-----Original Message-----
From: Ndey Jobarteh <[log in to unmask]>
To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
<[log in to unmask]>
Date: 30 July 1999 18:17
Subject: Re: Why has Socialism failed?
>Ebrima Ceesay,
>
>I am sure you will be suprised to see my contribution here regarding your
>request for those who can comment on whether "socialism has failed or not."
>This is not a contribution as I would like. Time is the factor.
>-
>Anyway, Let me first thank you for the material on Africa. It was a good
>piece and my only advice to you is nothing more than to encourage you to
>continue with the work for a better future for our long suffering people.
>The burden of that lies on the shoulders of us calling ourselves
>intellectuals and the broad masses of our people. When we meet again, we
>shall further discuss it. Back to the point.
>
>Has socialism failed? To this question I can say no. Has socialism ever
>existed since 1917? I can further still say no. Socialsim has never existed
>and so can not fail. What has then failed? Stanlinism failed in 1989. The
>West that has been responsible for Africa's super exploitation and
arrested
>development will definitely propagate that socialism has failed and
>capitalism is best for humanity.I am not here to defend any system. My
>concern is the liberation of Africa. But one thing that must be cleared to
>us is that the collapse of East Europe is a lesson for Africans. To this, I
>shall relate to your question regarding the failure of socialism.
>
>The sad thing about the success of the 1917 revolution in Russia is that
>Lenin never live long to see some of his programes develop. He died in
1924.
>Stalin took over through a brutal manner. The first thing he abandoned was
>Lenin's economic programes in enhancing the development of productive
forces
>in all aspects of Russian life. Stalin changed mass struggle to personal
>appropiation based on the falsication of history. I can not go into details
>here. To developed Russia in order to challenge the forces of Western
>imperialsim, Stalin embarked on creating internal colonies of minority
>groups and slave labour of the rest of larger groups in the name of
>'proletariat revolution' led by an intellectual vanguard. The vanguard
>became the ruling elites of Russia. Forces within that saw the danger of
>Stalinism where eliminated,exiled or imprisoned. Whatever Stalin does or
did
>in Russia internally, Africans need to compare that with what the West did
>to Africa inorder to make correct judgements rather than blindly following
>propaganda.
>
>By the end of the second world war, the world was at a different stage with
>regards to the colonies. Stalin sensed that the entire war was nothing more
>than the desire of the West to control the sources of raw materials and
>markets, extended the influence the former Soviet union to the Eastern
>Europe countries. The interesting point here historically was that the
West
>was concerned about the restless colonies seeking independence after the
>war. Towards the 1950s, they could not stop the desire of the colonized
>peoples' of Asia and Africa for inpendence. By the 1960s, the West was
>forced to give independence politcally, by leaving the running of state
>power in hands of stooges who have no interest of their peoples', but that
>of former colonialists. Neo-colonialism emerged and the elimination of
>qenuine leaders who represented the interest of Afircans. One need to look
>for similarities here as far as power for expolitation is concerened.
>
>In the case of the former Soviet union under Stalin ,the situation was that
>they suceeded in creating Neo-colonial states in the Eastern Europe, for
>cheap labour, raw materials and markets protected by a military power block
>called Warsaw pack. That of the west was and still called NATO.The cold war
>came to life. Two power blocks emerged, The Soviet block and Western block.
>Two imperialist bolcks struggling to dominate resources. The soviet union
>succeeded in fooling the oppressed nations that they were socialist and
>therefore allies. The West also succeeded in forging similar allies in the
>rest of the so called Third world. Leaders of the oppressed either side
with
>one of this blocks and betrayed the interest of their peoples' or go it
>alone like China. This is the point Africans need to learn from.
>
>By 1989, the oppressed peoples' of the West revolted against Soviet
>imperialism. The West, that has been exploiting Africa for the last
five/six
>hundred years now telling us that Socialism has collapsed. What they can
not
>admit openly is that it was an imperialist
>system that has collapsed, becuase the rest of the oppressed world will
then
>question their own roles and puppet regimes they have been backing. The day
>the Africans and the rest of Third world masses revolt against their own
>backward regimes, the West will also collapse. They know that and that is
>why since 1989, they have been telling African leaders to democratise, but
>for whose interest? This is the question we should in fact be asking.
>
>Ebrima, I can not go further than this as I was just passing when a friend
>who has access to Gambian L kidnapped me to say something about your topic.
>I have been avoiding to be part of this stuff.
>
>Wassa Fatty.
>
>
>----Original Message-----
>From: ebrima ceesay <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
>Date: 30 July 1999 14:20
>Subject: Why has Socialism failed?
>
>
>>Gambia L,
>>
>>As I was going through my letters a few minutes ago, I saw one e-mail
>>written to me in private, in which the writer - a Gambia L subscriber
>>studying political science - has asked me to help him tackle these two
>>questions - why has Socialism failed and whether it does have a future or
>>not - as part of his research.
>>
>>Well, I do know that the writer is asking these questions in private and
>>would therefore want/expect my answers to be posted to him, also, in
>>private.
