The red fashioned designed parade of the economic freedom fighters at the doorsteps of our parliament is an act of mediocrity.

It is important that we bring to the fore the most important debate about the political significance of the red colour in the revolutionary struggles of the working class movement. The red colour is about the unity and solidarity of the working class under the political leadership of our revolutionary movement.

 It is about the suffering and deprivation, the sweat and blood shed by our heroic working class force across the world, who died in line of duty, in the factories, mines, and in all other points of production of the great empire of capitalism.

Some of our detractors have praised the arrival of the red fashioned designed pseudo anarchists of the economic freedom fighters to the doors of our parliament, as an event of a far reaching political significance. A political tapestry that will change the complexion of the corridors of our legislative chamber.

The people of our country must understand that our red colour cannot be attributed to a fashion parade of mediocrity. Our red colour is a symbol of revolutionary struggles of the international working class movement.

It is the red colour of communism and proletarian internationalism. A colour that represents the historic mission of the proletarian class to liberate itself and all of humanity.

The nineteen century heralded the rise of the capitalist mode of production and a bourgeois class as a necessary condition for the developing new modern nation state. The new modern economic system created conducive conditions for its own development, markets for its goods, freedom of commerce and transport, and a new heightened forms of competition between the nations states.

The development of capitalism and the bourgeois class brought into being a new class of the proletariat alongside itself. This was as a result of the massive movement of the peasantry from the periphery of our countrysides into the urban centers seeking better living conditions.

The new objective realities of the development of the capitalist mode of production led to the sharpening of class contradictions between those who own the means of production and the property-less class. Class struggles assumed a complete new form and character as a result of the new forms of capitalist oppression and exploitation.

There was an impetus of new waves of struggles led by the working class to emancipate itself from the shackles of the capitalist oppression and exploitation. The red flag became a distinct feature of the unity and the solidarity of the international proletariat movement.

In 1871 the French working class declared the first ever workers republic of the Paris Commune. A red flag was hoisted at hotel de Ville in Paris which became the headquarters of the Commune.

It was for the first time in human history that the proletariat and its vanguard party captured the state power, established the dictatorship of the proletariat and begun the socialist transition of society. The heroic event of the Paris commune represented a historic leap for the victory of the struggles of the working class across the world.

Vladimir Lenin has to say the following about the significance of the red flag of the Paris commune:

"The flag of the Commune is the flag of the world's republic, the memory of the fighters of the Commune is honored not only by the workers of France, but by the proletariat of the world.

 For the Commune fought, not for some local or narrow national aim, but for the emancipation of all toiling humanity, of all the downtrodden and oppressed".

Therefore the red fashion parade by the Economic Freedom Fighters at the corridors of our legislative chambers is nothing else but a testimony of how the enemy is capable of mastering the political camaflouge. An episode of how political chameleons want to thrive over the carcass of the working class.

Throughout history opportunists movement has been trying to undermine the role of the revolutionary movement and its political leadership in the struggles of the working class. In our own specific conditions of the South African socio economic realities, the strategic focus of the opportunists movement is to undermine the political leadership role of our revolutionary movement and the history of the struggles of the people of our country.

Our revolutionary movement is the main and fundamental weapon for the liberation of the working class. Therefore the tasks of our national democratic revolution cannot be performed by forces of counter revolution.

Our immediate task is to intensify the ideological and political work to elevate the political consciousness of our people. We need to prepare a calibre cadreship of our people capable of outmaneuvering the intellectual threadbare distortions of our scientific theory by the enemies of our revolution.

The fundamental reason why political education becomes an essential life of any revolutionary movement. The fundamental reason why our people must understand that our red colour is not just a symbol of mediocrity, but a revolutionary feature of the struggles of the working class.

The task of all revolutionaries is to provide an effective political leadership against background of the growing hostilities and most aggressive world material conditions dominated by the forces of imperialism and neo colonialism.

Our failure to assume this effective political leadership role will not only emasculate forces in our side but to expose our national democratic revolution into the hands of counter revolutionary insurgents. Even if they can sing and dance our songs, appropriate our revolutionary colours and traditions, they remain to be a counter revolution.

Phatse Justice Piitso is the former Ambassador to the republic of Cuba and the former provincial secretary of the SACP writing this article on his personal capacity.

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