A weak left and other reasons for right wing forces' "victory" in Brazil, other countries

Brazil's far right leader Jair Bolsonaro

By Sheshu Babu*
With the far right victory in Brazil, many analysts are predicting domination of right-wing ideology in the coming years. This may sound true, as elections in many countries reflect this, but deeper analysis might reveal the actual state of affairs.
Supporters of right point out at the outset that left ideology is on the decline. When compared to the days after Russian and Chinese revolution after World War-II, there is a perceptible setback to leftist rule, as many nations which had communist and socialist governments are being headed by right wing fundamentalists now. After Lenin, Stalin, Mao etc., there have been very few leaders, who could gain confidence of people and lead them from the front.
Noah Milliman ("Why are right wing populists winning everywhere?" October 30, 2018, theweek.com) says, "...anxiety about order traditionally pushes the public to embrace parties of the right, who most credibly promise to restore order, whether... fighting crime or preserving a familiar culture. And anger at corruption and elite self dealing quite naturally drive the public to drive to punish established leadership and give new comers a try and to seek out newcomers who viscerally share their frustration."

The setback may prove costly if the problems remain unaddressed for their future.

Real statistics

In reality, the right wingers assume office by thin margin and manipulation through divisive tactics. For example, in India, the right wing had less than one-third of the people's support. In US, Trump, whose victory was termed landslide, was in fact, very close one. The percentage of votes won by Trump is hardly a comparison by historical standards ("Trump Landslide? Nope, Robert Farley", posted on November 29, 2016, www.factcheck.org).
John Pitney, a professor of American Politics at Claremont McKenna college, put together a chart showing Electoral College Share and showed that Trump ranked 46 out of 58 out of US presidential elections. There were also claims of illegal voters influencing elections, which raised controversy.
The myth of 'far right' victory in Brazil can be busted by statistical analysis. The boycott of elections by 42 million registered voters who did not go to polls or voted void or blank, is one of the largest electoral boycott in recent history. The actual number may be even higher as many adults had their titles canceled and young people of 16 to 18 years did not issue the electoral document out of discredit and repudiation of the farcical processes (October 30, 2018, anovademocracia.com).
According to TSE calculations, about 30% of eligible Brazilian voters did not choose any of the candidates by abstaining or voting void or blank. Abstentions alone amounted to 20% of the eligible electorate. Even with vast coverage of press and campaign, Bolsonaro could muster 39% which is closer to abstentions and boycott votes.
The campaign by people's movements made people realize the futility of false democracy and need for a change in the system for a new democratic revolution. The historic boycott reflects growing dissatisfaction with the present democratic set up and step towards emergence of popular struggles to protect workers rights as well as focus the crisis in dominant classes.

Need for mobilization

Discontent with the present system is latent in most countries. Right wingers are taking advantage of the growing unrest and, with the help of modern technology along with constant rhetoric of fanaticism, nationalism, false promises of rooting out corruptions, etc. are influencing docile masses to garner just enough votes to gain majority.
In some cases, the whole electoral machinery is being manipulated in such a way that the results declared show ' thumping' majority which is just ' simple' majority ("Erdogan of Turkey wins narrow referendum victory, April 17, 2017, washingtonpost.com, and "Philippines Duterte wins decisive victory", May 10, 2016, www.wsj.com), with controversy on counting of votes) . This reflects that ' elected' persons or parties do not enjoy majority support to rule.
The 'weak' left is unable to mobilise and channel dissatisfaction into potent force and struggle against the bourgeois democratic set up. If sincere leadership takes up the total responsibility of directing and monitoring masses towards a new welfare democracy, this is the opportune time for fruitful and successful struggles.
---
*Writer from anywhere and every where, supports egalitarian society and freedom of expression

Comments

Buddhist shrines massively destroyed by Brahmanical rulers in "pre-Islamic" era: Historian DN Jha's survey

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Labelling a Jesuit a Marxist? It's like saying if you use a plane, you become American

Jesuits: Cedric Prakash, Stan Swamy By Fr Cedric Prakash SJ* A thirteen- fourteen-year-old has many dreams! That's an impressionable age; at the cusp of finishing school. It is also a time when one tastes a different kind of freedom: to go for camps with boys of your own age (not with ones family). Such camps and outings were always enjoyed to the hilt. The ones, however, which still remain etched in my memory are the mission camps to the Jesuit missions in Maharashtra and Gujarat.

