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Socialist DemocracyMay 2006 2007: NCP MUST RALLY ALL GENUINE WORKING CLASS PARTIES AND ORGANISATIONS - SOUTH WEST NCPIn preparation for the National Congress of the National Conscience Party (NCP) held in Lokoja on January 28 2006, the South West Zone of the National Conscience Party (NCP) met on January 14, 2006 and proposed some resolutions to the congress. Below is the excerpt of the resolutions: The meeting note the prevalence of poverty, squalor, hunger, ignorance and disease in which in the country in spite of the fabulous wealth Nigeria is generously endowed with. The endemic socio-economic crises arise as a result of the fact that the Nigerian economy has never been run or managed for the benefit of the people but for the interest of a very few locally and internationally. All the economic programmes of Obasanjo's government are built around the neo-liberal economic policies. In reality, all the combined effects of neo-liberalism, especially since the 1980s have been worsening of poverty, increased debt burden and loss of economic independence of our nation. THIRD TERM DEBATEFor the working masses, Obasanjo's regime is nothing short of absolute disaster. In this regards, the several general strikes and mass protests waged by the working masses against the regime are clear demonstrations of the people's desire to end this unjust dispensation. Therefore, the fact that the regime even has the temerity to moot the idea of continuing to remain in power even for the next one day let alone beyond year 2007 unfortunately reflects the political weakness of labour and other mass organisations leadership. This is because they had proved unwilling and incapable of utilising these struggles to chase out the regime from power and put in its place a working peoples government which will be prepared to implement pro-masses policies as against the thieving pro-rich pro-imperialist cum capitalist policies. For the genuine interests of the working masses to be protected now and in the long run, the best approach is that which put forward an immediate programme of actions concerning key issues of food, healthcare, housing, jobs, affordable and available energy, functional and affordable transportation and communication networks, etc, for all and not just for a few as it is presently the case. This should be anchored on a strategy that combines the struggle for the realisation of these needs with an orientation of capturing political power to end all capitalist induced mass misery in the midst of plenty. ELECTORAL STRATEGY AND ALLIANCESGiven the disastrous performance of the conventional political parties and politicians since 1999, there is a genuine desire for viable political alternative to the rot that the AD, ANPP and PDP represent. In the absence of a mass working peoples party, the NCP, given its pro-poor and pro-masses pedigree, has the potential of becoming a viable alternative to the pro-rich conventional parties presently dominating the political landscape of the country. For the party to actualise this potential and transform its latent political strength as a pole of attraction to genuine change seeking masses in the society into concrete electoral support, it must be built as a mass based fighting political platform of the masses and not a mere political machine for putting people in power. The party must be built on the strength of its intervention in the day -to -day struggle of the masses in the various communities and neighborhood for social justice and against bad governance. It is by so doing that the party can become entrenched and the masses will come to identify with it as a genuine alternative to the present rot. If implemented, the 10-care programme of the party can make life a better place for the poor. However, this 10-care programme could only be implemented if the commanding heights of the Nigerian economy is nationalised under the democratic control and management of the working people themselves. Moreover, the production will have to be geared towards the actual needs of the masses as opposed to the prevailing situation which only the profit consideration of a few determines the fate of the vast majority. The National Conscience Party will shun all alliances with pro-rich political parties with no clear cut pro-people alternatives to the IMF/World Bank inspired neo-liberal policies of privatisation, commercialisation, removal of subsidies from social services, mass retrenchment and casualisation of workers, commercialisation of education etc. For 2007 and beyond, the party will concretely reach out to the working class and their organisations, labour unions, pro-poor political parties and organisations, etc and work towards building a mass based working class political alternative. To achieve maximum success, we will from the beginning argue that the kind of coalition being advocated must not be built solely as electoral platform but a platform of class struggle that will consciously intervene in the daily struggles of the working masses for improvements in their conditions of living and against neo-liberal attacks.
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