WHY WORKERS AND SOCIALISTS SHOULD SUPPORT THE OKM

THE OKM: A SOCIALIST ELECTORAL FRONT OF SOCIAL MOVEMENTS

The 2011 South African local government elections come at a very difficult time for the world’s ruling classes.  Their economic system, capitalism, is in crisis.  The 30-year dominance of neoliberal ideology is over.  These are the ideas and justifications behind GEAR, privatization, outsourcing, casualisation, labour brokers, service cut-offs, etc.  Anti-capitalist opposition has increased during the 21^st century with hundreds of thousands across the globe taking action against neoliberal institutions such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, and against George Bush’s war.  Recently we see revolutions in oil-producing Middle East countries such as Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Bahrain, etc.  The centre cannot hold. 

South Africa is torn apart by community protests, militant strikes and in-fighting in the ruling party.  Last year saw the highest number of days lost to strikes and community protests in the country’s history. Many working people are losing confidence in the ANC.  The DA, a capitalist party with policies worse than the ANC, is buying support in working class townships.  Many people are finding themselves without a reason for voting.  Some social movements are campaigning for an election boycott.  Many people think that there is no alternative to the capitalist system because they cannot see a power strong enough to change things for the better.

It is in this context that the Operation Khanyisa Movement (OKM) is running candidates in the local elections.  The OKM is an electoral front formed by two Johannesburg-based movements affiliated to the Anti-Privatisation Forum, namely, the Soweto Electricity Crisis Committee (SECC) and the Thembelihle Crisis Committee.  It was formed in 2006 when these organizations decided to use the electoral tactic in addition to organising marches, demonstrations and direct action against anti-working class policies.  They wanted to use the elections to promote their campaigns, win wider support and promote the socialist vision as an alternative to capitalism.  They succeeded to win one seat on the Johannesburg City Council.

The name of the OKM councilor is Comrade Zodwa Madiba.  She is a working class woman who lives in Dube, Soweto, and is a long-standing member of the SECC.  She is the only councilor in the City of Johannesburg who pushes a consistent socialist, pro-working class agenda.  She signed a pledge binding herself to the main principles of the OKM.  These are based on the policies of the Paris Commune, the first revolutionary government of the working class in history.  They distinguish her and the OKM from other councilors and political parties.

The OKM councilor gets a mandate from her constituency before attending council meetings.  She surrenders half of her salary to the community and this money is used to build the struggle.  She is subject to the right of recall, that is, she can be removed from office at any time if the community is not satisfied with her performance. She spends her time supporting working class struggles, for example, she leads struggles to remove pre-paid water meters, re-connect electricity and resist evictions.  The OKM supports labour strikes and fights for the eradication of all forms of exploitation and oppression.     

The main tasks of the OKM are to strengthen working class struggles, defend workers from capitalist attacks and to promote pro-working class policies.  It seeks to link different struggles to one another by pointing out the common enemy and destiny of all workers, employed and unemployed, young and old, black or white, gay or straight, and irrespective of country of origin.  The OKM associates itself with the Democratic Left Front (DLF), an initiative that seeks to build working class solidarity in struggle.  The DLF seeks to build alternatives to the capitalist system.   

The OKM opposes the capitalist destruction of nature.  It fights against increasing carbon emissions, global warming and climate change. It supports the slogan: Keep the oil in the soil and the coal in the hole!  The OKM is committed to mobilizing mass opposition against the COP17 global meeting of the world’s capitalist governments that will take place in Durban in December.  This meeting aims to reach agreements to reduce carbon emissions.  The OKM believes that there is no solution under capitalism.  As an alternative the OKM supports the DLF’s “1 million green jobs” campaign and the vision eco-socialism.  The latter represents an alternative to capitalism’s ecologically destructive production methods.  It is also an alternative to versions of socialism that are trapped in the growth logic of capital.

The OKM calls on working class communities, trade unionists, students and socialists who agree with its election platform to provide it with political and material support. It is running 5 ward and 10 proportional representation (PR) candidates in Soweto and Thembelihle.  This means that it will appear on Johannesburg’s PR ballot papers.  Comrades living in this city should vote OKM because a vote for the OKM is a vote for a socialist alternative.

VOTE OKM ON 18 MAY 2011