'Howard has reason to be afraid'

Issue 

We note your work against the new industrial laws in Australia, the recent high-school walkouts, the campaign in solidarity with the Venezuelan revolution, against the war in Iraq and in support of the Socialist Alliance.

Green Left Weekly has covered the difficult times which Zimbabwe is going through and we appreciate that.

Thousands remain homeless after the government destroyed the homes and jobs of more than 700,000 people last year.

HIV and AIDS is a scourge. One child becomes infected within Zimbabwe every 20 minutes, and girls are three to four times more likely to become infected than boys. This disease could be defeated, but anti-retroviral drugs which could save lives are only available to a few, and prevention programs miss the point and often blame the victim.

Hyperinflation means that people can barely eat one meal a day.

All this would not be the case if our government did not just talk left but acted left, and fought corruption rather than encouraged it. Like you, we would like a government which is carrying out polices like those of Venezuela.

The Zimbabwe ISO is campaigning with the trade unions for a living wage, with students to oppose astronomical fees, and fighting for democracy with allies such as the National Constituent Assembly, Women of Zimbabwe Arise and the Zimbabwe Social Forum. The ZSF process continues and we have been organising militant community-based events, such as a recent meeting of 500 people in Chitungwiza township outside Harare.

The regime is jittery and has admitted that the mass evictions of last year were meant to avert a popular uprising. They live in terror of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change living up to its threat of launching a campaign of mass protest.

Your big IR rallies on June 28 show that Howard too has reasons, albeit different ones, to be afraid.

Mike Sambo, national coordinator, Zimbabwe International Socialist Organisation

[Abridged from greetings to the 35th Resistance conference.]

From Green Left Weekly, July 19, 2006.
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