Joint Platform of Progressive Organizations, June 2020

 

 

 

People in Africa and around the world are experiencing a gigantic wave of attacks. The crisis of global capitalism throws many millions of people into poverty, the lockdown and expansion of state repression threatens the limited democratic rights which have existed in parts of the world and the COVID-19 pandemic endangers the health and lives of many people.

 

As a matter of fact, the ruling classes all over the world utilize the COVID-19 pandemic in order to cover their economic and political attacks against the popular masses.

 

We say:

 

* No capitalist way out of the economic crisis at the expense of the working people!

 

- No sackings, no wage cuts, no undermining of labour rights, etc!

 

- Food for those in need!

 

- No to the continual enslavement of our people with loans from Western and Eastern imperialism like the Brenton Woods institutions (World Bank and IMF) and China respectively. These loans will serve as leverages for the governments to hike tariffs for public services such as power, increase tuition fees and oil prices etc.

 

- Cancellation of all public and household debts!

 

- Immediate and unconditional economic aid from the rich for the poor countries!

 

* No to chauvinism and authoritarianism!

 

- Against mass lockdown and suppression of democratic rights (like public assemblies and demonstrations), against the expansion of the police and surveillance state, no army on the streets!

 

- No to racism and xenophobic nationalism against migrants and refugees!

 

- Against the Great Power rivalry between the U.S. and China!

 

* No to the incompetent and pro-elite handling of COVID-19 pandemic!

 

- For free mass testing! Quarantine of those infected with adequate and free supply of medical products! Free treatment for all and free hospitalization of serious cases!

 

- Upgrade and expansion of the public health sector!

 

- Afrika must not become a testing ground for the Western COVID-19 vaccines! For international cooperation of experts and scientific institutions, with strong African representation, to develop reliable vaccine as soon as possible. Such a project must be not be dictated by profit interest but must serve solely the interests of public health!

 

None of these demands will be given to us! In order to achieve them, the workers and poor people have to unite and fight! We need to build Solidarity Action Committees in workplaces, neighbourhoods and villages with the view of building regional and national coordination between them.

 

Divided we fall – united we win!

 

 

 

List of Signatories:

 

Revolutionary Socialist League (Kenya)

 

Revolutionary Socialist Vanguard (Nigeria)

 

United Textile Employees Lesotho (UNITE)

 

Social Justice Centres Working Group (Kenya)

 

Socialist Youth League (Zambia)

 

Pan-Afrikan Consciousness Renaissance (Nigeria)

 

Alliance of Nigerian Students Against Neo-liberal Attacks, Obafemi Awolowo University (Nigeria)

 

Nyayo ya Mwafrika / African Footprints (Tanzania)

 

Revolutionary Communist International Tendency (Brazil, Mexico, Pakistan, Kashmir, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Israel/Occupied Palestine, Yemen, Nigeria, Kenya, Russia, Britain, Germany and Austria)