All should rally to bring forth the dawn of Socialism
October 31, 2017The death wails of capitalism can be heard everywhere today and all should rally to greet the dawn of Socialism says the Leader of the JVP Anura Dissanayaka speaking at the main commemorative rally of the Centenary of the October Revolution held at Viharamahadevi Park on Saturday (28th).
The commemorative rally was held with the participation of JVP Leaders, representatives of foreign political parties and organizations and attended by a large crowd.
Mr. Anura Dissanayaka making the keynote address said, “In the Communist Manifesto Marx “the history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles”. In all these societies there were struggles, revolutions and class struggles. All of them ended with the substitution of a new type of oppressor and a new type of exploitation. After the Paris Commune in 1871, the greatest revolution of ending exploitation in the human history occurred in 1917. Today, we are commemorating the centenary of this great Revolution. We should commemorate the Socialist Revolution in Russia forever. We, together with anti-imperialist, progressive and left movements, commemorate the centenary of the Great October Revolution. Ranil Wickremesinghe and Maithripala Sirisena too are preparing to commemorate the Revolution. They think it is an isolated incident like the birth of a Bandaranayake or a Senanayaka. They should really commemorate Tsar’s rule. We ask Ranil – Maithri coalition not to insult the Great Russian Socialist Revolution.
It is indeed necessary to have a broad discussion on the struggle carried out by the Russian Social Democratic Workers’ Party, which later became the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, to get power, its tasks against counter-revolution, programmes launched to build Socialism, the contribution by the USSR for anti-imperialist struggles elsewhere in the world, the victories of the Soviet people, defeating fascism decisively, the fall of the Soviet Union with the beginning of the 1990 decade and the world after the fall of the Soviet Union. We have begun this task at a time when the centenary of the Great October Revolution is commemorated. The Great October Revolution is not an isolated or a spontaneous occurrence. It is the result of a long-term struggle carried out by the Russian Social Democratic Workers’ Party lead by Comrade Lenin.
The Russian Social Democratic Workers’ Party from its inception in 1903 until it came to power had to endure rightist opportunism on one side and ultra-left opportunism on the other that attempted to disrupt its revolutionary path. However, Comrade Lenin was able to defeat all types of opportunisms and deploy correct strategies to direct the CPSU towards Socialist Revolution. We, of the JVP, have confronted such bitter experiences as well. There have been instances in our movement too when rightist opportunist tendencies have surfaced. We have defeated them. Today, these cliques can only whine hiding in Rajapaksa’s lap.
With the beginning of the first world war in 1914 Russia was entangled in the war. There were famines; mountains of dead soldiers. Farmers were severely oppressed. Lenin thought how such a devastated people could be rallied with the revolutionary strategies of the party. The slogan land for farmers, peace for soldiers and bread for the people was put forward. 2/3rd of the lands in the country belong to Tsar’s family, the church and aristocrats. The Russian Revolution was made successful by building, instead of the left movement that was isolated, a common people’s movement that was linked with the needs of the people. In our party too there was a small clique that attempted to drag the party to the position of doing politics in a crucible instead of attempting to win masses. We are indeed happy that we were able to defeat all sorts of opportunisms when we are commemorating the centenary of the Great October Revolution.
The October Revolution had a political party with a correct ideology and discipline. In our country too we have built a disciplined party with a correct path. It is the duty of all of us who are gathered here today to dedicate ourselves to achieve our final goal of Socialism. We should become the receivers of the experiences of the Great October Revolution to make the Revolution in Sri Lanka victorious.
The extremely serious challenge a communist party is accredited with is making Socialism which exists only as a concept a reality. Today, we have a lot of experiences of Socialist Revolutions in the world. However, the main challenge the Bolshevik Party was confronted in 1917 was making Socialism that was in the conceptual world a practical one. By 1921 counter-revolution was defeated and the plan was implemented to take the victories of the Russian Socialist Revolution to the Russian people and the people in the world.
