View from the LEFT

The latest issue of CPM mouthpiece People8217;s Democracy carries the resolution adopted at the 10th international meeting of Communist and Workers parties held in Sao Paulo. Analysing the global financial crisis, the document spells out that socialism is the real alternative

Economic crisis

The latest issue of CPM mouthpiece People8217;s Democracy carries the resolution adopted at the 10th international meeting of Communist and Workers parties held in Sao Paulo. Analysing the global financial crisis, the document spells out that socialism is the real alternative: 8220;The current crisis is an expression of a deeper crisis intrinsic to the capitalist system which demonstrates capitalism8217;s historical limits and the need for its revolutionary overthrow8221;. nbsp;It also points out that 8220;while billions of public resources are mobilised to save those responsible for this crisis 8212; big capital, high finance and speculators 8212; workers, small farmers, middle strata and all those who work for a living are suffocating under the weight of monopolies and will experience still more exploitation, unemployment, lower wages and pensions, insecurity, hunger and poverty8221;.

It also accuses the powers that be of attempting to rescue the system in the short term and reinforce the mechanisms of imperialist exploitation and oppression. 8220;The parties supporting capital hastily accepted the dogmas of the Washington Consensus that has fed the brutal speculative financing of economy,8221; it said.

Spectrum allocation

The edition also carries a letter written by senior CPM leader Sitaram Yechury to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the spectrum allocation controversy. In the letter, he says the policy pursued by the UPA government under the stewardship of A. Raja as the minister for communications, not only has been totally arbitrary, but has produced a public loot of the exchequer of unprecedented amounts. He said the communications ministry adopted a completely inexplicable principle of 8220;first come first served8221; as well as a license fee based on the 2001 price for the release of the fourth license and the spectrum needed for operationalising the corresponding Universal Access Service License in January 2008. 8220;These 2G licenses were priced at 2001 levels allegedly to ensure that the spectrum should not become expensive, presuming that the benefit would be passed on to the consumers. However, this was nowhere ensured through the license terms and conditions. As a result, the parties who had secured these licenses have sold or are selling their shares at huge profits,8221; he pointed out. He referred to the deal UAE8217;s telecom operator Etisalat and Swan Telecom to back his argument. Yechury demanded immediate steps be taken to scrap all licenses and subsequent spectrum allotments from the new licensees under the 8220;outrageous8221; first come first served basis at 2001 prices. He also demanded that an appropriate independent agency is assigned the task of fixing responsibility for the huge loss to the public exchequer.

Compiled by Manoj C.G.