På vänsterpartiets kongress deltog en representant för Nepals kommunistiska parti (uml). Det gav en påminnelse om stridens tillstånd i ett land långt borta, men där jag många gånger deltagit i demokratirörelsens arbete. Jag har rapporterat vid flera tillfällen om läget, se här och här, till exempel. Bland de mest minnesvärda händelserna var när jag och vänsterpartiets EU-parlamentariker Marianne Eriksson deltog i en demonstration för demokratirörelsens krav, vilket föranledde regimen att klaga hos den svenska regeringen, se här. Den allra senaste svenska rapporten skriven av Jonas Thunberg hittar du här. Står helt klart att allt tryck måste sättas på regimen för att tvinga den till återupprättande av demokratin.
Bhim Rawals tal i sin helhet kan du läsa här, och jag vill lyfta fram några av de viktigare passagerna:
"The poverty, unemployment, endemic diseases, illiteracy, hunger and deterioration of environment primarily victimize the weaker countries and people. The countries and institutions that exploit the major portion of world resources have to take responsibility to address the problems created due to monopoly and abuse of the resources."
"The Communist Party of Nepal (UML), together with other organizations and people dedicated to democracy and peace, is fighting for democracy and peace in the country. We are resolutely struggling for people’s sovereignty rejecting autocracy and violence in Nepal. The Communist Party of Nepal (UML), which is the largest party having nation-wide network of organization with strong mass base, is determined to achieve the goal of democracy that is inclusive and fully recognizes the rights of all sections of the society. The Communist Party of Nepal (UML) had run the government in 1995 in the capacity of the largest party in the House of Representatives. It had won majority of seats in the last local elections of the Village Development Committees, Municipalities and the District Development Committees in the country. The Party has about a hundred thousand organized members and support base of more than a million people associated with its various sister organizations. We are now launching a joint nation-wide mass movement against autocracy together with other six mainstream political parties in Nepal. The people’s movement is gradually gaining momentum. We believe that the people’s democratic movement will defeat the autocracy imposed by the Royal Proclamation of February 1st last year."
Jag höll också tal på första maj i Nepal 2002, läs talet på nästa sida.
Speech on Mayday-celebration, Kathmandu, Nepal, 2002
Kalle Larsson, member of Parliament and member of central committé Left Party of Sweden
Mayday-celebrators, distinguished speakers, comrades,
It´s an honour for me to adress you on this proud day for the international labour movement. I would especially like to thank my host organisation, General Federation of Nepalese trade unions, for giving me this oportunity.
Comrades,
On this, my third visit to Nepal, your country goes through a time of crisis. The success of the peoples movement of 1990 and the struggle of the nepaleses people for economic and social change, within the framework of multiparty democracy, is today threatened by extremist forces by their acts of terror. Our hope and belief is that the nepalese people will resist this attac and withold their right to forge their own future peacefully and progressivly.
Comrades,
Sweden seems this day to be at least half a world away. Some would say that in Sweden we´ve come a long way down the road of justice. Today every citizen has the right to 12 years of education free of charge and a large part of the population studies at universities under good conditions. The healthcare and the rights for elderly people are among the best in the world. All this is true. But truth has yet another side. While the economic elite builds fashionable ghettos for themselves in the inner cities a lot of young people have nowhere of their own to live. While a few increasingly rich businessmen pick their teeth in the VIP-bars of the airports and rumble in luxury hotels, hundreds of thousands of swedes still cannot afford to go to the dentist and cannot afford a vacation even in their own contry. And even if the struggle for equal rights for women has come a long way – women still earn only 80% of what men do, nine out of ten professors at the universities are men, and sexual abuse, domestic violence is huge problem.
This, comrades, is also the truth. This, comrades, is another side of the story. My country, as well as yours, is a class-society, and one where women have less power and income than men. Of course there are differences as well, but on a day like this we should focus on what unites us; the struggle against capitalism and against the exploitation of women. This day we see, through the shades of difference, that in this struggle we stand as one. On this day of celebrating the labour movement of the world; we are one!
We stand united against the forces of fascism and the right-wing extremists that are gaining in strength not least in Europe. When Jean-Marie Le Pen – the man that has called the holocaust ”a detail in history” – has fairly realistic chanses of being the next prime-minister of France, all left, communist, democratic and progressive forces must come together to meet the challenge. My party has recently given a promise for the elections that are held on the 15 of september – wherever right-wing extermists and racist forces show up in in our country, we will meet them and defeat them with mobilization and strong arguments. Our message to the fascists of Europe and the world is clear: Never again. The line is drawn here. We will fight fascism – and we will win.
Comrades,
This is the celebration of the international labour movement, and people meet across the world. People gather today in Palestine. In a reality where a state of war reigns and teenage protestors who demand their right and their dignity face teargas, killing bullets and tanks. Under the command of the brutal war criminal Ariel Sharon the Israeli regim uses It´s military superiority to attac not only the more and more desperate palestinian people but freedom and justice itself – and in the ashes of Ramallah and Jenin dies the perhaps last hope of a just peace. Our living international solidarity is with the palestinian people.
People gather today in Colombia, in Latin America. There, violence, kidnapping and murder is a part of everyday life. And behind the vast majority of the crimes are committed by para-military groups colsely linked to the Colombian government. Today we remember the thousands of left-wing activists and labour union fighters who have been murdered and our message is clear; We condem the USA-supported plan Colombia – just as we condemned the US bombings killing thousands of innocent people in Afghanistan!
Comrades,
These short glimpses are examples. But they are not exeptions but rather a part of a pattern. It has to do with a world order where the 200 richest people own as much as the entire annual income of half the world population.
Comrades,
It is often said that socialism is a beautiful thought ut that it would never work in reality. This is nonsens, absurd nonsens. Does that imply thar the world of today, that capitalism, works? No, comrades, socialism is not a dream of a distant utopia where conflicts are no more. Socialism is a realistic and concret alternative that would improve most peoples lives dramatically. Yes, it may sometimes seem distant – but we must keep our vision clear and focus straight, the goal can be nothing less than socialism – the peoples power over production and economy. A world in peace and dignity for each and every human being.
Without socialism, democracy will still make a halt on the doorstep of the transnational corporations, the power to rule economy and thereby our very lives will still be only for the very few.
Without socialism, freedom for some pople will still mean to exploit all the rest of us and to profit from our labour - to make money on low wages and bad working conditions.
Without socialism, tens of tousands of children will die from starvation and disease from this day on into eternity - all in the name of globalization.
Without socialism, people will be deprived of their basic human rights – in Argentine, Palestine, Iran, Kurdistan and in Nepal – in every part, every corner of the world.
Without socialism, millions and millions of people will be cast out into poverty and humiliation. The struggle for social justice, the struggle against poverty, is the struggle for socialism. Read us, loud and clear: Freedom is mearly privilege extended unless enjoyed by one and all. We demand nothing less than global social justice. We demand radical social change, now.
Comrades,
Imagine, for a short moment, that there is another way to organize society than for profit alone. Imagine, for a short moment, the vast possibilities that lie ahead of us. Realize, that capitalism is not the end of history and realize the possibilities of socialism. Imagine a world where men and women live toghether as complete equals. Yes, comrades, womens liberation is possible. Yes, comrades, socialism is possible. It is possible because it´s necessary. All else would be unworthy of humankind.
Long live workers international solidarity!
Long live mayday...
...and long live socialism!