Working Class Issues and Swapo Capitalism

THE empty stadium on May Day in Windhoek said it all about the current leadership of the National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW).

The reformist leadership has lost the confidence of the Namibian working class. Not that they worry about this.Their main goal has always been to secure the leadership posts for the sake of impressing Swapo in order to secure a top position in government eventually.The total lack of militancy of this trade union leadership is the reason for the empty stadiums.Their main interventions consist of calling on Government to do this or that for them – instead of them organising the Namibian working class themselves and becoming an independent voice.The workers understand the impotence of this leadership and would rather attend a Swapo gathering because they know who calls the shots.Expect a decrease in trade union numbers since only a militant leadership can grow a trade union.In any case, a trade union leadership is always limited in their interests and the Namibian working class should form their own political organisation.The recent statements by the symbol of Namibian capitalism, Harold Pupkewitz, that the ‘free’ market should not have any government intervention also cannot go unchallenged.Pupkewitz approvingly refers to China as an example of this non-intervention.The assumption is that if only the Namibian government leaves Big Business alone they would create the same kind of economic growth in the country.Well, Pupkewitz is being economical with the truth.China is where it is today precisely because of massive government intervention and because of the exploitation of 800 million Chinese rural workers.This is a timebomb waiting to go off.The very same argument about massive state intervention applies to all the developed economies of the world.Europe and North America are they are today because of the worst crimes against humanity i.e.the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, colonialism and imperialism.The driving force behind these crimes and their economic benefits was the nation state.The ‘free’ market and multi-national corporations have never functioned autonomously.On the contrary, at this historical moment, the ‘free’ market cannot exploit the working class without the US Empire ( and its military machine) and other nation-states.What is happening in Iraq is but the most recent in a long list of cases.The invasion of Iraq is also understood as another desperate attempt to address the US debt problem.Capitalism is not the superior system that Pupkewitz assumes – this system has failed humanity.Capitalism cannot save Namibia.The example of the Enron scandal shows what happens if the ‘free’ market is left on its own – it is inefficient, greedy and corrupt.The profit system only survives because of constant military intervention.Pupkewitz is really saying that Government should leave Big Business alone to exploit the working class to extract maximum profits from them.As the levels of suffering and unemployment show in Namibia, this economic path does not benefit the majority of the people.Big Business seldom uses the profits for the needs of the people.And the needs of all the people are more important than the profits of a tiny few.In any case, the fact of the matter is that Swapo is already on the side of Namibian capitalism, they are the co-managers of this inequality.This is why the constant calling on government by the NUNW leadership is so appalling.Swapo will not listen to the real interests of the workers.The other issue is that the Swapo leadership often boasts about ‘peace and tranquillity’ in the country, but this really only means that the black and white elite have agreed to co-manage this unjust system.There is peace and tranquillity between the black and white elite, but not between the Namibian working class and Big Business, there is a social class war raging! This is really the context of the statements by Pupkewitz.The terrible suffering of the Namibian working class testifies to this war.Z K Mujoro Walvis BayNot that they worry about this.Their main goal has always been to secure the leadership posts for the sake of impressing Swapo in order to secure a top position in government eventually.The total lack of militancy of this trade union leadership is the reason for the empty stadiums.Their main interventions consist of calling on Government to do this or that for them – instead of them organising the Namibian working class themselves and becoming an independent voice.The workers understand the impotence of this leadership and would rather attend a Swapo gathering because they know who calls the shots.Expect a decrease in trade union numbers since only a militant leadership can grow a trade union.In any case, a trade union leadership is always limited in their interests and the Namibian working class should form their own political organisation.The recent statements by the symbol of Namibian capitalism, Harold Pupkewitz, that the ‘free’ market should not have any government intervention also cannot go unchallenged.Pupkewitz approvingly refers to China as an example of this non-intervention.The assumption is that if only the Namibian government leaves Big Business alone they would create the same kind of economic growth in the country.Well, Pupkewitz is being economical with the truth.China is where it is today precisely because of massive government intervention and because of the exploitation of 800 million Chinese rural workers.This is a timebomb waiting to go off.The very same argument about massive state intervention applies to all the developed economies of the world.Europe and North America are they are today because of the worst crimes against humanity i.e.the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, colonialism and imperialism.The driving force behind these crimes and their economic benefits was the nation state.The ‘free’ market and multi-national corporations have never functioned autonomously.On the contrary, at this historical moment, the ‘free’ market cannot exploit the working class without the US Empire ( and its military machine) and other nation-states.What is happening in Iraq is but the most recent in a long list of cases.The invasion of Iraq is also understood as another desperate attempt to address the US debt problem.Capitalism is not the superior system that Pupkewitz assumes – this system has failed humanity.Capitalism cannot save Namibia.The example of the Enron scandal shows what happens if the ‘free’ market is left on its own – it is inefficient, greedy and corrupt.The profit system only survives because of constant military intervention.Pupkewitz is really saying that Government should leave Big Business alone to exploit the working class to extract maximum profits from them.As the levels of suffering and unemployment show in Namibia, this economic path does not benefit the majority of the people.Big Business seldom uses the profits for the needs of the people.And the needs of all the people are more important than the profits of a tiny few.In any case, the fact of the matter is that Swapo is already on the side of Namibian capitalism, they are the co-managers of this inequality.This is why the constant calling on government by the NUNW leadership is so appalling.Swapo will not listen to the real interests of the workers.The other issue is that the Swapo leadership often boasts about ‘peace and tranquillity’ in the country, but this really only means that the black and white elite have agreed to co-manage this unjust system.There is peace and tranquillity between the black and white elite, but not between the Namibian working class and Big Business, there is a social class war raging! This is really the context of the statements by Pupkewitz.The terrible suffering of the Namibian working class testifies to this war.Z K Mujoro Walvis Bay