>>
>>But I've decided to send my comments through the L, so that people who
know
>>better might also help him in tackling these questions for the research he
>>is conducting. Someone rightly said the other day on the L that no one has
>a
>>monopoly of ideas.
>>
>>"Why has Socialism failed? Does it have a future a future?", are the two
>>questions he asked. Well, because of lack of research as I write this
>piece,
>>I'll have to be briefed.
>>
>>All the same, it is, of course, an open secret that Socialism has indeed
>>suffered reverses and not lived up to expectations. However, having said
>>that, it is also a fact that in human history, it is not unusual nor
>>unprecedented for ideas to suffer such reverses and bounced back with time
>>to fulfill their mission. Therefore, an idea rejected with bitterness
today
>>may well emerge the wisdom of another time.
>>
>>For instance, no one would have thought - or believed - that the sun will
>>ever rise for capitalism when its foundations crumbled in the 1930s,
during
>>the dreary depression.
>>
>>I am of the view that the failure of capitalism then and the failure of
>>Socialism today is but a failure in truthfully implementing an idea. They
>>say a brilliant idea in the wrong hands may prove a disaster.
>>
>>The real problem of Socialism was the dogmatism and rigidity with which
the
>>implementors went about their task. And needless to say that a good
>ideology
>>must be flexible and adaptive. Brother Saiks, please feel free to correct
>>me. Your input/thoughts would be most appreciated.
>>
>>In m view, what must be acknowledged is the fact that many of the
>>implementors of Socialism were not genuine or sincere at all!! For
example,
>>throughout the history of socialist rule, ever since the Bolsheviks
>>triumphed in 1917, it had been the maxim in socialist press theory that
>like
>>all institutions, the press must be under the firm control of the
>>proletariat, here translated to mean control by the communist party.
>>
>>To achieve this control, censorship laws were resorted to. But I was taken
>>aback, or surprised, when I discovered - some time ago - what Marx
himself,
>>father of Socialism, had said on the question of the press which the
>>implementors had buried/hidden as they killed Marxism on the altar of
their
>>own political survival. This is why I have been emphasizing that this is
an
>>era of endless reading.
>>
>>Condemning press censorship and encouraging press freedom, Marx had
>written,
>>among other things, that..."The censored press has a demoralising effect.
>It
>>is a potentiated evil from which hypocrisy is inseparable, and from this
>>fundamental evil flow all its other weaknesses. The government hears only
>>its own voice, and yet fixes itself in the delusion it is hearing the
voice
>>of the people and demands of the people that they, too, affix to this
>>delusion"...
>>
>>It is unfortunate that as I write this piece, I do not have the whole
>>statement Marx had given, in relation to press freedom, but it is,
>>nonetheless, clear - based on these quotations - that there are indeed
>>enough guidelines in Marxism to support genuine democratic rights. The
>>problem of Socialism therefore had to do with its implementors' lack of
>>sincerity and also their lack of flexibility.
>>
>>Capitalism, as seen by Marx and Engels, had also shown that rigidity as
the
>>bourgeoisie became slaves to their greed. However, what saved capitalism
>was
>>the preparedness of modern capitalists to trim off the ugly edges by
>>introducing socialist recommendations, by giving it a human face, by
>>stressing the welfare component, which ultimately increase the profits for
>>the owners.
>>
>>Therefore, the future of socialism, in my view, lies in adopting
capitalist
>>methods or any other device that will enhance the attainment of a society
>>which guarantees that every citizen can have decent standard of living.
>>Where modern socialism went wrong was to plunge into the past and use
>>feudalist practices to achieve socialism.(Again I stand to be corrected)
>>
>>Finally, it is interesting to observe that while America's capitalism
>claims
>>victory over socialism, thousands are homeless in the land of plenty,
where
>>some people have 20-bedroom mansions. The US is bathing in a bloodbath;
>>crime and violence marks the skyline and what the books do not say is that
>>capitalism is what breeds the malaise.
>>
>>Last night I was glued to my TV, watching CNN's live coverage of yet
>another
>>shooting, this time in Atlanta Georgia, in which 12 people were reportedly
>>killed and several others injured. It is indeed regrettable that while
>>cities in the USA should be in a race to find out who has done more for
its
>>residents, the race is about crime statistics, about how many people have
>>been killed in a month.
>>
>>Because of lack of research, I do not have the statistics of the current
>>killings in the US, but while I was there in 1995, thousands were slain in
>>the whole of the US for that particular year. Hundreds were slain in New
>>york alone.
>>
>>At the time, homicide had outstripped other causes as the leading killer
of
>>black males aged 14 to 25 and random killings had also soared. In fact,
>>there were cities which even set murder records.
>>
>>Surely, America is an advanced/developed country, but it is also a fact
>that
>>it has shown retrogression in other aspects. Isn't it therefore
>ironic/funny
>>when you read in the newspapers that the US is sending so much aid to
>Africa
>>and other parts of the world, and yet thousands of its citizens are
>homeless
>>and begging on the streets?
>>
>>Ebrima Ceesay,
>>Birmingham, UK.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>______________________________________________________
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>>
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