Fight for Communism – Our Lives Depend on It
August 12— Over seventy critically ill children died in a government-run hospital in the north India state of Uttar Pradesh when their oxygen was cut off. The hospital, which serves mainly Dalit, Muslim and other poor workers, was behind in paying its profit-hungry suppliers.
The state government is run by Adityanath, a fascist supporter of BJP, which came to power in March 2017. He is known for his anti-Muslim hate speeches and for forming an armed militia. This militia has terrorized the Muslim population in Uttar Pradesh by burning homes, buses, trains and shops.
Adityanath tried to excuse the murder of seventy children, mostly minorities, by telling reporters that the number was “small” compared to the 500 children who die of encephalitis every year in the same hospital. For shame!
The World Health Organization estimates that three million children under the age of five die every year from conditions that could be prevented or treated easily and cheaply. They, and millions of older children and adults, are condemned to death by a capitalist system that coldly calculates that it is not profitable to save their lives. Many more die in the capitalist rulers’ profit wars.
In capitalism, medicines and hospitals are run for profit. Even oxygen and water are sold for profit! Food is produced primarily for profit. This causes hunger and starvation in many corners of the earth. It causes obesity, cancer, diabetes and heart disease in others. Stress and harassment at work – and lack of work — are key factors in depression, alcoholism and drug abuse.
ICWP is organizing workers, soldiers and students in India and around the world to end this homicidal capitalist profit system. We plan to build a communist society based on working and planning collectively to produce for the needs of the masses.
In communism, there will be no drug companies or insurance industry—no companies or money or profits at all. The entire society, based on collectives, will create healthy work and social environments. Masses will study and learn the science of health, diet and exercise.
In fighting for communist revolution and a communist society, we have to patiently overcome the obstacles we encounter in building our party. In India, for example, we have over 500 readers of Red Flag. Some in several different cities have joined the International Communist Workers’ Party (ICWP). However, we can do much better.
In India, like everywhere else, the bosses use fascism to keep workers in fear. But at the same time, they keep liberal opposition alive to spread the illusion that capitalism can be reformed. We have been able to fearlessly confront fascists by spreading our literature. We have to take the ideological battle against liberals and their reformist outlook with same determination and courage.
The working class is looking for change and only we can offer them the chance to fight for a communist future. We aim to increase our readership in India to thousands and recruit scores of workers and students by May Day.