Victories were achieved in education, industries, science, agriculture through great transformations. One of them were isolated plans or achievements. In our country, the research connected with agriculture are not linked to farmlands. Ample research has been carried out regarding post-harvest waste and storing and preserving the harvest. However, vegetables are buried using back-hoe machines. Education, economy, developing social lives are stringently connected to science. However, in our country, the Ministry of Agriculture is not aware of what the Ministry of Irrigation does. The Ministry of trade doesn’t know what the Ministry of Agriculture does. The people in Russia achieved victories through the Russian Socialist revolution as a result of planned socio-economic policies.
Also, all victories of Russia’s economy were distributed to the whole world. The literacy rate in Russia before the Revolution was 24%. It was 2% in Kirgizia. Such countries that had been oppressed and exploited by Tsar increased their literacy rate to 75% twenty years after the Revolution. By 1970 it had increased to 99%. A state cannot be developed without an education that could comprehend the society. Education is only a commercial item for our rulers. SAITM owner has been allowed to sell medical degrees and earn profits. What is done through Socialism is to provide new knowledge and new education to achieve victories for the human beings. Special schools, adult education were developed and a decision had been taken at the Congress of the Communist Party to broaden the teaching of science, Mathematics and Technology.
During the 1960 – 1980 period 80% of new inventions in Mathematics were owned by the Socialist Soviet Union. ‘Mir’ space station was sent into orbit and obtained outstanding victories connected with space. A society that was ailing with poverty and illiteracy was taken up towards victories in space.
At the 40th anniversary of the Great October Revolution, the Soviet Union was able to send into orbit the first satellite. In 1959 the first living thing – Laika the bitch, orbited the Earth in a Soviet craft. In 1961 Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space and Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space in 1963. By 1970 the Soviet Union was 15 years ahead of the USA in space exploration.
In ten Olympic Games held between 1958 and 1990, the Soviet Union won the most number of Olympic medals on six occasions. When development of industries is compared during the period from 1917 to 1957 the USA had a development of 3.5%, England 1.9%, France 3.2% while the Soviet Union achieved over 10% every year. With the development of industrial sector, agricultural sector, fine arts, literature in the Soviet Union it was able to provide the whole world with great victories in those sectors. Only Socialism could achieve such victories. The Soviet Union provided these victories to the masses while fascism begun by Mussolini in Italy and Hitler in Germany was gobbling the whole world.
According to statistics, 50 million died in the second world war. 20 million of them were people and soldiers of the Socialist Soviet Union. It was the Soviet Union that fulfilled the exceptional task of defeating fascism. The whole Nation directly confronted the struggle. What would have happened to the world if not for the Soviet Union? We believe this should be studied by social scientists. There was a massive economic depression throughout the world in 1929. However, the Socialist Soviet Union was able to maintain a healthy economic growth. As such, the victories provided for the human race by the Great October Revolution are immeasurable.
The Soviet Union was fraternally behind all struggles that occurred in countries such as Cuba, Laos, Nicaragua, Yugoslavia and dedicated itself for the victories of these struggles. After the victories of the Socialist Revolutions, the Soviet Union aided those countries and provided knowledge, technology free to such countries. Support was given even to periphery countries that were trapped in the imperialist guillotine. An economic co-operation agreement was signed between Sri Lanka and the Soviet Union on 25th February 1958. With this, there was a close relationship. After the space travel on 12th April 1961, Yuri Gagarin visited Sri Lanka on 7th December 1961. Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space visited Sri Lanka on 23rd November 1963. Socialist hands were extended with intense brotherhood to states that were exploited by imperialism.
