People's Democracy

World Youth Are One In Fighting Imperialism

Tapas Sinha

IT was the capital of a formerly socialist Hungary, Budapest, which also headquarters the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY), that was the venue of the WFDY coordination council (CC) meeting. The present author represented the DYFI at this meeting. As the second largest youth organisation in the world and regional coordinator of youth organisations in South Asian countries, the DYFI has always played an important role in strengthening the anti-imperialist spirit of the WFDY.

As for Hungary, it has a population of nearly 10 million souls. It is a landlocked country, situated on the banks of Danube river. Hungary has a long history, and many rulers of different dynasties ruled it. But it was the Roman empire that mainly controlled it. The people are primarily Roman Catholic. The country was liberated when a revolution took place here in the post-war period, in 1946. Led by the Hungary Workers Socialist Party that was formed in 1909, the country progressed phenomenally for more than three decades and successfully faced the counter-revolutionary onslaught in 1956. But when the fever of Euro-Communism gripped Hungary too in 1978, the party, the vanguard of the revolution, was divided into three groups. One of these groups was absolutely reformist in ideology and perception. The party negated its revolutionary ideology and then further negated the revolution itself. Hungary, which is today in the grip of a veritable socio-economic crisis with soaring unemployment, rising prostitution, increase in alcoholism, etc, is witnessing the real face of capitalism --- misery and more misery.

As for the importance of the WFDY and its movement, the WFDY was formed when the world socialist bloc was still alive. The WFDY’s ethos has always been anti-imperialist --- to arouse the youth of the world against the exploitation and depredations of world imperialism led by the US. Already 15 world festivals of youth and students have been organised so far to strengthen this spirit. The latest such festival was held in Algiers, the capital of Algeria. After the socialist bloc’s disintegration, the hooters were trumpeting that anti-imperialism and such other terms had become redundant and, among other things, no such gigantic festival would be organised in future. But the holding of the 14th and 15th world festivals in Cuba and Algeria, respectively, proved how wrong they were.

In all, participants representing more than 35 organisations from more than 25 countries in all the continents of the globe took part in the meeting.

The report on the WFDY’s activities, placed in the meeting, included recommendations about the second World Social Forum (WSF), that is to take place in Parto Allegre (Brazil) from January 30 to February 5 next year. The WSF was initially organised by some Brazilian organisations, parties and trade unions, and was based on the need to have a common platform for the forces and organisations that are involved in a struggle against globalisation. Their slogan was: "Another World Is Possible." Another important part of the report concerned the findings of the mission the WFDY sent to Palestine and Israel.

In the meeting a draft of political declaration of the 16th WFDY Assembly was circulated; this assembly is to be held in Cuba. The preamble of the draft said: "If the 20th century marked the development of humankind with unprecedented steps towards the liberation of the peoples, we have good reasons to believe that the new, 21st century, which we have just entered, will be the century of the victory of the peoples, of their liberation from imperialist domination, exploitation, ministry and wars."

The draft further stated: "We young women and men of every colour and nationality are committed to our principles and ideals to build a world of peace, free of nuclear weapons, based on social justice, international cooperation, sustainable development, in which human beings are the masters of their own fortune, for international solidarity, peace, friendship, respect of human rights, youth rights in particular, democratisation of international relationships and a world free from imperialist domination and exploitation."

In sum, the deliberations in the meeting not just identified the issues pertaining to the youth. They stressed on the need of more and more militant actions against imperialist loot.