A revolutionary message to Bolivian youth!

//WORLD REVOLUTION // 2008-01-30

In this critical situation of the Bolivian revolution we, comrades of the communist youth movement REVOLUTION, wish to express our solidarity with the youth, students, workers, indigenous people and all the oppressed people of Bolivia.

In the last period we have witnessed the rising threat of the counterrevolutionary forces of the right wing in your country. The recent moves of these forces, from last years arming of outright fascist forces and paramilitary groups to fight against land occupations to the very concrete steps towards separation in the provinces dominated by the right wing, does remind us about the preparations that took place before the US backed coup in Chile 1973. No doubt, US imperialism is heavily involved in these plans – plans which ultimately are designed to break the back of the government headed by Evo Morales.

As revolutionaries and internationalists we take great concern in what is happening in Bolivia. A victory for US imperialism and the capitalists and landlords in Bolivia would undoubtedly deliver a big blow not only to the movement of workers and oppressed in Bolivia, but also to the anti capitalist movement globally. They must not succeed in doing so! On the other hand, a victory for the Bolivian masses would be a victory for all progressive and revolutionary forces in the world!

How do we understand the current crisis in Bolivia today? We do of course only have the ability to judge from a certain distance as we do not exist as an organisation in Bolivia (nor in Latin America). But we do have the experience of encountering the politics which characterises the current MAS-government through following the events via the internet, news and, lastly but most important, through our involvement in the anti capitalist movement, through the mass and global social forums such as the World Social Forums held in Brazil and in Venezuela.

We have remained critical from the beginning of Evo Morales government and the policies which this government represents. Why?

True, this government did introduce some important reforms, such as the nationalisation of parts of the country’s natural resources and other ones which served to combat the striking poverty among the poor masses. But, critical we think, the main problem we see with Morales is that he himself and the MAS leadership is not intending to take the revolution forward in a qualitative manner, not being ready to confront the real issue about which class is going to have the power in Bolivia. Instead of doing so, Morales have consciously tried to vacillate between the right wing and the social forces backing him – the workers and indigenous people – but always on the expense of the latter. Therefore the reforms of the government, however progressive in and of themselves, have often been limited and not able to meet the more radical demands from the masses.

The final evidence of the class collaborationist character and weakness of this policy is that even in this situation, where the right wing forces are ignoring the recently adopted constitution and mobilise their forces to resist it, the line of Morales government has not been to mobilise against this very real threat but rather an attempt to streak another rotten compromise. At a time when the popular movement in the lowland states has to put up with regular physical attacks from the extreme right wing militias the MAS is downplaying the threat.

Even though the current talks between Morales and the right wing governors give the political situation an aspect of stability, it can be no question about the underlying development towards civil war. It will not last for long. The 100 richest families of the oligarchs, controlling 25 million hectares of the best land, constitute a powerful force behind the Bolivian bourgeoisies mounted resistance against the central government. It certainly will not stand back from violent resistance against the attempts to increase taxation and state ownership of the natural resources and the taking back of some of the land that the new constitution envisages. Likewise the imperialist powers in the country, first and foremost the USA, will not hesitate to support or take action against any more radicalised attempts by the government to undermine its position as a major exploiter of Bolivia’s popular masses.

The treasury of the MAS is very obvious to us in this situation. Instead of resisting the right wing’s attempts through a mobilisation of the masses, its leaders are now doing whatever they can to get the right wing back on track. This only results in the holding back and the sabotage of the resistance against this counterrevolutionary steps, as well as a watering down of the political demands from the working class, indigenous masses and poor.

Therefore we feel compelled to warn for the great danger of putting hopes in the MAS-government’s ability to defend the workers and oppressed. In our view, no political support whatsoever should be given to a government which rule is designed to stave off a social revolution, so desperately needed in Bolivia and in Latin America today. The MAS-government, even though to a high degree resting on the support from the masses, is in the final analysis a capitalist party with a pro-capitalist programme who will eventually betray the masses.

The MAS commitment to a capitalist programme was shown again in the character its leaders and supporters gave the constitution passed in December. Even though the constitution includes partially progressive reforms, it is completely bourgeois in its overall character and states “a mixed economy” as one goal to strive for. No “mixed economy”, that is an economy where capitalists will have the final say in affairs, will be able to meet the economic and social needs of the Bolivian masses.

It is of course necessary to put demands on the MAS government and its leaders to act to stave off the counter-revolutionary threat, with military force where needed. But such demands must in our view be combined with steps taken towards the independent organising of the working class and oppressed in order to resist counterrevolution. This would mean a struggle for the formation of workers militias and self-defence squads as well as work aimed at winning the loyalty of army soldiers. The latter work would serve to strengthen the defence of the revolution and at the same time having the effect of undermining the current leadership of the unelected generals, themselves having close ties with the capitalists and landlords.

But in our opinion doing so is not enough. We clearly say that we think that the working class and oppressed masses need their own political party, a truly revolutionary mass party which sets itself the task to organise and fight for linking the economic and social demands arising in the struggle with the struggle for power. This is an urgent task that has been delayed for to long. Without such a party the mass movement will not be able to make the necessary break with the politics and hegemony of the current leadership of Morales and the MAS. The latter is doing all it can to tie the popular masses to the old system and its state. The latter, with its army hierarchy and police force, its top ranks having close ties to the capitalists and landlords, can never be regarded as a trusted ally of the working class. This apparatus needs to be smashed and replaced by the democratic organs of the masses that can truly represent and act on behalf of the working class and oppressed. That is why revolution means power struggle. But the MAS, in our belief, will never fight for realising real power for the workers and poor.

REVOLUTION is an international youth organisation with groups in different countries. We believe that capitalism must be smashed by workers revolutions on a global scale. Therefore we do not only fight for building an international socialist youth organisation but also an international revolutionary party built on a strategy and programme that connects the demands of today’s struggle with the need of a socialist revolution – a Fifth international.

We have been using our collected strength in order to fight for the formation of a revolutionary youth international, calling for it in the international social forum movement and in the mobilisations of the anti capitalist and antiwar movements. We believe that it is of vital importance that those of us struggling today against the capitalist system, in the individual countries as well as on a global level, and for the establishment of revolutionary socialism worldwide as the alternative to capitalist insanity, must come together and start to discuss what politics we need in order to succeed. We believe this is necessary if we are to be able to challenge those leaders that betray our struggles, in Bolivia, but also in other countries. We also believe that we, the young workers and students who dominate our movements on the streets, also must unite in order to make our voices heard in the working class movement as a whole.

Having said this, we wish to invite you to join us in the creation of a truly internationalist and revolutionary youth organisation – aiming together for the creation of a revolutionary youth international. Immediate steps in order to investigate the possibility for common work between us would include starting a discussion about what a revolutionary strategy for the workers, indigenous and oppressed people in Bolivia would look like, to deal with the question of how the counterrevolution can be defeated and also how young people, students and young workers alike, can fight together in order to take the project of forming a revolutionary party of the working class and oppressed masses forward, needed as it is in order to smash capitalism in Bolivia and in Latin America altogether.

Its time to unite!

Yours in solidarity

REVOLUTION International Council,
on behalf of REVOLUTION – an international communist youth movement