Capitalism is murder for profit here ♦ Cricket, Covid and the “Quad” here ♦
Capitalism Is Murder For Profit. Communism: The Masses Will Produce Whatever Society Needs
In the second wave of COVID-19 raging throughout India, over a million people are infected, and ten thousand reported dead, every three days. The real counts are many times higher than official counts.
Not only are corrupt officials hiding the true scope of the tragedy but are demanding a minimum bribe of Rs.10,000 (USD 134) to bury or cremate, the dead.
From the moment a person experiences symptom of Coronavirus, family members withdraw their life savings hoping desperately to save their loved ones. In search of oxygen and medication, turned away from hospital after hospital already overwhelmed with two patients to a bed, patients die while waiting in ambulances, taxis and on sidewalks, as their families mourn helplessly.
As masses of workers fall victim to the ravages of hungry profit-makers, the government in lockstep, classifies these patients as ‘death due to unknown cause.’
But profit is the real ‘unknown cause’. Without production for profits, and without unsustainable deforestation and the deadly supply chains needed for profits, the communist outlook of ICWP will minimize the chances of viruses escaping from the wild. In the rare event that a virus infects human populations, communist masses will mobilize quickly to produce everything needed to combat it.
Inspired by a vision that calls for a health care system without money, profit and wage slavery, communists and their allies reject the murderous, capitalist vaccine nationalism and patent protection that doesn’t allow India, the largest pharmaceutical manufacturer in the world, full access to anti-Covid medicines and production methods.
The capitalist lifestyle of diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, mental illness and pandemics, will be replaced by a healthy communist lifestyle. The masses will be armed with the knowledge to prevent, treat and cure disease. Workplaces and living spaces will be designed for workers’ safety – no matter what it takes.
Maximum Profits for the Capitalists: Death Sentence for Millions in India and Worldwide
“I am not looking for profit. I am looking for a super profit,” said Poonawalla, the CEO of Serum Institute of India (SIA). Poonawalla squanders £ 65,000 (US$90,420) a week for a luxury mansion in London.
SIA is the largest vaccine producer in the world, but it does not produce for human need. It only produces to satisfy the capitalists’ inhumane profit needs.
The same capitalist illogic applies to oxygen. It is made for sale, not for use. Therefore, many patients in India die because they lack oxygen. The Business Insider reports:
“India COVID-19 surge is highlighting a ruthless, global black market for oxygen, where sellers jack prices up to 1,000 %.”
At this price, with oxygen available only to the super-rich, tens of thousands are dying painful deaths gasping for air while the super-rich spend tens of thousands of dollars to temporarily relocate to London.
In India, oxygen is mainly produced for steel and automobile manufacturing. Amidst this deadly crisis, the steel and auto industry have increased their production, wasting oxygen on producing cars and steel that can’t be sold because the markets in India and worldwide are saturated.
In “peace” times capitalism is deadly for workers. In war it is deadlier.
Thus, as the workers’ corpses pile up at the crematories, Tata – the giant Indian multinational that competes worldwide in auto and steel – must increase its production to try to keep or increase its market share.
Since every capitalist hopes to outsell its competitors, they all increase production. This creates a capitalist crisis of overproduction.
Capitalists in China, US, Germany, Japan, South Korea and other countries compete for market share and maximum profits. It is competition to the death. Some will go under. Those avoiding this fate must physically destroy their competitors, making war among the major imperialists inevitable.
Only Communism Can Create the World Workers Need and Deserve
In demonstrations around India, against the fascist Modi administration’s utter disregard for the raging, fatal second wave of COVID-19, millions demand “azadi” (Azadi means freedom in Persian now popularized in India). They chant and sing – “What do we want? Azadi! Azadi from profiteers, banks, borders! Azadi from capitalism, from racism, xenophobia, and sexism…”
But in order to gain real “azadi”, workers need to mobilize for communism and nothing less. Masses need to join and build the International Communist Workers Party to mobilize for revolution to put an end to the murderous profit system.
While we are building communism, we will inherit a world ravaged by capitalism. In communism, if we were confronted with a pandemic, the communist masses would radically shift production priorities and mobilize immediately to produce and distribute oxygen, medicine, vaccines, masks and everything else the masses need for health! Everyone will be committed to work for the good of all—not for money.
Commitment will be based on understanding the need for communism, to meet the masses’ needs. Healthy communist collectives based on comradely relations that encourage everyone to contribute will inspire the masses to overcome obstacles and meet every challenge collectively.
Our ICWP comrades in India are building a solid communist foundation for revolution. They are taking considerable risk in this given situation in Chennai and other places. Things can change and they are changing. Be part of this historic change! Join us!
India: Cricket, Covid-19 and the “Quad”
Cricket is the most popular sport in India. The other day, a friend who is an avid Red Flag reader called me and said, “Did you hear what happened? The Chinese have taken over the sponsorship of IPL (the Indian Professional League).” IPL is hugely popular, with multi-billion-dollar revenue.
Last year, with Coronavirus spreading across India, IPL had to curtail its franchise and finally end the season. Chinese companies with English-sounding names used to proliferate IPL, offering everything from smartphones to appliances and hi-tech gadgets. Then came a border tension between India and China. The Indian rulers banned most of these Chinese commodities.
The year started with the new Biden administration and intensified attacks on China. The Quad (the US, Japan, India, and Australia) started massive naval exercises. However, India and China re-negotiated several deals to restart trade, reaching $78 billion. China replaced the US as India’s top trading partner.
India also introduced two corona vaccines. As an emerging imperialist power, it exported vaccine to 78 countries. This was a complete disaster. The vaccines were of unproven quality, orders were delayed, and many vaccines were recalled as unsafe.
Meanwhile, Covid-19 was surging, with religious holidays bringing millions to fairs and festivals. The fascist BJP encouraged these super-spreader gatherings. In a truly fascist, unscientific claim, they told the masses that “the Hindu gods can conquer corona virus.”
The country was in complete collapse. Dead bodies littered streets due to lack of crematoriums. The living lined up in unending queues at hospitals, gasping for air as oxygen and Remdesivir disappeared from the market.
Massive corruption would bring life-saving oxygen only to those who could afford it. But the profit-making killer hospitals would administer them to suck the last breath of these patients to make exorbitant money. Many would die with the oxygen tanks and loads of money left for these corrupt hospitals.
The health crisis was so serious that the government appealed to the international market for the vaccine. Russian manufacturers were the only suppliers that offered 100 million vaccines immediately. This was at a time when a US naval ship was passing through India’s declared zone of exclusion. India sent a stern warning to its Quad partner. The Quad is on shaky ground, with China and Russia pulling India in a different direction.
The world goes through unending cycles of Covid surges, bringing the masses to misery. Imperialist armies and navies are on a collision course. The masses have the potential to end wage slavery, the source of all horrors, with communist revolution.
Only the working class, armed with the communist outlook of ICWP, can seize the moment and emancipate the masses.