Press Release
The Workers Party (NZ) welcomes the victory of the Maoists in the
Nepalese elections. Jared Phillips, a Workers Party activist who
spent four weeks in the Red Zones of Nepal in 2003, meeting with
activists and leaders of the Maoist movement and witnessing first-
hand the progressive reforms being implemented in the rural areas
led by the Maoists, says the election victory is “a blow against
under-development, poverty, and repression, and is a stride forward
for liberation everywhere.”
“Nepal has been one of the most chronically under-developed
countries in the world and the only serious challenge to this in
recent years has come from the Maoists,” said Phillips. “By
launching people’s war in rural areas, they began a transformation
of much of the countryside, improving literacy and infrastructure,
carrying out land reforms that gave rights to the peasantry and
Dalits (untouchables), and revolutionising the position of women as
well as supporting the rights of ethnic minorities.”
“The Maoist victory also shows that we don’t have to accept the idea
that there is no alternative to market-dominated capitalism, in
which the majority of people on the planet are denied basic rights
and basic living standards. There is also a lesson here for workers
in New Zealand – boldness in fighting for liberation pays off,”
concluded Phillips. The Workers Party (NZ) intends to stand on the
party list this election year.
The Auckland branch of the Workers Party will be holding a Q&A
session and general discussion on the peoples’ movement in Nepal on
Saturday April 19, 12 noon, at Trades Hall (first floor upstairs),
147 Great North Road. Final vote-counting in Nepal should be
completed by this time. All interested people and media are welcome.
Jared Phillips is available for interview; Phone 0294949863 or email
jared@unite.org.nz
is this revolution can survive or turn over like nicaragua or in future it will like china
so long does this electrol revolution survive
Electoral revolution-the way of the future.
Bye bye America. We ALL hate you. Would you like me to call a cab?
Electoral revolution is not the way of the future… armed struggle is necessary in a revolution. The Maoists could not have gotten to this point without all the years of People’s War.
Their use of the elections is a TACTIC to advance the revolution – if violence once again becomes necessary, they will not hesitate to use it.
Hopefully, anyway… the biggest danger here is that the Maoists will veer off into reformism. I hope and am fairly confident that it can be avoided.
True, true. I wasn’t discounting uprisings, strikes, massive workers/other oppressed classes mobilisations and that.
Where are the pro-maoist expat south asians in NZ, BTW?
Where are the pro-maoist expat south asians in NZ, BTW?
Not sure what their adresses are! 😛 The WP has links with pro-Maoist Nepalis both here and in Nepal.
Awesome. I’m furious I missed that evening about Nepal.
Well, the WP holds public forums like that everyfortnight, so feel free to come along to the next one.