Vol. 75/No. 7      February 21, 2011

Working people in Egypt have lived for decades under brutal regimes backed by a powerful military and supported by Washington.

Since coming to power nearly 30 years ago, President Hosni Mubarak has extended the dictatorial rule that preceded him. Masses of Egyptian people have no ownership rights. They have been denied freedom of speech, press, and assembly. Police brutality and torture are widespread. Workers have not been allowed to form independent unions or organize political parties. Even capitalist parties with slight differences from the regime have not had much room to function.

Pushed to the wall by the regime and forced to bear the devastating effects of the worldwide economic and social crisis of capitalism—including high unemployment and rising prices—working people of Egypt are rebelling against these conditions. Their struggle is an inspiration to toilers worldwide.

For now Washington is sticking with the Mubarak regime, with or without Mubarak himself. If that fails, the U.S. rulers and their junior partners in Egypt will try to cobble together an alternative government from among the military hierarchy, bourgeois opposition, and whatever they can salvage from the Mubarak regime to continue ruling for the benefit of the capitalist exploiters in Egypt and abroad.

What is opening up for the toiling masses of Egypt is a working-class alternative to this, the opportunity to begin organizing for a government in their own interests. There is space now to call meetings in factories, neighborhoods, and farming villages and elect spokespeople; to defend working people against the bosses and their repressive forces; and to establish communication with others who are fighting.

Working people need councils—popular committees of the toiling population—starting from the local level on up. This would be the beginning of a working-class alternative government, in opposition to all the options promoted by imperialism and capitalist forces in Egypt under the guise of “reform.” The experiences Egyptian working people and youth are going through today are paving the way for rebuilding unions, forging a revolutionary proletarian party, and fighting along the working-class line of march toward political power.
 
 
Related articles:
Protests grow against dictatorship in Egypt
Strikes by workers, farmers expand fight
Roots of political crisis shaking Egypt’s rulers  
 
 
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