Whether you like it or not union of free individuals based on the associated mode of production. --- salimtk <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> do we still need to cry for marxists, defeated > revolution, swaraj..etc.? > nostaligia can be stupid and lethal if it is not > 'useful' in ur current > activities and thoughts. > socialism...what does it mean actually? > > > On 2/21/08, venukm <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > > > Socialism is no historic blunder > > By V.R. Krishna Iyer > > > > > > > http://www.asianage.com/presentation/leftnavigation/opinion/op-ed/socialism-is-no-historic-blunder.aspx > > > > Socialists of India, unite! You have nothing to > lose except a few > > crypto-capitalist super-pragmatic Marxists. You > have a creative > > crimson destiny to gain and a billion-strong > have-not humanity to win. > > Why then, do you, comrades of Marxian vintage, hug > capitalist > > sorceries? With a plethora of Socialists, > Communists, Marxists willing > > to join the long march to "Purna Swaraj," our > democratic republic can > > become self-reliant without alien investment. But > this prospect is > > being debased by tycoons, "Westoxicated" > investment-operators and > > nascent neo-Marxist innovators who have > surrendered to consumerism. A > > dangerous class has thus emerged with the dominant > doctrine that money > > is more than man. The dazzle of globalisation, > liberalisation, > > privatisation matters more to them than the rights > of women, children, > > workers and peasants. > > > > Our culture of Swaraj puts humanity above > commodity, sober, > > enlightened values above greedy glamour. Gandhiji > once wrote, "In so > > far as we have made modern materialistic craze our > goal, so far are we > > going downhill in the path of progress." > > > > The hidden agenda of the capitalist North is to > capture the resources > > of India, debunk its socialistic ambition and turn > it into a mere > > marketplace and banana republic. The founding > fathers of our > > Constitution had on the other hand envisioned an > economic democracy, a > > socialistic polity, a people's sovereignty. > > > > My critique of the Marxist policy-novelty has to > be viewed in this > > background. The CPI(M), which wields state power, > participates in > > elections, sits in the House and tells its cadre > to work for a > > socialist transformation, is destroying its own > foundational > > militancy. India's human capital can outstrip the > monetary investments > > by the capitalist class which wants to rob labour > from the jobless > > have-nots and the deprived sectors. We want > radical humanism and > > revolutionary patriotism to pool all available > talent and bring about > > a social change for the happiness of the lowliest. > Imperialism and > > unbridled foreign investment have undermined the > lot of our poor, > > devalued our Constitution and sapped the very soul > of our Swaraj. It > > is a mistake to think that socialist > transformation is an idle dream, > > and that MNC big business is the only pragmatic > strategy without an > > alternative. > > > > Kerala and West Bengal have had Marxist > governments for decades. > > Capitalists, native and foreign, have had > considerable hold over our > > national economy; and for nearly 20 years the > American pressure on our > > country's governance has pulverised our noble > traditions and social > > grace. No serious socialist policy has been tried > by any state. My > > experience as minister, under E.M.S. Namboodiripad > in 1957, convinced > > me that people, whichever their party (or even if > they do not belong > > to any party), NGOs and bureaucrats are willing to > toil free for > > community development. Speaking generally, since > 1991, the national > > economy has been noxiously contra-Constitutional > and anti-people. On > > this, let me quote Shashi Tharoor: "India annually > gets richer by $200 > > billion. India's foreign resources have exceeded > $140 billion. > > Remember, the country had to mortgage its gold in > London because the > > foreign exchange coffers were dry! In the list of > the world's > > billionaires, 27 of the world's richest people are > Indian, most of > > them staying in India. A large portion of the > world's poorest people > > live in India too and you don't need to go to > Davos to meet them. Our > > country's poor live below a poverty line that > seems to be drawn just > > this side of the funeral pyre. 250 million people > living in conditions > > that are a blot on our individual collective > conscience is too grave a > > matter to be lightly dismissed (The Tiger > Elephant, the Tiger and the > > Cellphone, P-6) > > > > I was taken aback when Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, > reportedly successful > > as West Bengal chief minister, declared that he > was running a > > capitalist government. He thus ignored the fact > that rural West Bengal > > had developed as a great paradigm with people's > participation and > > socialistic perspective that were far removed from > a feudal society. > > And I was stunned when the great Jyoti Basu -- the > Marxist leader who > > for long had inspired his people and many like me > by his leftist, > > simple genius -- strangely reversed gear, > jettisoned his party > > fundamentals and abandoned socialism as > impractical. The Indian > > Constitution always had a socialist bias and the > Planning Commission > > had been set up to work out a socialistic pattern > of society. Banks > > were nationalised, big hydel and irrigation > schemes were set up, land > > reforms and urban land ceiling laws were enacted, > public sector > > industries were built. These were not capitalistic > moves, but > > socialistic. > > > > After all, Nehru, in the Constituent Assembly had > asserted, "We have > > given the content of democracy in this Resolution > and not only the > > content of democracy but the content, if I may say > so, of economic > > democracy. Well, I stand for Socialism, I hope, > India will stand for > > Socialism and that India will go towards the > constitution of a > > Socialist State." > > > > Many parties and Parliaments have governed the > country. The words "We, > > the People of India" and "Socialist Secular > Democratic" have survived > > all these years. Every President or minister ever > in power, or judge > > on the bench has taken his or her oath of office > pledging to uphold > > those very words of the Constitution which sustain > our Republic. Jyoti > > Basu and Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee took office after > taking the oath to > > uphold this "Socialist Secular Democratic" state. > How can they now > > betray it after gaining state power? It was > perhaps anticipating such > > future deserters, that Karl Marx in his letter to > Engels had written: > > "All I know is that I am not a Marxist." > > > > Please remember the Marxian mandate: "The > philosophers have only > > interpreted the world in various ways; the point > is to change it." > === message truncated === ____________________________________________________________________________________ Never miss a thing. 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