There are many people, including our own countrymen and women, who believe that democracy, the equal treatment of all people and justice for all, only prevails under capitalist systems of government.
Socialism is regarded by some of these people as being an undemocratic system under which rulers are dictators who have unreasonable power over the people of their countries. They believe that socialism is indeed an evil and destructive system. Therefore, the best democratic equal treatment is capitalism. This is the intensified propaganda which our people are subjected to by the capitalist press.
If indeed this is so, let us ask ourselves, which countries had decided to extend their political power to other countries the world over, to turn them into their colonies? Were they socialist countries? Surely not. Which country used the first destructive atomic bomb in another country? Was it a socialist country? No, it was a big and very powerful capitalist country. Which country had imposed sanctions against Cuba and to this day still occupies part of Cuba? Is that a socialist country? No, it is a capitalist country, the United States of America.
Besides the American sagas in Cuba, there was also an American aggressive campaign to undermine the revolutionary Sandinista leadership in Nicaragua. In fact, the Washington leadership was interfering in the elections of Nicaragua with the aim of stopping and frustrating the Nicaragua revolution by supporting the Contras. This was done under the smokescreen of so-called democracy.
Which country had mercilessly waged terrible war against Vietnam? A capitalist country. When it concerns Namibia, was it not the Western capitalist countries that were unwilling to support the liberation struggle of the oppressed Namibian people, and instead sided with the notorious South African regime by frustrating the efforts of the United Nations aimed at bringing about the independence of Namibia? Many resolutions of the United Nations, which called all states to refrain from supporting and cooperating with the South African colonial regime in any way, were frustrated by the triple vote of the United States, United Kingdom and France, all of which are capitalist countries. In fact, the only developed capitalist countries which were on our side were Nordic countries, and we are grateful for that.
If Western capitalist countries were serious about protecting democracy and all human rights, why did those countries support a pariah and oppressive regime of South Africa by even supplying arms and ammunition to that regime? Why did they oppose the actions of the UN against the pariah South African apartheid regime?
After Zimbabwe gained independence, the Western countries imposed devastating sanctions on Zimbabwe, just because that country took a revolutionary decision and action to reclaim the land of their country, which over many years of colonial rule was taken from the people of Zimbabwe. If capitalist Britain was indeed a democratic country, why did they not impose the same sanctions against the South African Apartheid colonial regime which enslaved black people in South Africa and Namibia? In fact, democracy is not only a system of government in which people have the right to vote and elect their leaders freely, but people must also have the right to be free and enjoy justice and freedom, and be treated equally and take part in decision- making. If people, including some of our citizens, think that democracy prevails only in capitalist countries, they should also think why the capitalist countries which are perceived to be democratic are supporting the notorious oppressors of the people in colonial countries. Why are these so-called democratic countries leaving their countries to occupy other countries which they turn into their colonies? Is the subjugation of people in colonised countries, and imposing sanctions on people and countries which are trying hard to empower their people by giving back their land which was taken away from them by force, regarded as a perfect democracy?
The truth of the matter is that no countries are recognised as democratic by capitalist monopoly, unless such countries give unhindered access to their resources for monopoly capitalists to freely exploit their resources. It is, therefore, clear that capitalist countries regard the recognition of people-centred revolutionary countries as being dangerous for them and unacceptable since such recognition shall not protect the interests of capitalist countries to freely exploit the resources of such countries. It is against this background that at times the countries which are praised as real democratic are those which are trying to sell out the interests and resources of their people and countries to monopoly capitalists.
In fact, the former colonialist and imperialist countries had not yet accepted the reality that political and economic power had totally been transferred from them to the former colonised people. That is why they are always trying to impose their political and economic agendas on the former colonies. If anything those former colonies do is not in the interest of imperialist countries, then such former colonies are subjected to suppression, either by sanctions or military power.
It is indeed heartbreaking that when the authorities which now rule former colonies attempt to solve and remedy the unpleasant and difficult situation under which their people are forced to live, for example by giving land which has been taken by force by colonial forces to landless people, those leaders are regarded as undemocratic criminals who only deserve to be removed from power. Those who sell out the resources of their countries to capitalist countries are regarded as real democrats who deserve to be supported and praised.
This is the so-called democratic ruling which capitalist countries are expecting from our leaders, and some of our countrymen blindly support this neo-colonial oppression of former colonies. We unfortunately seem to forget that the crucial aim of the protracted struggle for liberation in which so many people lost their lives was not only to have political power, but it was more so to liberate the people from the misery of poverty by helping them have access to the resources of their motherland.
Those leaders who give back the resources, particularly the land, to their people, are subjected to systematic campaigns of being demonised and removed from power by capitalist countries. Surely, that is not democracy which patriotic Africans should support. Some of us as patriots of our motherland will never allow ourselves to be pressurised by some of our own people and foreign forces who portray themselves as democrats to betray our country and its people by accepting counter-revolutionary economic and political solutions for our country.
I must conclude by strongly emphasising the fact that capitalist forces which were unsatisfied with the profits their countries made on their home ground through the exploitation of their own working class, decided to start occupying other countries in order to plunder and exploit those countries. This capitalist occupation, super- exploitation and plundering of other countries across the globe is what is known as imperialism.
Imperialist plunder and bleeding the resources and raw materials of other countries dry enabled capitalist countries to make super-profits for their own countries. A small portion of these profits were also used to bribe the working class in those countries and tone down the class struggle.
On the contrary, the socialist countries decided to help the colonised and exploited countries to liberate themselves from foreign occupation. A good example of such armed liberation struggle and resistance was carried out by Namibian, Zimbabwean, South African, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian, Angolan and other people with the unwavering support of socialist countries.
The struggle against capitalist exploitation must continue in a forward direction effectively, but surely not backwards, if we are serious about liberating our people from the misery of poverty to which we were subjected by capitalist colonialists over several years. If Africa is going to be led by visionary and progressive leaders who have clear revolutionary ideologies, then the continent will be united and become strong and get out of perpetual underdevelopment, and no longer remain a hunting ground for reactionary imperialist forces.