A Great Victory For The Egyptian People
By Mazdoor Ekta Lehar
14 February, 2011
Countercurrents.org
At 5.30 in the evening (Egyptian time) on February 11, 2011, the 17 day long mass uprising of the Egyptian people against the hated regime of Hosni Mubarak culminated in victory. Mubarak’s 30 year long reign of oppression has come to an end.
Mazdoor Ekta Lehar (MEL) wholeheartedly congratulates the courageous Egyptian people who forced the oppressor out through their steadfast struggle and unity of purpose.
Throughout the 17 days, the masses of Egyptian people never backed down. They never left the historic Tahrir (liberation) Square. They did not allow the regime’s agent provocateurs to disrupt their struggle, and they maintained their focus and unity. They drew into their ranks more and more people every day – workers, intellectuals, the young and the old, men and women from all walks of life.
The wily Mubarak and his backers within and outside Egypt tried every trick in the book to make the people give up the struggle and go back dejected to their homes. Every trick they tried was recognised and rejected by the people who would settle for nothing less than the immediate removal of Mubarak and his lackeys. The determination and consciousness displayed by the fighting people was indeed commendable.
Now the Egyptian people face even greater challenges to ensure that they enjoy the full fruits of their struggle. They will have to remain organised and vigilant to have their say in the political dispensation that comes into being. They will have to fight to ensure that the economy is geared to fulfill the needs and expectations of the masses of people who came out onto the streets because of all they had suffered under the pro-rich policies of the old regime.
It must not be forgotten that the Hosni Mubarak regime was backed to the hilt for decades by the US and European imperialists. Egypt, with its huge army, has been a key ally of the US and European imperialists in advancing their interests in West Asia and North Africa. These include crushing the national aspirations of the Palestinian people in the interests of the Zionist state of Israel, exercising domination over the oil producing countries of the region to ensure uninterrupted supplies of crude oil for themselves from the region, and crushing the struggles of the peoples of the region for revolution and national liberation. It is inconceivable that the US imperialists will be easily reconciled to the loss of such a tested ally as Egypt was under Mubarak. It is very clear that the US government is intriguing actively behind the scenes to ensure arrangements that will protect their own interests in Egypt.
The US, British and other imperialist powers are calling for “orderly transition”. Those who have backed the bloodthirsty Mubarak regime to the hilt against the people for the past three decades, are now shedding crocodile tears about their concern for democracy in Egypt. They are putting pressure on all political forces of Egypt to come to an understanding for a transfer of power that will ensure (1) that the interests of the US and other imperialists in the region are safeguarded under any new arrangement (2) Egypt remains within the capitalist imperialist system and (3) the people of Egypt, especially the working class, which has risen in revolt, must be sent back into their homes, and kept out of any role in deciding the future of their country. In other words, they want the ongoing revolution to be stopped half way, and a new arrangement put in place which will be more of the same.
However, it is just as inconceivable that the Egyptian people, who fought so bravely for their own liberation, will permit their country to be used by the US and other imperialists in the same manner as before against the interests of freedom and justice of other peoples in their neighbourhood. The struggle between the working class and people of Egypt and their local and foreign enemies promises to become sharper in the coming period.
The struggle of the Egyptian people is serving as a great inspiration for the peoples of other countries in the region who are striving to get rid of oppressive, pro-imperialist regimes. Already, struggles are developing in Yemen, Algeria and other countries.
The people of India have longstanding ties of friendship with the people of Egypt dating back thousands of years. We share the same hatred of colonialism and Anglo-American imperialism. We hail the victory of our brothers and sisters in Egypt and will always be with them in their struggle for democracy and the right to decide their own destiny.
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