The former president of Bolivia Evo Morales on his return march from forced exile after the 2019 coup made a point which on the face of it is most obvious, but a point which for over a century has been lost on the ‘progressive’ elements in the first world. This is a point which was noted by Lenin and earlier by Du Bios, a point expounded upon by Nkrumah and Fanon a point which is so obvious that the illiterate masses who these champagne socialist demeane as the pretend to represent understand at its most base level.
This point, this fact which is yet to be drilled into the heads of our supposed allies is that it is not enough to be a ‘progressive’ it is not enough be a socialist or anarchist etc… at the end of the day if you must be an anti-imperialist and if not then you are the enemy. I will go further, it is not rocket science to believe in and push for universal healthcare, or cradle to grave free education, or a UBI or abolition of the police or a green new deal or whatever the cause is they have. Any reasonable thinking businessman or Christian Democrat or JLP leader can see some reason to adopt these policies and programs. That is not revolutionary, that is mere common sense, and it can be seen in the fact that forces as varied as the British Tory party to the Bolivarian revolution are promoting some of these ideas.
No, the true revolution as these great luminaries have noted is in standing up to imperialism, calling it out, fighting it and being on the side of liberation of the colonised, exploited and working class the world over. You are not revolutionary if you can’t even get over the first hurdle as laid down by Marx ages ago ‘workers of the world unite…’. It is not workers of Britain where he was writing, or France from whence he was kicked out or even Germany his home from which he was exiled that this was penned for but for the world worker and exploited and as Engels noted the British (read first world) worker have never been about revolution because they made a deal (weather explicitly or implicitly) that for a few crumbs which those who have all were willing to give they would throw the global working class under the bus of imperialism.
Marx noted that no worker in the world will be free until the black labourer who is in chains is free. That written during the darkest days of American slavery remains true today, the worker in America will remain an exploited and disposable husk so long they knowingly or unknowingly continue to sign the evil bargain of ‘some scraps’ at the expense of the masses. Bolivia is example number one of the total lack of revolution and revolutionary thought which stems from the first world left, a group which by-and-large cheered or was silent as not only this man but the movement and personnel in this movement (mainly women might I add) were lynched and tarred and feathered and shaved and stripped in the streets. They said noting as a coup was launched in order to make their access to Bolivia’s Lithium deposits easier (note not open because Bolivia was always willing to trade).
They say nothing because this is the kind of ideology they have, a ‘progressive’ one, devoid of any revolution and internationalism, one which finds the first world silent as a pogrom is carried out because hey, cheap batteries and a green new deal after all. These are the people who remain silent as the Congo remains a nation home to child slave labour in the mines (not to mention adult slave labour) as American and other western companies seek to extract the minerals which will make possible the Green New Deal tm as envisioned by American saviour AOC and her acolytes of third world destruction.
Morales was and remains a better man than me, these people have not and will never be our friends. That is, the ‘progressives’ who find themselves in areas of power, true power, are not our friends and if in the off chance that someone slightly friendly may come along (like Corbyn who in spite of his weaknesses passes the test of revolutionary laid out by Morales) they will get shafted. We must reach the people instead, as Lenin said go deeper to find the masses and to do this, we must abandon any hope of finding any form of help in the major established parties in the west. We must target the American worker and precariat; they can be reached as has been shown both by history and by recent events. Who we cant reach and should not waste our time attempting to reach are groups such as the AFL-CIO or the TUC which have been shown to be against the international worker, it means abandoning trying to reason with the Labour and Democratic parties which invariably end up getting the ball rolling on third world aggression. It means going back to the difficult but tried and tested methods, reaching out to those revolutionaries in the west, in the north, inviting them to the south. It means educating them in the global struggle and the maxim that one man in bondage means we all are in bondage remains true.
Salvation will not come from those who belittle the revolution (again as Morales defined, anti-imperialism). No they are the ones who are forging our bonds and codifying our bondage as he has begun to do we must call them out and not be afraid to name names of the enemies amongst us, the judas goats who would have the global south remain the workhouse it is as I write. Entities like the Guardian which disgustingly crowed with delight about the ‘fraudulent election’ and the ‘strongman who packed the courts’ must not be allowed to escape by writing praises for the MAS victory without being called out for the agents of imperialism they are. The Democratic party and their ‘progressive’ icons Ro Khanna and ‘The Squad’ must be condemned globally for their tacit endorsement of ethnic cleansing in traditional Latin American style lest they escape with their pitiable and wishy-washy praises of the victory for the people.
The first world left has a lot to learn from the third world and Bolivia is an excellent case study. As they whinge about the rise of the far right, which is re-emerging it is true, and labour about as to how to combat it (as seen in America where a clear majority has said no to the alternative of the American iteration of the far right with 48% for it and one third staying home). Give the people a revolutionary option, the far-right and fascism cant be fought with centrism or non-descript progressivism. A revolutionary ideology which liberates the worker and puts power in their hand, a movement which puts their needs first and driven by the people is needed. That is how a ten point victory last year which ended with the ousting of Morales and which was followed up by what can only be described as some of the worst atrocities since the dirty war can end a year later with the party ousted back in power with a 20 point lead and with the former president, forced into exile for fear of his life can return a champion.
Reach the masses, engage the masses, respond to their needs and provide them with a revolutionary (again Morales description) ideology which shows them that they are linked to a broader and historic struggle and victory is within sight, not there in hand yet, but definitely achievable. We must know our allies and our enemies, and there is a simple first litmus test which nations which have no left-wing governing party have managed to pass (as seen in Iran, Russia Lebanon, Trinidad and Tobago etc) are you anti-imperialist or not, are you for the revolution or are you for the counter-revolution, I hope the people are listening.
jamaicachange 