Communist
11th July 2009, 20:56
This came in the Marxist-Leninist List digest and I thought some of you might be interested in this viewpoint. It is not mine.
======================================
By Maziar Razi
<http://www.londonprogressivejournal.com/image/picture/473>
Open letter to the workers of Venezuela on Hugo Chavez's support for
Ahmadinejad
Honourable workers of Venezuela,
The Revolutionary Marxists of Iran are aware of your achievements as part of
the Bolivarian Movement and have always supported this movement against the
widespread lies and the open and covert interference of imperialism. In
order to defend your invaluable movement and to confront the attacks and
interference of US imperialism in Venezuela, labour and student activists in
Iran have set up the ?Hands Off Venezuela? campaign in Iran and during the
past few years have stood together with you in confronting the imperialist
attacks. It is obvious that your achievements were gained under the
leadership of Hugo Ch?vez and, for this reason, you reserve deep respect for
him.
In terms of his foreign policy, however, Chavez has made a mistake. With his
support for Ahmadinejad he has ignored the solidarity of the workers and
students of Iran with your revolution, and in a word, made it look
worthless. Most are aware that two weeks ago Ahmadinejad, with the direct
support of Khamenei, committed the biggest fraud in the history of
presidential elections in Iran and then, with great ferocity, spilt the
blood of those protesting against this fraud. You just have to take notice
of the international media reports to be aware of the depths of this
tragedy. All over the world millions of workers and students, and also those
of Marxist and revolutionary tendencies (which mostly are the supporters of
the Bolivarian revolution), protested against these attacks.
In of spite this, Chavez was one of the first people to support Ahmadinejad.
In his weekly TV speech he said: "Ahmadinejad's triumph is a total victory.
They?re trying to stain Ahmadinejad's victory, and by doing so they aim to
weaken the government and the Islamic revolution. I know they won't be able
to do it. And that We ask the world for respect.? These rash and baseless
remarks from your President are a great and direct insult to the millions of
youth who in recent days rose up against tyranny. Some of them even lost
their lives. Many of these youths came out on the streets spontaneously and
without becoming infected with the regime?s internal disputes, or becoming
aligned with the policy that US imperialism is following for taking over the
movement. In addition, the remarks of your President are an insult to
millions of workers in Iran. Workers whose leaders are today being tortured
in the prisons of the Ahmadinejad government and some of them are even
believed to be being punished with flogging. Workers who were brutally
repressed by the mercenaries of the Ahmadinejad government for commemorating
May Day in Tehran this year are still in prison.
So far Chavez has travelled to Iran seven times and each time he has hugged
one of the most hated people in this country and called him his ?brother?.
He does not realise that the economic, social and political situations of
Venezuela and Iran are going in opposite directions. Although both countries
have seen a similarly significant boost to their oil (and gas) revenues the
contrast between the ways in which this extra money has been used by the two
governments could not be more marked. In Venezuela this income is used for
building hospitals, schools, universities and other infrastructure of the
country, but in Iran it is used for lining the pockets of just a few
parasitic capitalists.
On the one hand, in Venezuela, we have seen the nationalization of an
increasing number of companies and factories, the free provision of
healthcare, education, civil liberties and so on. By contrast in Iran
privatization is on the government?s agenda, even at the cost of trampling
on Article 44 of the Constitution of the country and using the excuse of
inefficiency and low productivity of state companies and factories. All
these advances of the workers and the poor in Venezuela have given them
greater control over the way they work and the way they live. Most
importantly, the expropriation of factories and the encouragement of
workers? control and participation have transformed the character of the
workers? movement in Venezuela, advancing it by many stages. The Bolivarian
movement and the policies of the government have brought about a huge shift
in the balance of class forces in Venezuela in favour of the working class.
Not only has the government encouraged the Venezuelan workers to build the
Union Nacional de los Trabajadores as an alternative to the Confederaci?n de
Trabajadores de Venezuela (CTV), but the workers have become involved in
running and managing factories and other enterprises. The whole world knows
that your government has even drawn up a list of 1,149 closed-down factories
and given their owners an ultimatum: re-open them under workers? control or
the government will expropriate them.
In Iran, on the other hand, on top of the lack of many basic democratic
rights, the workers are also without any independent trade union rights.
Today the workers of Iran do not even have a confederation like the
Confederacion de Trabajadores de Venezuela. All they have are the Labour
House, the Islamic Labour Councils and other anti-working class bodies tied
to the state.
But this has not always been so: the overthrow of the Shah brought about
many freedoms for workers including, in some cases, control over production
and even distribution. Then, however, through repression the Islamic
hierarchy managed to take back all the workers? gains. The leaders that your
President hugs killed thousands of workers, destroyed the workers? movement
and pushed it back by several decades. In Iranian society even the ?yellow?
pro-boss unions - that the Shah had tolerated - became and remain illegal.
Even a CTV-style trade union confederation is illegal in Iran.
