Covid-19 Pandemic and Crisis of Capitalism

Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist)

Central Committee

 

 

Statement:

Covid-19 Pandemic and Crisis of Capitalism

 

As Covid-19 is spreading rapidly across the globe, it constitutes the most urgent and serious challenge to both the health of humanity and world peace and development.

The CPI (ML) pays its tributes to all the people, health workers in particular, who devote themselves to saving lives and protecting people’s health. We extend our heartfelt sympathies to those who are suffering from Covid-19 infection as well as the bereaved families of those deceased. We also express our deep mourning for the loss of lives in the pandemic.

 If the Covid-19 outbreak is not effectively and promptly contained, it will cause greater harm to the lives and health of people, and exert a severe damage on the economic and social development of most countries. The CPI(ML) call on the Government of India to put lives and health of the people above everything else and take resolute measures to put an end to the spread of Covid-19. We call on the people to comply with prevention and mitigation measures as advised by the scientists with a due sense of social responsibility.

 CPI (ML) stands firmly against all discriminatory comments and practices against any country, region or ethnic group. There are heinous attempts in India to tarnish one community and one country as the cause of COVID-19 outbreak and calls upon the people not to fall prey to these machinations. CPI (ML) call upon government of India to take proactive measures to protect the health, safety and legitimate interests of foreign nationals and students they host.

 The COVID-19 outbreak exposed the destructive irrationality of capitalist system. It has wasted the natural resources, polluted the environment and created harsh conditions on the earth for the living organisms to exist. Thus mutations in the lower forms of life became imperative. The humans became victims of SARS, MERS and their variants in the recent past. For nearly two decades, it is known to the scientific researchers that there are hundreds of strains of corona virus. Thus the functioning of capitalist system not only led to the creation of COVID-19 but also failed to rational use of available technology in preventing the pandemic.

 The joint study and its report by the WHO and China was made available by the last week of February this year. It contained suggestions that are to be followed by all the countries. Yet, the Indian government did not respond as it had to. A crucial one month delay caused wide spread of COVID-19 along the length and breadth of India.

 The well-established practice at the time of an endemic or pandemic is the compulsory testing for infection of all suspects and then isolation of confirmed cases. Contrary to this, the government used isolation and selective testing. This is not effective in containing a pandemic of COVID-19 proportion. The lock-down method is useful to gain time for preparation to contain the pandemic. It can be used to blame the people for not observing the lock-down has spread the infection.

 The imposition of lock-down by the government is not associated with well-planned strategy. The measures to contain Covid-19, including those of public health, are themselves creating new burdens to the toiling masses. They are left without job and pay. They have nothing to fall back upon.

Millions of migrant workers, separated from their families and livelihoods, have to bear untold miseries. They came to metro cities in search of jobs and leading a wretched life. All of a sudden they find themselves as unwanted entitles. These workers are prepared to go back to their far flung villages walking all the way along with their families. They had to face barricades at every inter-district and inter-state border. They were made to wait for days here without food and shelter. When these unbearable conditions made them to proceed forward, they had faced brutal repression, frequent resort by the failed ruler.

 The government has no plan to extend a helping hand to them not to mention the promises made by the Prime Minister and Finance Minister. Even after two weeks of lock-down, the government has not yet made arrangements to provide them with financial and other help. The higher ups in the power incessantly talked about the Direct Benefit Transfer. The fact of the matter is that more than half of jan dhan accounts are non-functional. The toiling masses are left to fend themselves, while the Modi gave calls for showing solidarity by clapping and lighting candles, that are nothing but show pieces.

 The pandemic also brought to the fore the failure of the privatisation of public health services taken up as a part of neo-liberal dictats. The government run hospitals have to suspend all the medical services to other ailments of people except COVID patients. They are overburdened and in case of any surge in the COVID cases, the fragile system collapses.

     CPI (ML) once again calls upon the people to comply with prevention and mitigation measures as advised by the scientists with a due sense of social responsibility.

Vijayawada

5 April 2020                                                                                                                                                    Viswam

General Secretary

C.P.I. (M-L)