EGYPT Debate: Workers International Vanguard Party Statement

The LCC re-posts the following statement by the South African WIVP as a contribution to the discussion which has opened up around the nature of the removal of the Morsi government and the call by communists of the RCIT for a Revolutionary Constituent Assembly.
 

Down with the pre-emptive military coup in Egypt

We salute the magnificent demonstrations in Egypt from 30 June to 2 July calling for the overthrow of the Morsi regime. But we condemn the military for usurping and hijacking the revolution. We condemn the killings by the military of the supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood who are standing up against the military regime. Imperialism has managed to divide the Egyptian masses; we need to re-unite them and this can only be done of a basis of exposing the military regime and a united fight against it.

The 17 million strong demonstration, one of the biggest ever in world history, shows that even though it was large, it did not prevent the aspirations of the masses being hijacked by the imperialists. Since Morsi took over there have been over 9000 protests. Food prices went up, unemployment went up, indeed the same social and economic conditions that existed under Mubarak was being sustained and promoted by Morsi, in line with the dictates of US imperialism.  The fact that the masses took to the streets means that they have broken from parliamentarism. What is necessary now is for the masses to set up committees in every workplace, in every working class district, uniting with delegates from rank and file soldiers, electing councils of delegates which is the base of a workers’ government. All delegates should be subject to instant recall and have no privileges, receiving at most the wage of an average skilled worker.  This is the task while at the same time preparing to disperse the military regime that is trying to usurp the power, with the imperialist agencies even calling for a Pinochet-type military coup regime.

At this time, while the masses are in the streets, it would be creating dangerous illusions to call for a Constituent Assembly as the whole struggle would now be diverted once more into the path of bourgeois elections, although with red colours but essentially the line of the imperialists, who are now calling for elections next February.

Imperialism has planted as the enemy with the mass movement, the National Salvation Front of El Baradei. Both the Muslim Brotherhood and the National Salvation Front are happy that the masses are divided- this assists capitalist rule and helps divert the masses from struggle to overthrow the military regime. We condemn the coup as it suppresses even the limited bourgeois democratic gains that we won so far. An important lesson to be learnt from the transition from Mubarak to Morsi is that the grinding poverty and suffering of the masses is the result of the capitalist system and that the domination of imperialism, in this case US imperialism, is what is the main agency enforcing the suffering of the masses. The military receives billions of US dollars every year, the leadership have been trained in the US military schools; they receive instructions from US imperialism. In fact the voice of the Military (Supreme council of the Armed Forces, SCAF) and El Baradei are directly the voices of US imperialism.

In the past period, the police and tried to regain support by marching with the masses- they should be evicted from the mass demonstrations- they were the ones killing the activists during the last days of the fight against Mubarak.

The central slogan for the moment should be for committees, irrespective of party affiliation, to be set up in all workplaces and for councils of workers and rank and file soldiers delegates as the core of a workers government: All power to the working class.

By the military assuming the role of ousting Morsi, they are attempting to usurp the revolution of the masses. The task of the masses was not only to oust Morsi but to disperse the military regime. The military ousts Morsi to keep the same repressive regime intact. It was the military that dictated the limits of the Constitution that Morsi was carrying out. The powers exercised by Morsi were exactly what the military granted him.

A Constituent Assembly?

Some of the left like the RCIT are calling for a Constituent Assembly. But the central question is: who will convene it? The military? They have shown that they will do everything to water down and constrain any Constituent Assembly. The only force that can convene it without restrictions, is the working class in power, a workers government, but for this to happen, the military regime has to be overthrown. The 17 million in the streets are not demanding a Constituent Assembly; in a sense, the fact they are there, means they have moved beyond capitalist parliament. Why should we hold the masses back, take them back to bourgeois parliament? The imperialist only hope is to offer a sham Assembly, maybe with some more concessions, but only enough to keep the system intact. The other option, if they can get away with it, is to divert the masses struggle into inter-group fighting and in this case try to wipe out a generation of fighters- but the masses are not defeated, they are on the march, the capitalists are on the defensive, why should we help them get out of their corner?

We condemn also the ‘Revolutionary Socialists’, who just as they did just before Mubarak was overthrown, create illusions in the military, as if it is some sort of class neutral entity. The base of the military should be split from the generals.

It is clear we need a revolutionary working class party, but the precondition is a revolutionary programme.  This leaflet is our contribution towards the programme in Egypt. If the working class takes power in Egypt, this will mark a giant historical step forward for the struggle for world Socialism. Let us define the programme around which the world revolutionary party is to be constructed.

The way Forward

The revolution is at a cross roads: either to step forward and break from parliamentarism completely or allow a step back by allowing the military to usurp the struggle of the masses and launch a counter-revolution. It is interesting to note that both the Assad and Saudi regimes that support the coup by the Egyptian military. But then, what else can be expected from imperialist puppet regimes?

From occupying the streets, now it is time to occupy and take over the factories and commercial farms.

Tahrir Square has inspired the Occupy Wall street movement, it can now be a beacon for the US and world masses again. We call on the masses in the US to also launch a political mass action campaign against the White House.

The military had to pose as being the most democratic in order to usurp the revolution- they need to be exposed and their grip broken:

Some more demands

  • Arrest the generals who ordered the killing of activists in the Mubarak era and who were involved in the CIA rendition and torture programme, disband the army, arm the masses
  • Open the border with Gaza, tear down the border gates
  • Cut the gas to Israel
  • Expel all US troops and advisors from Egypt
  • Lower the food and fuel prices, expropriate all the capitalist and imperialist assets, without compensation to the capitalists, place them under workers control
  • Forward to a workers government.

8.7.2013

Workers International Vanguard Party

http://www.workersinternational.org.za/downwithcoup8.7.2013.htm 

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