AS the world plunged into the COVID-19 for more than two years, the climate crisis continues to worsen, threatening humanity’s survival on the planet with workers worldwide, including workers in Southeast Asia, being the primary victims of the global capitalist system’s failure to protect people’s livelihoods and well-being.
The severe economic recession around the world has pushed a drastic number of people into poverty, joblessness and social insecurity. Even those with jobs are suffering from precarity and reduced income.
The dire situation of the working people and the poor continues to deteriorate as imperialist nations and regional powers pursue their own geopolitical interests with continuous war drives at the cost of the lives of ordinary masses confronted with food crisis and other hardships.
Capitalism has failed
The capitalist ruling elites who prioritise profits over people are bringing the world to the brink of climate catastrophes, wars and worsening global inequality. It is crucial for us to continuously build a movement of people from below to reject and confront the capitalist rule, in order to replace the oppressive and profit-driven system with a socialist alternative based on popular democracy, solidarity and common prosperity, while living sustainably and in harmony with the environment.
We celebrate May Day to remind us of the importance of building working-class solidarity, organisation and mobilisation from below to continue our fight against the exploitative and extractive capitalist system, and for an emancipatory social change.
In the spirit of May Day, we, the undersigned organisations, call for the following:
1. Jobs security and social protection for all
Governments must play a role in intervening and investing in productive sectors such as building and maintaining low-carbon social infrastructures, sustainable agriculture and food production, generation of renewable energy, provision of social housing as well as essential services such as care work to generate and guarantee jobs with a decent income for people to live in dignity.
There shall be comprehensive social protection provisions, including unemployment insurance and universal pensions, to ensure that individuals without jobs can live a dignified life as well.
2. Strengthen public services
Governments must provide free universal healthcare service, free vaccination, free education, liveable social housing, clean water, community childcare, elderly care, public transport and other social infrastructures, accessible to all, through progressive taxation of big corporations and the super-rich as well as transforming regional economic cooperation (like ASEAN) by rejecting the neoliberal structures.
3. Enhance food security
Governments must develop a comprehensive plan to ensure and enhance food security to deal with food crisis and protect the livelihood of small farmers.
4. Urgent action to address the climate crisis
Establish programmes on ecological restoration of land, forests, water and oceans, a programme for building community resilience to empower people to manage the impact and recover rapidly, and a programme of re-industrialisation based on ecologically sustainable production under the democratic control of the people.
5. Enhance gender equality
Supporting full legal equality and genuine emancipation for women, to also end all discrimination against LGBTQI+ communities, as well as defending people’s rights to determine their gender identity and expression.
6. End military dictatorships
Release all political prisoners, stop repression of political dissidents, trade unions and peoples organisations. We must protect and guarantee human rights by upholding a democratic space for working people to organise and voice demands for better living conditions.
7. Stop military build-up in the Asia Pacific region
All countries should engage in dialogues based on a mutually respectful manner to resolve geopolitical disputes. Make Southeast Asian waters a de-militarised zone and shut down all US military bases in this region.
Let us continue our effort to build and strengthen working class solidarity in our struggle for a better world. — May 1, 2022
The undersigned organisations are Parti Sosialis Malaysia, Partai Rakyat Pekerja, Partido, Lakas ng Masa, Socialist Workers Thailand, Konfederasi Pergerakan Rakyat Indonesia, Serikat Perjuangan Rakyat Indonesia, Sedane Labour Resource Centre, Black Farm Municipal, Gabungan Marhaen, North South Initiative, People Like Us Support Ourselves, Sanlakas and Solidarity of Filipino Workers.
Supported by Socialist Alliance, Europe solidaire sans frontières, Communist Party of India, Potere al Popolo! and Haqooq Khalq Party.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
