes across the world. CPDM believes that in the underdeveloped and semi-colonial or colonial conditions; peace, development and democracy can be gradually attained only by overthrowing imperialism, colonial powers and reactionary forces and abolition of class order.

CPDM upholds the principle of integration and coordination of the democratic revolutionary power of the workers and peasants in each country or colony with the international revolutionary movement. CPDM calls upon the workers and peasants to unite and lead the revolutionary movement towards a world free from subjugation, oppression and exploitation. CPDM calls upon the democratic forces across the world to identify common enemy and unite against it. Let us work towards a world order where there is peace, development and democracy.

Hail high the banner of May Day
Long live democracy

Sd/-
Malem Ningthouja
Chairperson,
Campaign for Peace & Democracy (Manipur)