As Elections Near LALIT Launches its Political Program Today
05.10.2023
Today at its Grand River headquarters, LALIT launched its Political Program. Ten members participated in the launch. The first part of the LALIT political program is a 90-page manifesto called “Enn Apersi: FILOZOFI LALIT”, “An Overview of LALIT’s Philosophy”. The second part, also presented to the Press, is a one-page 12-point program “Enn Apersi: STRATEZI LALIT”, “An Overview of LALIT’s Strategy”.
“An Overview of LALIT’s Philosophy”
the 90-page book was introduced by Alain Ah Vee, who said it reflected past action and thinking of the party and future action aimed at changing the class in political power. It is in this sense, he said, that LALIT wants to participate in “changing the system”. We want an end to the capitalist system and for the working class to come to power. This is more than ever necessary, he said, because the whole world is threatened with two types of existential danger: the pillage and greed of a few private companies that, under capitalism, are an uncontrollable threat to the very planet that nurtures us, to the natural world that we are one with; the risk of widespread, even nuclear war, that the militarism of capitalism is fuelling, starting with the war in Ukraine. He then introduced the chapters of the manifesto, one by one (see below).
Before he spoke, Rada Kistnasamy, presiding outlined the political situation we find ourselves in. There is the MSM regime that has been characterized by scandal after scandal, by offering Diego Garcia up for a lease, by introducing new repressive laws like the Citizenship Act, by failing to address the central problems of job creation, food security, producing things that earn currency. And the Parliamentary Opposition that is coalescing around Navin Ramgoolam is incoherent about its program. Navin Ramgoolam can come up with any old idea that comes into his mind as “a program”, the most embarrassing one was his plan to send pensioners to visit Reunion Island. When this caused general hilarity, he woke up the next morning and said, no not that, something else. There is no consistent campaigning on any issues. Xavier Duval, the PMSD and Opposition Leader, asks the public at large to send him any e-mail suggestions they might have for a program! Paul Bérenger proposes that instead of ICAC, we need like South Africa, a different organism. They seem to have cobbled together an alliance without so much as a common understanding of what they intend to do – other than to oust the MSM.
Lindsey Collen said how LALIT prepared the manifesto over the past year. It was around a central 6-day LALIT congress, she said. “Six whole days, members put their heads together and worked out this manifesto.” Not only that. For two months before the Congress held last October, LALIT members worked in small groups to prepare the introductory papers for each theme. And then after the Congress, there were three zoom meetings to fine-tune some of the issues on which we had not managed to get a common understanding. For example, she said, the issue of what exactly a transitional program is: a program that is a link between where we are now and a revolution. She also said that within the next month, we will present the third and fourth parts of this manifesto. She said that elections may be as soon as this year. There are two events that might act as triggers for snap elections: the judgment in the Privy Council case, which is now the only remaining case challenging the last elections, and which, if Jugnauth wins may propel him towards general elections. And this coincides with the looming case against Navin Ramgoolam who heads the Opposition team for the Rs240 million which was found by police in his personal coffers. Lindsey Collen compared the sum with the scandal of the Democratic Senator in the USA under pressure to resign after the police found half a million dollars in cash in his house: Ramgoolam was found with five million dollars in his house. “Our program is a political program,” she said, “and it prepares us for elections, as it does for all other political events.”
“Enn Apersi: STRATEZI LALIT”
Briefly speaking, this part of our manifesto is to do with what we actually do, and actually press for, make demands on, in reality, as well as reflect on.
One after the other, LALIT members gave one-minute introductions to the 12 points of the LALIT strategy: Close the base on Diego Garcia, Ragini Kistnasamy; the Land Question, Rajni Lallah, Job Creation, Rada Kistnasamy; Democratizing Finance capital including Data capital and AI, Ragini Kistnasamy; Democracy Everywhere including at work, and with the right of recall, Gary Homet; LALIT is a class struggle party, Lindsey Collen; Against Patriarchal Hierarchies, Anne-Marie Joly; the right to work fewer hours, Alain Ah Vee, Against Repression – overt and hidden, Rajni Lallah; How Capitalism, like the sugar estates, pollute the world and how a military base on Diego pollutes, too, Alain Ah-Vee; Internationalism whereby the world’s working class is up against the world’s capitalist corporations that are pillaging and destroying the world, Lindsey Collen; the Kreol Language, our mother tongue that allows us all to contribute to this program and LALIT’s demand for Kreol in Parliament, as medium in schools and for minutes in associations, Cindy Clelie. Other members, Georges Herschenroder and Roland Fozoo, who both helped write the manifesto, were present.
This program will be presented in detail in one month’s time or so, depending on the timing of the coming general elections.
Present for the Press: Le Mauricien, MBC, Top FM, LALIT’s teams for our site and Facebook.
Here is the Tab Konteni of the LALIT PHILOSOPHY book:
Avan Propo lor enn Program Tranzisyonel
Lor LALIT
Prefas
Kontex Politik nu Program
Sapit !: Klas – Kimanyer nu get Klas Sosyal
Sapit 2 Leta – Ki ete Leta Kapitalist?
Sapit 3: Program Tranzisyonel, ki li ete?
Sapit 4: Dekolonizasyon – Internasyonalism
Sapit 5: “Morisyanism” – Fayit kuma mwayin amenn lalit
Sapit 6: Patriarsi – Artikilasyon lalit fam ek lalit deklas.
Sapit 7 : Polisyon Lanvironnman – Kriz provoke par kapitalism
Sapit 8 Lalit pu sosyalism, Sinon Barbari
Sapit 9: Revolisyon, ki li ule dir?
Sapit 10: Idealism vs Materyalism
Sapit 11: Kad Parti – Ki rol kad dan enn parti revolisyoern>
Apendix:
Lektir itil
Kongre 6 zur – so program.