In Iran the official (and underestimated) unemployment rate stands at 10.85
per cent, with unemployment among the youth (15-24 year-olds) standing at
22.35 per cent. Even when workers are employed they are often not paid - in
many cases for more than a year. Even those who get their wages face an
impossible task in paying for the basic necessities of life, because their
wage is not enough for living costs. For example, with the rent for a
two-bedroom flat at $422 a month, a civil servant on $120 wages, or a
teacher on $180, or even a doctor on $600 a month struggle to survive. It is
no wonder that some 90 per cent of the population live below the poverty
line.
The capitalist government of Iran has no fundamental disagreements or
contradictions with US imperialism. It is in a ?cold war? with America and
when it receives enough concessions, it will quickly enter into political
dealings with the US and will turn its back on you. Indeed, the Iran regime
has already helped the Americans in their military invasion and occupation
of Afghanistan and Iraq - and installing the puppet regimes of Karzai and
Maliki through significant trade, security and other deals. The capitalist
government of Iran, despite the current apparent differences, is busy in
close negotiations with the Obama government on resolving the problems of
Afghanistan. This government, despite the ?anti-imperialist? rhetoric, is
heading towards re-establishing old links with the US. Ahmadinejad's
selection demonstrates the final turn of the regime towards resolving its
problems with imperialism. Despite all the ?enmity? and ?anti-imperialist?
gestures the regime is ready to resolve all its differences with America.
The government of Iran wants to turn Iran into a society like Colombia (in
Colombia thousands of trade unionists have been killed so that multinational
companies can exploit workers and plunder the country?s natural resources
without any obstacles). It is not without reason that the Iranian government
has been implementing the bankrupt neo-liberal prescriptions of the World
Bank and International Monetary Fund and counting the minutes until it joins
the World Trade Organisation.
The close and regular links of your leader, Chavez, with the leaders of this
regime will eventually make the Iranian masses turn their back on the great
lessons of the revolutionary process in Venezuela. Winning the hearts and
minds of the masses in Iran and similar countries is the best long-term
solution to breaking Washington?s stranglehold on Latin America. Your
leader?s closeness with the capitalist government of Iran, a government that
has the blood of thousands of workers and youth on its hands, shows that his
anti-imperialist foreign policy has a major flaw. Being close to reactionary
regimes will never be able to bring the anti-imperialist foreign policy to a
successful conclusion. Only the unity of the real representatives of the
workers and toilers can confront imperialism.
Stand together with the Iranian workers and condemn the foreign policy of
your leaders. Support for Ahmadinejad means support for the repression of
Iranian workers and youth. Challenge the flawed positions of Ch?vez and
reject them. Support for the government of Ahmadinejad, especially after the
recent events, is at worst an open betrayal of the toilers of Iran and at
best a political blunder in foreign policy.
__._,_.___
======================================
By Maziar Razi
<http://www.londonprogressivejournal.com/image/picture/473>
Open letter to the workers of Venezuela on Hugo Chavez's support for
Ahmadinejad
Honourable workers of Venezuela,
The Revolutionary Marxists of Iran are aware of your achievements as part of
the Bolivarian Movement and have always supported this movement against the
widespread lies and the open and covert interference of imperialism. In
order to defend your invaluable movement and to confront the attacks and
interference of US imperialism in Venezuela, labour and student activists in
Iran have set up the ?Hands Off Venezuela? campaign in Iran and during the
past few years have stood together with you in confronting the imperialist
attacks. It is obvious that your achievements were gained under the
leadership of Hugo Ch?vez and, for this reason, you reserve deep respect for
him.
In terms of his foreign policy, however, Chavez has made a mistake. With his
support for Ahmadinejad he has ignored the solidarity of the workers and
students of Iran with your revolution, and in a word, made it look
worthless. Most are aware that two weeks ago Ahmadinejad, with the direct
support of Khamenei, committed the biggest fraud in the history of
presidential elections in Iran and then, with great ferocity, spilt the
blood of those protesting against this fraud. You just have to take notice
of the international media reports to be aware of the depths of this
tragedy. All over the world millions of workers and students, and also those
of Marxist and revolutionary tendencies (which mostly are the supporters of
the Bolivarian revolution), protested against these attacks.
In of spite this, Chavez was one of the first people to support Ahmadinejad.
In his weekly TV speech he said: "Ahmadinejad's triumph is a total victory.
They?re trying to stain Ahmadinejad's victory, and by doing so they aim to
weaken the government and the Islamic revolution. I know they won't be able
to do it. And that We ask the world for respect.? These rash and baseless
remarks from your President are a great and direct insult to the millions of
youth who in recent days rose up against tyranny. Some of them even lost
their lives. Many of these youths came out on the streets spontaneously and
without becoming infected with the regime?s internal disputes, or becoming
aligned with the policy that US imperialism is following for taking over the
movement. In addition, the remarks of your President are an insult to
millions of workers in Iran. Workers whose leaders are today being tortured
in the prisons of the Ahmadinejad government and some of them are even
believed to be being punished with flogging. Workers who were brutally
repressed by the mercenaries of the Ahmadinejad government for commemorating
May Day in Tehran this year are still in prison.
So far Chavez has travelled to Iran seven times and each time he has hugged
one of the most hated people in this country and called him his ?brother?.