Giant conglomerates 'favoured': Whither tribal rights for jal-jungle-jameen?

Prafull Samantara By Mohammad Irshad Ansari* The struggle for “Jal, Jungle and Jameen” has been a long-drawn battle for the tribal communities of India. This tussle was once again in the limelight with the proposed diamond mining in the Buxwaha forest of Chhatarpur (Madhya Pradesh). The only difference in this movement was the massive social media support it gained, which actually seems to tilt the scale for the tribal people in a long time.

Tussle between Modi-led BJP govt, Young India 'key to political battle': NAPM

Counterview Desk In its month-long campaign, civil rights network National Alliance for People’s Movements (NAPM) carried out what it called Young People's Political Persecution and Resistance in “solidarity with all comrades facing political persecution and remembering human rights defender Stan Swamy…”

Lost to commercialisation, vanity? Ashram awaits 'second assassination' of Gandhiji

Counterview Desk Around 130 “concerned” citizens, in a statement, have protested against the Government of India and Gujarat government decision to turn Gandhi Ashram into a ‘world-class’ tourist destination spread over 54 acres at the cost of Rs 1,200 crore, which would include a Gandhi Ashram Memorial, an amphitheater, a VIP lounge, shops and a food court, stating it would compromise and trivialize the “sanctity and importance of the present-day Ashram, mainly Hriday Kunj, surrounding buildings, and the museum.”

Debt bondage, forced labour, sexual abuse in Gujarat's Bt cottonseed farms: Dutch study

By Rajiv Shah A just-released study, sponsored by a Netherlands-based non-profit, Arisa , “Seeds of Oppression Wage sharecropping in Bt cottonseed production in Gujarat, India”, has said that a new form of bondage, or forced labour, exists in North India’s Bt cottonseed farms, in which bhagiyas, or wage sharecroppers, are employed against advances and are then often required to work for years together “without regular payment of wages.”

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Govt of India has 'no moral right' to declare national day for Muslim women, Naqvi told

Counterview Desk In what has been described as a nationwide outpouring of condemnation, following the announcement by Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Minister of Minority Affairs, declaring August 1 as ‘Muslim Women’s Rights Day’ to mark the anniversary of the Triple Talaq law, over 650 citizens have said it is nothing but "cynical optics" of using Muslim women’s rights in the face of an "unprecedented" onslaught against the rights of the Muslims in recent years.

Covid: We failed to stop religious, political events, admits Modi-dharmacharya meet

Counterview Desk An email alert sent by one the 11 participants, Prof Salim Engineer, on behalf of the Dharmik Jan Morcha regarding their "religious leaders' online meet" with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, even as offering "support to meet challenges of Corona pandemic", blames religious congregations, though without naming the Maha Kumbh and other religious events, which apparently were instrumental in the spread of the second wave.

Madhya Pradesh Adivasis protest externment notice to Barwani tribal rights leader

By Harsing Jamre, Nasri Bai Ningwal, Prakash Bandod* Over 2,500 Adivasis mobilized in response to Barwani district administration’s recent move to issue a show cause notice to Valsingh Saste, a prominent Adivasi activist of Jagrit Adivasi Dalit Sangathan (JADS), Madhya Pradesh. For two decades, Valsingh Saste as an activist of JADS has been continuously leading struggles for the constitutional and fundamental rights of Adivasis.

Counterview

Search This Blog