Almost all the media is now celebrating the fall of Hosni Mubarak and the `tweeter revolution’ which according to many brought down his 30 years of despotic rule. It is being presented as if it is a sudden development taking cue from the `Jasmine revolution’ of Tunisia, which brought down Zine El Abidime Ben Ali who was in power for 24 years. It can not be denied that the Tunisian developments had a spark like effect in torching the Egyptian Streets. But the fact that is not being presented by the media in general is that the neoliberal economic polices and the subservience to the US imperialists in all their policy matters – economic, political and international has caused the uprising.
A new term is now in use - Servant Dictators; who took orders from World Bank, IMF for economic policies, from the white house for their foreign polices and from Pentagon – the US Defence Head Quarters - for their defence forces and these rulers in turn dictate to their own countrymen to follow these policies and let loose repression on those who protest!
THE ROLE OF TRADE UNIONS
A fact that is not being reported is the role of Trade Unions and Workers. In Tunisia, the participation of various organizations include the Trade Union Federation – the General Union of Tunisian Workers and the Party associated with it, namely Democratic Forum for Labour and Unity Party, as well as a newly constituted 14th July front consisting of Tunisian Communist Workers Party, Patriotic and Democratic Labour Party, the League of Labour left and various democratic organizations.
In Egypt, the movement for ouster of Hosni Mubarak had begun much earlier. Despite heavy repressions, the struggles of working class rose sharply from 2008. The historic strike of 28,000 workers in a town, Mahalla Al Kubra, was met with heavy repression. But similar struggles developed in various regions. There were 478 industrial actions in 2009. They included 184 sit-ins in closed factories, 123 strikes, 79 demonstrations and 27 rallies. Along with rising unemployment, prices of bread and other essentials were increasing. Many struggles were developing. A committee – April 6 Committee - that was formed for solidarity actions with strike of Mahalla Workers, in which young men and women took active role, played a leading role in mobilizing people at Tahrir square in Cairo.
BREAD, FREEDOM, DIGNITY
While in Tunisia, the struggle began with slogans of Bread, Freedom and Dignity the 25th January mobilization in Cairo – the day of rage – had the first demand for increasing minimum wage to 1200 Egyptian Pounds per month and subsidies for unemployed. The other demands were end of State of Emergency, release of prisoners, the dissolution of Parliament and changes in Constitution.These demands of Bread and Freedom are echoing in the mobilizations in other countries like Yemen, Jordan, Morocco, Baharin, Algiria, Lebanon and Sudan. These developments are now having its impact in Iran also.
COMMON FEATURES
Denial of democratic rights, Despotic rulers, brutal repressions of working class movements are common features of these countries. Added to that is the fact they are propped up by US imperialists, except in the case of Iran. Many of these countries are considered strategic by US imperialists with the high level involvement of their armed forces. The stakes are very high for US imperialists. What next?
With the ouster of Ben Ali and now Hosni Mubarak, the question being raised is what next? Whether army which has taken control in Egypt will give way for a real democratic set up is a very important issue. What will be the role, the US imperialists will now be playing? What will be the role of those forces in that region, who openly wanted Mubarak to continue even at the time of massive uprising? We have to wait and watch. As we go to press, reports of massive strikes by workers demanding wage increase disregarding the threats of Army have come from Egypt. Massive demonstrations and rallies are being held in various other countries in the region.
Courtesy: www.citucentre.org/
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