[Imc-uk-features] Burma feature again

[freethepeeps at aktivix.org]

This article (http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/09/28/18450321.php) posted
to indybay, also looks at the issue of why the sudden burst of publicity now:

"However long it takes, the end result will be a movement in the direction of
some kind of bourgeois democratic regime. The Chinese regime would clearly have
preferred to avoid such a scenario, as this would loosen their grip on the
country. The USA and other western powers are pushing for the opposition to
come to power. As we said yesterday, this does not represent in any way a
greater love for democracy. It is merely a means of increasing the spheres of
influence of this or that imperialist power. 

This explains the widespread publicity being given to the movement in Burma. So
far the biggest rally we have seen has been between 70,000 and 100,000,
depending on which reports one reads. This is an impressive movement. No one
can have any doubt about the courage of the demonstrators in the face of a
brutal military apparatus. But if we consider that the population of Burma is
around 50 million, it is still rather small compared to movements we have seen
in other parts of the world. 

We should recall that in Mexico at one stage during the protest movement against
electoral fraud last year, there were three million people on the streets of
Mexico City. The movement had a mass participation that lasted for months. But
what kind of media coverage did that movement get? The official media did not
offer us scenes of the rallies in Mexico City. On the contrary, they played the
whole movement down. Organs such as The Economist and Financial Times, which
are now talking of "revolution" in Burma, denied such a movement was taking
place in Mexico. 

Why the difference? It is very clear! In Burma the outcome of this movement will
be to bring to power a bourgeois opposition that is already closely linked to
imperialism. In Mexico imperialism was backing Calderon and feared the masses
that were rallying behind Lopez Obrador. In Burma, imperialism wants to see
this regime brought down so that a government they can "do business" with can
be brought to power. In Mexico the politician they can "do business" with is
the man who led the blatant electoral fraud."

whilst I don't agree with the conclusions that Marxism.com reach, I do think
that this part of their analysis is spot on.......

best

ftp