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May Day is celebrated by workers across the world and is a time to draw
lessons from past experience, to sum up the present situation and look to the
tasks ahead.
It affirms the solidarity of workers of all countries in their struggles against imperialist war, against exploitation, against reaction and racism. It affirms the determination of the international working class to win a new world where the needs of the working people are met and humanity can have a bright future, free from poverty, disease and oppression – the noble goal of socialism.
On May Day, we salute the martyrs of the past and join with countless workers,
peasants, indigenous peoples and others struggling for change in factories,
workplaces, cities and villages across the globe. We hail the heroes of revolutionary struggle, including armed struggle, in all continents, and send
greetings to those suffering in prison for daring to stand up against injustice.
Towards a socialist Australia
May Day also focuses on the particular tasks at home. In each country,
the working class has the task of assessing its own position, of coming to
terms with the present stage of its struggle with the class enemy.
The main characteristic of the present is the deepening economic crisis. It is the working class that is first and most severely affected, and because of its position, has the responsibility of leading the whole people.
This leadership involves defending rights at work and defending families and communities. The working class is impelled to move in the direction of building a socialist society where people come first and not the profiteering of a small minority.
Investigation of Australian conditions by the CPA (M-L) has revealed that, as a first step in the direction of socialism, independence from foreign imperialism is integral to the fight for socialism, since foreign imperialist owners dominate the Australian economy. Only through achieving control over the economy and politics, will it be possible to put the Australian people, led by the working class, in control of their future. These are the long term goals of revolutionary change.
What is needed now
It is also crucial to deal with immediate needs, in a way that assists progress to the longer term goals. The Communist Party of Australia (Marxist-Leninist) puts forward the following suggestions for consideration:
The economic crisis is the product of the operation of the capitalist economic
system and therefore the burden should not be borne by the working class, or
other sections of the population that can ill afford it. It is the owners of the big banks, factories and mines who should bear the burden.
Unity, in the broadest sense of the term, should be built on key issues, and secondary matters should be put aside for now. The key issues should be doing away with anti-worker and other anti-democratic laws and practices and building genuine democracy that is in the hands of the people, defence of the economic and social needs of working people and indigenous Australians, the re-building of Australia’s manufacturing industry on a clean and sustainable basis, achieving Australia’s political independence in international affairs, and building global relationships that are based on equality and the mutual benefit of peoples.
Because peoples’ understanding does not always keep up with the pace of change, there is a need to assist the development of conscious understanding through the effective use of study, media, and a range of cultural forms.
The manner of working with other people must reject both left sectarianism and
accommodation with the status quo. It must be based on respect for the people.
This means listening to what they have to say, taking their suggestions on board, giving them ownership, as well as contributing to the development of
understanding.
Building the leadership of the working class in Australian society is crucial because only the working class possesses the outlook, discipline and organisation that is needed.
Australians have a range of organisations to pursue their concerns. New mass organisations emerge to meet new challenges. Together they constitute the Australian people’s movement of struggle. Political work needs to be carried out within this movement. There is also the need to build revolutionary organisation to link the struggles for reform and the struggle for revolutionary change. Connected to this is the vital task of building the
Communist Party. |