The Lumumba University was begun in February 1960. At the beginning, 2000 students from 84 countries were given scholarships. Later this was increased to 4000. Many such scholarships were given to countries like ours. In 1962 we were given Oruwala Steel Factory. We were given Keelani Tyre Factory and a flour mill at Mutwal. What has happened to them now? East Germany gave the country textile factories at Thulhiriya and Maththegoda. Yugoslavia gave us Veyangoda textile factory. A cotton project necessary to produce cloth was started at Hambanthota. The whole Socialist system of countries supported the periphery countries. Mahinda Rajapaksa gave ‘Dole’ company in the US 5000 acres to plant plantains to Europeans. However, Russia started the cotton project at Hambanthota for textile production at Thulhiriya, Maththala and Veyangoda. A cold storing facility was given to Kandy. Today, there is no trace of this project. The Socialist Soviet Union also gave a planetarium to Colombo. The Soviet Union has given the developing world may gifts. They were the production of the people in a Socialist state.
What imperialism does is to exploit people throughout the world. It plunders our resources. The Socialist Soviet Union gave the world a fine example of humanity, brotherhood and equality. We ask those who spread falsehoods about Socialism to study it correctly before coming to conclusions. There are a few critics in our country as well who say Socialism is a failure.
The Soviet Union that provided the world with extra special victories collapsed with the beginning of the 1990 decade due to internal rifts and external conspiracies. Many who had high hopes of Socialism fell mentally. There was talk about globalization with the USA as its pivot. Many started saying the world entered a new capitalist stage after 1991. What has actually happened? The economic recession started from the golden cradle of capitalism the USA in 2008. Hundreds of thousands lost jobs and many committed suicides. It was President Bush who had to moan the woe of the USA to the world. It was the head of the central bank that lamented the tragedy in England. What does the fall of Greece and Spain indicate? It is the massive economic breakdown that has extended towards portioning of Spain. We see with our own eyes the breakdown of imperialists’ states. The statistics revealed by the WHO indicate the magnitude and intensity of the disaster. Exactly half of the capital produced by the working masses in the world is partaken by only 1% of the world population. 97% of world capital is owned by 30% of the population. 70% of the population inherits only 3% of the world’s capital. This indicates how economically vicious capitalism is.
The world population is 7600 million. The daily income of half of this population is less than 2 ½ dollars. In Sri Lanka, the daily income of 43% of the population is less than US$2. 1300 million of the world population earns only US$1.25 daily. Due to the economic discrepancy, 1000 million children in the world live in utter poverty. 20 children die daily of hunger. 165 million children under 5 years suffer from malnutrition. 9 million children under five years die every year. Despite there is massive development in science and technology, one million dies of malaria. The main reason for deaths in the world is the shortage of food. The technology had developed to get 50 litres of milk per day from a cow and 300 bushels of paddy from an acre of paddy field. The harvests of new products have been increased in many folds. A massive food revolution has been carried out. However, most of the people in the world die of hunger.
All these indicate nothing else but that capitalism has utterly failed on a world scale. It has proved that capitalism cannot take the world further anymore. Capitalism, in its short period of existence, has proved that it is the most failed period of world history. What it means is nothing else but that the people in the world should rally to build Socialism. We, of the JVP, are fulfilling this task in Sri Lanka.
What we need now is not a mere change of government. At a time when we commemorate the Great October Revolution, our task is to come forward to raise high the flag of Socialism against the broken down, weak capitalism. We have been handed over the task of taking the leadership for such an endeavour. We, of the JVP, have to take the initiative, with experiences of the Great October Revolution, to fulfil the pioneering task of carrying out a refreshing transition. We are at a threshold of a very favourable phase. All enemy camps are in crisis. As the enemy has been weakened, it has intensified its vituperations.
As Comrade Lenin has said a revolutionary movement cannot think of the future without winning the trust of the majority. What the Socialist Revolution needs is the trust of the excessive majority. We have to build the broadest center that incorporates all. The death wails of capitalism can be heard everywhere today. The dawn of Socialism is approaching. Let’s absorb the experiences of the Great October Revolution to make our task successful. We all have a task to fulfil in making the Socialist Revolution in Sri Lanka successful. We invite all people in this country to join us to fulfil this task.”
