JCP Chair Shii's New Year interview (Part III & final)

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JCP Chair Shii's New Year interview (Part III & final)

Neo-liberalism failing across the world

Okuhara: Let's turn to the large corporation-oriented policy, the third aberration. The neo-liberal economic policy that the Abe Cabinet took over from the previous Koizumi Cabinet seeks freedom as much as possible for business circles and large corporations to make money in any manner they like. Although this economic policy is prevalent in Japan, neo-liberalism has become very unpopular across the world.

Shii: Yes, indeed. As a policy of ensuring the freedom of corporations to make profits, neo-liberalism has brought about a cold society in which the law of the jungle prevails. A recent increase in poverty and social gaps has become a serious problem in Japan. It's really shameful and anomalous that Japan, the second largest economic power in the world, is confronted with increasing poverty.

Democratic transformations in Latin America making great progress

Shii: Looking back on last year, the democratic transformations that progressed profoundly and extensively in Latin America are remarkable.

Last October, Brazilian President Lula was reelected with far more votes than he received in the previous election. In November, Ortega, a former Nicaraguan president, won in the presidential election after a lapse of 16 years. In the same month, a left-wing government was established in Ecuador. In December, Venezuelan President Chavez was reelected for a third term with a landslide victory.

A left-wing government was established in Venezuela in 1998, in Brazil in 2002, in Argentine and Paraguay in 2003, in Uruguay in 2004, and in Bolivia in 2005. In addition to these changes, we witnessed the above mentioned eye-opening victories last year.

Furthermore, in the presidential elections held last year in Costa Rica, Columbia, Peru, and Mexico, where neo-liberalism became a major issue, left wing candidates calling for economic democracy and independent nation-building came close to wining. They lost by a margin of as narrow as 0.5 percent point in Mexico and one percent point in Costa Rica.

In Venezuela and Brazil, the governments have taken root with a more solid basis, thus carrying out their democratic transformations more profoundly. This current has been spreading not only in South America but also in Central America. It was really good to see such a development.

Okuhara: Latin America is a region that has been greatly affected by the negative effects of neo-liberalism.

Shii: Exactly. In the 1980s and the 1990s, countries in this region were forced by the IMF, led by the U.S. to adopt policies of deregulation, liberalization of the introduction of foreign capital, privatization, and the cutting of social welfare services. Basic industries and services such as power, telephones, railroads, postal services, and pension systems were privatized and forced to serve foreign capital. As a result, gaps between the rich and the poor dramatically widened and poverty increased. These contradictions have brought about the new situation in which the current of democratic transformation is spreading across the region. Countries located so close to the United States are thoroughly rejecting neo-liberalism.

The British newspaper The Guardian on December 4, 2006 carried an article entitled, "Continent of the left." It said, "It is difficult to see any alternative to left-of-centre rule in Latin America ... it is hard not to see hope in the continuing victories of movements that have brought huge numbers of hitherto excluded and marginalised people into politics."

What's more, all these transformations have been carried out with the support of the majority as expressed in elections. Since transformation could provoke backlashes, some countries may experience them in the future. However, from the global point of view, it is very significant that in this region the movement for social progress is taking place in a magnitude that will be impossible to stop.

Okuhara: The Venezuelan Ambassador to Japan visited the Akahata festival last November.

Shii: I met him there. I was very impressed that the ambassador had delightedly said, "UNESCO declared that Venezuela is a country where illiteracy no longer exists. The FAO announced that Venezuela accomplished the U.N. millennium goals [including poverty reduction] before the deadline."

Remarkable political advance made in India

Okuhara: In India, a country with a very large population, a positive change took place last year.

Shii: We received exciting news from India about victories of leftists in state assembly elections in April and May last year. The leftists led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) won overwhelming victories in elections in West Bengal and Kerala states and gained the overwhelming majority of assembly seats. In West Bengal, the Left Front won 235 out of 294 seats, or more than three-forth of the total seats. In this state, the leftists came to power in 1977 and have maintained it for 30 years through election victories seven times in a row.

Kerala State, located in south of the west coast of India, was the first Indian state in which a leftist government was established. After several defeats, the Left Front returned to power in the recent election by obtaining 98 out of 140 seats.

Tripura State also has a leftist government. Together with West Bengal and Kerala, these three states are governed by leftists. The total population in these states is about 122 million, equivalent to that of Japan. Thus, a major change is taking place there.

India is a nation with a federal system, and the central government is in charge of military and foreign affairs. But a great deal of domestic authority is given to state governments. Having its own chief minister and ministers, each state in India has very strong power. At the central level, the CPIM that is supporting the government from outside the cabinet has a strong influence on the government that governs the nation with a population of 1.1-billion. The CPIM also takes part in the leftist government in the three states. I believe this is a great change.

The ruling leftist governments in these states explained this change in this way: While the central government is promoting neo-liberal policies, the state governments led by leftists are striving to carry out residents-oriented programs in opposition to the central government policies. These state governments set out alternative policies defending important public sectors and supporting the poor.

I visited the state of West Bengal about four years ago and held talks with State Chief Minister Shri Buddhadeb Bhattacharya. There we saw the state government's passionate efforts in eradicating poverty by providing the poor with medical care, housing, education, and job training. We were impressed by the strength of the leftist government that is deep-rooted in the people.

Japan and the U.S. competing for top place in poverty rate; neo-liberalism has no future

Okuhara: We have seen here the global failure of neo-liberalism. The originator of neo-liberalism, the United States, also, has many problems.

Shii: In Japan, we also use the English term "working poor," which was first used in the U.S. In fact, things get worse in every field in the U.S. According to an OECD survey conducted in 17 developed capitalist countries, the U.S. is ranked at the top in terms of the poverty rate. Japan is following the U.S. with a narrow margin, competing with the U.S. for the worst.

The U.S. has no universal public health insurance system. People cannot receive adequate medical care unless they pay expensive premiums to insurance companies such as ALICO and Aflac. Uninsured patients cannot receive operations if they are taken to hospitals.

The U.S. also has shown the failure of neo-liberalism in a very dramatic manner.

I am confident that global developments have already declared that neo-liberalism has no future.

Let's make 2007 a year marking hopeful advances in Japan

Okuhara: Last year, the JCP produced new achievements in its opposition party diplomacy by sending delegations to South Korea and Pakistan.

Shii: I really feel that the JCP's opposition party diplomacy has great significance not only in contributing to peace and friendship in the world but also enriching our own understanding of the world.

In light of the dynamic progress of the world situation, it is clearer than ever that LDP politics with the three aberrations has no future. We will make every effort to make 2007 a year marking hopeful advances in Japan.

Interviewer: Akahata Director Okuhara Toshiharu - Akahata, January 1, 2007