Fri Mar 29, 2024
March 29, 2024

Why We Will Not Participate Of The FIT Event On November 19

 The PTS [Socialist Workers’ Party], the PO [Workers’ Party] and IS [Socialist Left] are driving an event on November 19th, with a program of confrontation with the government, delimitation from Kirchnerism, denounce of the unions’ leaderships and for the construction of an independent political alternative for the elections.

By PSTU Argentina.

 

On this occasion, the PSTU will not participate of the event. Beyond sharing many of the positions in general, we would like to debate with these parties, their members and the whole political vanguard our reasons to think the political orientation set is inadequate for the current situation.

¿A Broad Workers’ Encounter Or An Electoral Event Limited To The Left-Wing Militants And Workers’ And Left Front (FIT) Sympathizers?

We are currently living a moment of brutal attacks against the workers and the people. We need to impose a plan of national struggle as broad as possible to force the federations and unions to call for a General Strike, and fight to go even beyond them until the government is defeated.

We believe a call directed to all the activists –including many who still consider themselves Peronists [followers of Peron]- for a great encounter in order to organize the struggle and solidarity would be a great step forward. It could unify thousands of activists from Peronism and the whole left-wing (including that which is not part of the FIT) around an emergency program and a plan of action to participate in unity of all the people’s and workers’ struggles, imposing the CGT (Workers’ General Confederation) [to call for] a National Strike before the end of the year as the first measure of this plan.

Regarding this task, the electoral event the FIT proposes is sectarian. It leaves thousands of Peronists activists out of it, as much as other left-wing sectors which do not feel represented by the FIT. In fact, the call to this event will divide the workers’ leaderships that are independent of the unions’ bureaucracies, as many of them are not part of the FIT or share organs –composed by FIT members and independent activists.

This Event Ignores The Most Immediate Needs

Of course, the FIT has every right to drive electoral events. The PSTU has participated of the elections as part of the FIT, and participated of several of these events. That is not what we are questioning. It is correct to perform electoral events during electoral campaigns.

But that is not the case. The elections are a long time away. Right now, an electoral event goes against the most immediate needs of the working class’, the students’, the violence against women and the rest of the struggles taking place. Struggles that require unity, broadness and strength to defeat the truce of the unions’ leaderships and the political opposition (Massa, Cristina –Kirchner-, and the Peronist leadership) with the government to implement the adjustment. The event of the 19th is not a chapter of the struggles against this adjustment plan but a chapter of the electoral campaign of 2017.

In this regard, and beyond the intentions of those who are calling it, it is an event that strengthens the truce. The bosses’ policy, to which they all agree –from Macri to the Pope, from Obama to Cristina, from Moyano to Yasky [Leaders of the CGT and CTA respectively]-, is to sustain the stability so that Macri can reach 2019 [year of next election]. This truce means that all opposition to the government must be channeled to and through the election, as a way to avoid a course that could question the governability, like it was in 2001 with De la Rua’s fall. We need to denounce this policy of truce, calling the working class and the people to not wait and confront the government now until it is defeated, instead. That is why the event the FIT is proposing is an mistake. Because, in midst of a struggle process and with a long way to go until the next election, the FIT calls for an event to present an alternative… on the election. Like this, it collaborates with the capitalist political strategy of channeling everything through the elections.

An Event That Turns The Back On The Real Struggle

This would be the case even if there were no struggles and measures programmed. But on the 18th several social organizations (CCC, Barrios de Pie, CTEP, etc.) with the support of the CGT, will march to the Congress with thousands to claim for one million jobs spots. Though partial and limited, it is a concrete measure to confront the government. The support of the CGT has to do with showing itself as combative while its actually postponing the necessary general strike. But still, it will be an important action against the government, and an opportunity to denounce the truce and demand a plan of struggle initiating with a general strike, for an economic plan for the workers’ and the people.

Instead of focusing on this opportunity of the class struggle, the members of these parties will be focused on an electoral event for the day after, inside a closed stadium and turning its back to the struggle.

Full Dedication To The Struggles, Not The Next Election

Thus, with all respect for the comrades of these organizations, we want to reflect together, facing the union and political activists. Now it is time to put efforts in the confrontation with the government through the struggles, on the streets. There will be another moment to think of and participate on the elections. But it is our responsibility to fight to avoid the government, the Pope, the unions’ leaderships and the media from locking us up on the trap of the bosses’ democracy.

***

Translation: Guillermo Zuñiga.

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