It is well known that an election has recently been held in Iran. It is universally acknowledged that the election was rigged! Supporters of opposition leader Mousavi have hit the streets. They have been met with state repression. Some demonstrators have been killed.
Since the 1979 overthrow of the Shah, Iran has not been a democracy. It�s been a theocracy, with real power been held by the Ayatollahs. On the whole, since 1979, the Ayatollahs have had the support of most Iranians. The recent elections have exposed a clear split in the Iranian population. The new bourgeois and petty bourgeois forces support opposition leader Mousavi.
The new bourgeois forces are angry. They have taken to the streets and the state has fought back � brutally. In these days of high technology, there is no place to hide. State brutality has been photographed on mobile phones and placed on the Internet. The demonstrators have every right to be angry. They certainly have issues of justice which we can support. However, the decisive issue is their class position. In no way do we subordinate the interests of the proletariat behind the banner of the bourgeoisie.
The working class in Iran must also oppose the status quo. In no way must we identify with the reactionary Mullahs who administer a capitalist Iran. The task in Iran is to mobilise the proletariat behind its own banner and fight for the dictatorship of the proletariat. This requires the construction of a revolutionary communist party. This party must be secular and whilst defending the right to free religion, support the separation of church from state.
For a revolutionary workers' and small farmers' government! No to an Islamic regime!
Revolutionary communists identify with the proletariat as the decisive revolutionary force in any capitalist country. Mousavi and his rioters have one main agenda � to modernise Iranian capitalism so they can take advantage of close ties to America. This agenda we must oppose as it will mean increased exploitation. We also must not identify with the reactionary capitalist Iranian state.
South Africa Workers fight for decent wages; ANC fights the workers Workers in South Africa are angry and desperate. The collapse of apartheid and the election of an ANC government may mean more dignity. It has not, however, meant any guarantee of a living wage or decent housing. On the contrary, workers continue to be paid a pittance. Recently, municipal and other workers went on strike demanding a fifteen percent pay rise. They marched through townships in support of their claim. They well and truly deserve it. They deserve much more. But the ANC ruling government thinks workers should survive on less. Ten years after the end of apartheid, a million South Africans still live in flimsy shacks with no amenities such as electricity or running water. The strikers have been angry and militant. Their protests in Balfour Township have been met with tear gas and rubber bullets. The crowd retaliated with bottles and stones. Their response is totally justified. Communist Left fully supports the right of exploited and oppressed South Africans to fight the reactionary capitalist state. ANC has chosen to administer that state in favour of the capitalist class. President Zuma promised support for labour in his bid for presidency. He fully endorses armed force against the strikers. It is clear what side he on.
Workers in South Africa must break from the treacherous ANC and forge a revolutionary communist party. Since the defeat of apartheid the winners have been the Black middle classes. They have not been the proletariat.
This strike is now over with unions accepting an offer of a thirteen percent increase plus increased housing allowance. They claim that this is a victory. This small gain was achieved despite the ANC, not because of it.
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