A socialist world is possible!

P.K.Murthy | 2004 Mumbai WSF Organizer

2011.03

Let Hundreds of Flowers Blossom,

Let Thousands of Ideas Contend,

Let Millions of Streams Flow.

Globalisations, Privatisation, Liberalisation are the new « Mantras » of the Neo-liberal Agenda pursued by the Imperialist Powers to control the World. Most of the Countries from Asia, Africa and Latin America have been for centuries colonised and plundered by the West. After post World War II, many of these countries could attain political “Independence” but it was a farce as their economies were still and continued to be controlled by the same powers.

Countries were then prescribed from the 1980’s with “Structural Adjustments” by the IMF and the World Bank that were policed by the World Trade Organisation. Most of the governments from these Countries succumbed and surrendered to the diktats and arms twisting policies of the West and their MNCs. These “Structural Adjustments” brought them unseen economic disasters.

Instead of the “Rosy Spectacle» of globalising standards of living of the rich countries, it has emerged clearly that “Imperialist Globalisation” was just a strategy to pass the burden of the Capitalist Crisis on the poor Countries and the poor of their own countries. Thus, the end of the 20th century and the starting of the 21st century witnessed widespread disillusionments with Imperialist Globalisation with big national and international mobilisation against “Imperialist Globalisation”. Huge demonstrations were held in Seattle, Gothenburg, Prague and Genoa thus being a clear expression that a World Movement is now taking place against the pillars of this plunder and exploitation by the so called Neo-liberal Globalisation that is Imperialist Globalisation.

Ten years ago, the World Social Forum – WSF – came up post Seattle as a counter Forum to the

World Economic Forum of Big Economic Powers of the West which shout loudly that “There Is No Alternative” that is “TINA”. One needs to understand to why these Imperialist Powers are claiming that “There Is No Alternative» and that “Capitalism has come to stay”.

The 1917 Great Proletarian Revolution in Russia and the 1949 Great Chinese Revolution inspired millions and millions across the world to say “No” to Capitalism, Colonialism and Imperialism and people fought for Liberation, Independence and Revolution thus breaking the shackles of exploitation and plunder of their countries and their countrymen. The 20th century was an Era of Revolutions and a Socialist World was emerging “Strong and Promising”.

This New World challenged the Imperialist and Capitalist World Order. “Socialism” was the “Rising Sun” of the oppressed, subjugated and oppressed people in the world, it inspired them and the new hopes were high and the world saw a new Era of struggles for the Emancipation of Humankind that will be free from exploitation, plunders, discrimination and war.

Today, we have no more the Socialist Camp – USSR or China to guide us. The leadership of the CPs in these countries have made a volte face, they betrayed the Communist Ideology and Marxism and they became renegades. Socialist construction stopped or vanished. What remains today is a dilapidated and disintegrated union of states thrown open to imperialist plunders in what use to be the USSR and “Socialist Market” is prospering in China. Since then the new generation have been fed and brainwashed with all the lies and rubbish imperialist campaign ”Socialism is dead” and “Socialism is now of the Past” and that “Only Capitalism and Imperialism have come to stay” and “That they are the Future” for all the people in the world.

To carry out this campaign of vilification, they have at their disposal all the new technologies that ciences are providing today. The new generations are victims as they have no exposure to the Glorious and Real Past of Socialism and the Great Step forward made by Humanity. They are told and brainwashed day and night by the war mongering Capitalist Media that “Capitalism is Universal and Infinite” and they were assured that propaganda was infallible. Imperialist Globalisation will go unchallenged and their plunder could continue and be legitimised. But to their great surprise though the Socialist World is no more to inspire the new generation to revolt yet people in millions today are dejected with widespread increases of poverty and the widening gap between the rich and the poor. They have now resolved to oppose this Imperialist Globalisation and Plunder and to carry forward their search in the construction of a New Solidarity for resisting and for overthrowing the threat and the domination of Imperialist Powers and their cohorts.

