Welcome to BASE21

Sang-whan Shin
India correspondent
e-mail : patiensky@hotmail.com.

Last night, when my wife went to a laundry shop, the local Bengali said to her with smile; "Tomorrow it is impossible to press your clothes, because of strike!"
"Is it possible tonight?"
My wife replied it and herd 'yes'. Anyway she could get her clothes at night.
It is difficult to image for Koreans why the shop's owner wanted to join the all labours' strike even he is a owner of small shop. But if you have lived India, especially West Bengal, it is usual happening as nowaday 1 week post office striking. Someone blamed to Indian economics, the endless labour problem, my objection is clear in that point.

Whenever Korean labour strike occurred, in subway, car manufacture factory, even association of doctors, pilots, most of citizen scored them; 'in such difficult economy, how can they strike. It is national crisis!' But listen to me. Are you a labour, the company's owner or politician? Unbelievably and naturally, the media made the same blame that Labour Problem push our county' economic turmoil. But think about it when your company have a trouble and you want to strike, that time can you bear the censure? Don't forget that only a handful of people, less than 5 % of population, the upper class, Bourgeois can blame all kind of labour problem in capitalism society and labours need the friendship with other working class not accusing. If a worker did do it unconsciously that is same as brain scorns another part of body.

In West Bengal, I reported last time, the Not-my taste politician, Mamata Banerjee who is struggling to get state power wants to resign again, this time not the petrol price hike but a train accident in north India. The accident in December 2, at least 40 people died and 140 injured was annual happening in India.
"The minister(she is a railway minister in central government) is not personally responsibly for the running of their railways. Yet I felt morally responsible. That's all)"
This time her alliance NDA government leader could not keep the tension.
"How long will the NDA tolerate her antics?"
Of course prime minister rejected to accept her resign paper. That is tragedy of Indian politics and unbearable comic show to see her face in the front page of news paper.
Joti Basu, the longest chief minister in India and oldest politician in the world said to his life time enemy; "Mamata has just sent scrap of paper to the prime minster, but has not resigned."

But he is retied man. The day news paper started with this sentence; 'Nothing much has change. Joti Basu walked out of Writer's building for last time as chief minister brisk and curt' in November 3. After 23 years, 87 years heart strong man withdrawn his own power in West Bengal. Even he is not more chief minster but still he is a communist.
"The Center is selling off the country. They are living in fear of IMF and World bank... This can't go on."
In 1977, he became chief minister after win Satgachia Assembly seat with 78.8 per cent of votes as Left Front sweeps to power with and had ruled up to this year. Now his seat was gavin to Buddadev Battacharya as his successor. During his regime, West Bengal met a lot of good and bad situation. The good point is that local farmer, the poorest of Indian who does not have a handful land got their own space but the bad point is reflected by the good reason, so-called the communist state. Economic part could not get any investigation from other states and foreign countries too. West Bengal met an image problem too. Lacks a work culture which is plagued by militant trade unions is the big problem in the concept of capitalism.. And another biggest thing is the leader of communism party is no more a communist, the state system corrupted by politician. Compared with other states, the economic growth rate is slow and a lot of problem but for the common people, the vote bank, especially the local farmer, still believes the commune idea as much they love their land.

Strike is a simple culture of West Bengal. So the local's mind is still makes main stream to the marxist. But for me it is the basic question, before they got the power a lot of intelligent students who educated in Calcutta was massacred because they insisted the free land for farmers. But the living marxists destroyed the mind of dead revolutionary, their companion. Some Bengali friend said that; "We fought to be a communist but during 23 years regime the youth born as a communist, They only enjoys the power. In this time(next year) assembly election, Left party shall be get power again but the next? Not sure but I hope Mamata gets power and the Left party will know what is their very first goal to the people."

Please do not believe Democracy, it is just man made system. If you want to believe human's natural power, the mind of co-existence, just try to know that all system is made by human beings. There is no perfect system and the doer is always our species, Human. Still do you want to blame another labour bother's strike? It is your choice. But do not forget you also a labour who have to strike someday.