He does not realise that the economic, social and political situations of
Venezuela and Iran are going in opposite directions. Although both countries
have seen a similarly significant boost to their oil (and gas) revenues the
contrast between the ways in which this extra money has been used by the two
governments could not be more marked. In Venezuela this income is used for
building hospitals, schools, universities and other infrastructure of the
country, but in Iran it is used for lining the pockets of just a few
parasitic capitalists.
On the one hand, in Venezuela, we have seen the nationalization of an
increasing number of companies and factories, the free provision of
healthcare, education, civil liberties and so on. By contrast in Iran
privatization is on the government?s agenda, even at the cost of trampling
on Article 44 of the Constitution of the country and using the excuse of
inefficiency and low productivity of state companies and factories. All
these advances of the workers and the poor in Venezuela have given them
greater control over the way they work and the way they live. Most
importantly, the expropriation of factories and the encouragement of
workers? control and participation have transformed the character of the
workers? movement in Venezuela, advancing it by many stages. The Bolivarian
movement and the policies of the government have brought about a huge shift
in the balance of class forces in Venezuela in favour of the working class.
Not only has the government encouraged the Venezuelan workers to build the
Union Nacional de los Trabajadores as an alternative to the Confederaci?n de
Trabajadores de Venezuela (CTV), but the workers have become involved in
running and managing factories and other enterprises. The whole world knows
that your government has even drawn up a list of 1,149 closed-down factories
and given their owners an ultimatum: re-open them under workers? control or
the government will expropriate them.
In Iran, on the other hand, on top of the lack of many basic democratic
rights, the workers are also without any independent trade union rights.
Today the workers of Iran do not even have a confederation like the
Confederacion de Trabajadores de Venezuela. All they have are the Labour
House, the Islamic Labour Councils and other anti-working class bodies tied
to the state.
But this has not always been so: the overthrow of the Shah brought about
many freedoms for workers including, in some cases, control over production
and even distribution. Then, however, through repression the Islamic
hierarchy managed to take back all the workers? gains. The leaders that your
President hugs killed thousands of workers, destroyed the workers? movement
and pushed it back by several decades. In Iranian society even the ?yellow?
pro-boss unions - that the Shah had tolerated - became and remain illegal.
Even a CTV-style trade union confederation is illegal in Iran.
In Iran the official (and underestimated) unemployment rate stands at 10.85
per cent, with unemployment among the youth (15-24 year-olds) standing at
22.35 per cent. Even when workers are employed they are often not paid - in
many cases for more than a year. Even those who get their wages face an
impossible task in paying for the basic necessities of life, because their
wage is not enough for living costs. For example, with the rent for a
two-bedroom flat at $422 a month, a civil servant on $120 wages, or a
teacher on $180, or even a doctor on $600 a month struggle to survive. It is
no wonder that some 90 per cent of the population live below the poverty
line.
The capitalist government of Iran has no fundamental disagreements or
contradictions with US imperialism. It is in a ?cold war? with America and
when it receives enough concessions, it will quickly enter into political
dealings with the US and will turn its back on you. Indeed, the Iran regime
has already helped the Americans in their military invasion and occupation
of Afghanistan and Iraq - and installing the puppet regimes of Karzai and
Maliki through significant trade, security and other deals. The capitalist
government of Iran, despite the current apparent differences, is busy in
close negotiations with the Obama government on resolving the problems of
Afghanistan. This government, despite the ?anti-imperialist? rhetoric, is
heading towards re-establishing old links with the US. Ahmadinejad's
selection demonstrates the final turn of the regime towards resolving its
problems with imperialism. Despite all the ?enmity? and ?anti-imperialist?
gestures the regime is ready to resolve all its differences with America.
The government of Iran wants to turn Iran into a society like Colombia (in
Colombia thousands of trade unionists have been killed so that multinational
companies can exploit workers and plunder the country?s natural resources
without any obstacles). It is not without reason that the Iranian government
has been implementing the bankrupt neo-liberal prescriptions of the World
Bank and International Monetary Fund and counting the minutes until it joins
the World Trade Organisation.
The close and regular links of your leader, Chavez, with the leaders of this
regime will eventually make the Iranian masses turn their back on the great
lessons of the revolutionary process in Venezuela. Winning the hearts and
minds of the masses in Iran and similar countries is the best long-term
solution to breaking Washington?s stranglehold on Latin America. Your
leader?s closeness with the capitalist government of Iran, a government that
has the blood of thousands of workers and youth on its hands, shows that his
anti-imperialist foreign policy has a major flaw. Being close to reactionary
regimes will never be able to bring the anti-imperialist foreign policy to a
successful conclusion. Only the unity of the real representatives of the
workers and toilers can confront imperialism.
Stand together with the Iranian workers and condemn the foreign policy of
your leaders. Support for Ahmadinejad means support for the repression of
Iranian workers and youth. Challenge the flawed positions of Ch?vez and
reject them. Support for the government of Ahmadinejad, especially after the
recent events, is at worst an open betrayal of the toilers of Iran and at
best a political blunder in foreign policy.
__._,_.___