The WSF was thus seen as a counterweight to the options proposed by the World Economic Forum held at Davos. That is to say that they don’t accept the dictates of the imperialist powers that they are against this Imperialist Globalisation and that they stand for an Alternative.

The WSF held in 2001 at Porto Alegre in Brazil for the first time was an open space where diverse and different kind of social movements came together to debate, to chalk out strategies of resistance and propose diverse alternatives to Capitalism and its Globalisation. The WSF does not have a common political manifesto on which all the participants have to agree, it is not an organisation nor a united front platform but it is “an open meeting place for reflective thinking, democratic debate of ideas, formulations of proposals, free exchange of experiences and interlinking for effective actions by groups and movements that are opposed to the neo-liberal agenda and to the domination of the world by Capital or any form of Imperialism. The basis of the WSF is that it is built around the conviction that “Another World is Possible”. The basic is the creation of a space for every one to come together and it includes diverse and trends. There are the well wishers of Capitalism who still believe that Reforming the WTO and the Britton Woods Institutions- IMF and World Bank is still possible so that it gets a human face and there are those who reject Capitalism in all its Avatars and who stand for a radical and change of the present Exploitative system and its plunders…

In its 10 years, the WSF has travelled from Latin America to Asia and Africa that is from Porto Alegre – Mumbai – Bamako – Caracas – Karachi – Nairobi – Belem and now to Dakar and there were numerous Continental Forums such as the Asian, African, Latin American, European and US Forums. And every forum brought movements and organisations of diverse and different trends – Ecologists, Environmentalist, Feminists, Socialists, Communists, Trotskyites, Che Guevarists, Gandhians, Ambedkarites, Jayprakashistes, Liberals, Progressistes, Democrats and Patriots together that is all who today are opposed to the contemporary world order though from their own perspectives. The WSF could also bring millions together from all over the World to demonstrate and to say “No to War”, “No to US Imperialism” and to condemn the US and UK’s invasion and occupation of Iraq. The present onslaught and plunder can’t continue, the present World Order is no more acceptable. Yes “Another World is Possible”, “A Real Alternative is Possible” with many even declaring “Socialism as the Real Alternative”.

Thus the Forums have been able:

– One to provide a Space both physical and temporal for these diverse movements to meet, to network and quite simply to feel and to affirm themselves.

– Second they are a retreat during which the movements gather its momentum and its energies to confront Imperialist Globalisation.

– Third they provide a site for the movements to elaborate, discuss and debate the vision, the values and the institutions of an Alternative Economic and Political Order.

The drumbeat of articles from the Apologist of the Capital condemning the WSF goes to prove how much “the Hegemonic Powers and the Masters of the Universe” are greatly concerned. Also, we have many “Orthodox” in the Left who gloss themselves to be the only genuine “Anti Imperialists Fighters” who do not miss to criticise and condemn all efforts to Unite Anti Imperialist forces which could be united within the WSF‘s process. People are moving, they are against the present Capitalist World Order. From Venezuela, Bolivia to Nepal people are over throwing the Past and are creating New Societies – Socialism is their Dream.

Mao Tse Tung said “The People and the People only are the Makers and the Motive Forces of History”.

The enemies, the critics, the fence sitters attacks and their sophistry will not deter the People in their determination and their commitment to come together. The dark forces and agents of the Capital are constantly working even from within the WSF so that they could torpedo and sink it. With or without the WSF, People will continue their struggle for “Another World is Possible” is no more a Dream.

May be the founders of the WSF will disagree but WSF is such a Forum where People come together with their conviction that “Another World is Possible” and that They will build it as they have a Common Goal and their Aim is to Liberate the Humankind from the clutches of Capitalism and of Imperialist Globalisation, from exploitation and plunders, from starvations, famines, unemployment, injustices, discriminations and wars in all its forms.

Let us Unite and Victory is Ours

Because “Another World is Possible”

Yes A Just and Better World is Possible”

“A Socialist World is Possible”.

From: P.K.Murthy.

India.