MLPD Emergency Program for the Corona Pandemic

Today, 16 March 2020, the Central Committee of the MLPD published the following Emergency Program for the Corona Pandemic.

3D model of the Corona virus (Graphic: Nilses – own production / public domain)

The Corona pandemic has developed into a global health crisis with drastic and threatening consequences for the masses of people. An unusual situation calls for unusual measures. The MLPD participated in taking responsible action early on with the canceling of events, information for the public, and mutual aid. Our thoughts are with the first victims. The MLPD wishes a speedy recovery to all who have fallen ill, and the best possible protection against the danger of infection to everyone.

In Germany the main problem at present is the exponential¹ spread of the virus. Currently the number of infected persons is doubling approximately every three days. If this process continues at the same rate, in one month there will be a million infected persons and – as things stand now – around 50,000 who would have to be treated in intensive care units. But these only have a capacity of 28,000!²

With their orientation to maximum profit for hospital, pharmaceutical and “health care” corporations, the public health systems in many countries have been economized to the point that they are on the verge of collapse or are already in a state of collapse. Many hospitals have been closed in the past years. In Italy the public health system is so disastrously overstrained that doctors already have to decide who they treat and save and who they let die.³ The MLPD demands:

• Create 150,000 new jobs⁴ and double the number of training places in nursing and care facilities and intensive care units in Germany!

It must be criticized that the German federal government and monopolies are trying to turn the situation into an opportunity to shift the burdens of the crisis onto the shoulders of the broad masses in the wake of Corona. In mid-2018 a new world economic and financial crisis already emerged, and last week an open stock exchange crisis added to the situation. Of course, all this is exacerbated by Corona.

The comprehensive crisis programs of the government, which are now making billions in tax money available to corporations, were made necessary, however, mainly by this deep capitalist crisis. Where Corona now is taken as pretext to lay off people, to intensify the exploitation in enterprises, to deploy the German armed forces in the interior, or to dismantle democratic rights and freedoms, and so forth, the MLPD says:

• No acceptance for attempts to shift the consequences of the environmental crisis, of the world economic and financial crisis to the backs of the broad masses and the working class under the banner of combating Corona! The answer to the capitalist crisis chaos is the socialist perspective!

Fully in line with the rightward development of many governments, which operate according to the principle “My country first”, research work currently takes place mainly in competition between national states. In this way a global solution, such as the creation of a vaccine, is made considerably more difficult.

President Trump even has the audacity to offer the Tübingen-based biotech company Curevac as much as one billion dollars to supply its announced vaccine against Covid-19 exclusively to the USA!⁵

• Politicians and governments that behave in such a chauvinistic-egoistic way in a situation like this must step down immediately and face punishment!

The crisis teams of the German federal and state governments make decisions which impose rigorous restrictions on the masses of people in their private lives – but are designed to maintain production in enterprises at all costs. From some corporations there are reports that the top executives now only communicate via Skype. The workers, however, are supposed to continue doing piecework, working shifts, often standing closely packed together in the production line. In the factory halls, no or hardly any disinfectants are available. If short-time work is ordered, particularly for earners of low wages it is not enough for them to live on.

General employee meetings and demonstrations are called off – but production is supposed to continue. Temporary workers already are being laid off in masses. All that is irresponsible and shows how in this capitalist system profit and not people are of central importance! From Italy there are reports of (partly successful) independent strikes, as at Fiat, for the shutdown of production. In Germany this demand is spreading among workers. The MLPD demands:

• Immediate shutdown of industrial production, logistics and administration, unless socially necessary supplies or emergency measures are concerned! As environmental side effect, the drastic restriction of production would mean a substantial reduction in CO₂ emissions, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, etc.

• Release of blue and white collar workers from duty, with full wage compensation and no use of vacation days for this purpose!

• If work is done: assurance that a distance of 1.5 to 2 meters between workers can be maintained.

• Disinfection of machines and tools as soon as the user changes.

• Put an end to the two-class care: identical rules from the executive suite to the assembly line and the cleaning woman.

The federal government and state governments, like that of North Rhine-Westphalia’s Minister-President Laschet, call for solidarity and willingness to make sacrifices – but only on the part of the population! The closing of schools and child daycare facilities, which certainly makes a great deal of sense, often causes great distress in families.

Once again, the families, and thus in many cases mainly the women, are expected to bear the burdens privately – except in very special cases – and see how they can manage. Many elderly and ill persons live in fear, no longer leave the house (partly for good reason), but in this way become isolated. Panic buying prevents normal purchases and supply. The MLPD calls:

• State aid and emergency care for families to provide care for children and the elderly. Financing of parents’ loss of earnings if they are unable to find any other means of providing care.

• Solidarity and mutual aid are needed: Organize neighborhood assistance! Help particularly older and sick persons to obtain the necessities of life and prevent isolation! If childcare is organized privately – no more than five children!

• The Youth League Rebell is ready to provide such assistance services in keeping with its slogan, “Serve the people.”

• Conduct an offensive discussion against egoistic hoarding, panic, but also reckless behavior based on underestimation of the situation.

Unlimited aid is offered to firms. In reality, however, it is becoming apparent that the situation involves almost insurmountable bureaucratic hurdles for small enterprises and ultimately can mean their end, while the monopolies rake in any amount of money. The MLPD demands:

• Smallest, small and medium-size enterprises, conference locations, restaurants and tourism businesses must receive unbureaucratic assistance to fully make up for their losses!

There is broad discussion concerning the causes of this disease. This is justifiable, but the discussion must take place in a very objective and scientific way. Untenable conspiracy theories must not be accepted – but it is also unacceptable when any discussion of the causes is brushed aside as conspiracy theory. Questions must be answered: What about the research laboratory in the (presumed) place of origin Wuhan? Does Covid-19 have an artificial origin? What interactions exist with environmental crises?

• The MLPD demands an end to national egoism in research into the causes and in diagnosis and treatment! For an open scientific discussion, but comprehensible to the masses!

The whole degeneracy and incompetence of the imperialist world system become apparent here. In reality, however, the material prerequisites for global communication, for scientific discussion, diagnosis and therapy as well as for decentralized maintenance of essential economic processes with the aid of digitization have never been better in history.

In capitalism they are undermined by striving for profit, rivalry and chauvinism. In socialism, which can be achieved by a revolutionary, radical change of society, they could be used for speedy, effective, world-spanning health care! The MLPD calls:

• Take an interest in the investigation of the causes. Conduct a mass discussion about the societal alternatives under the slogan, “Don’t give anticommunism a chance”!

• Get organized! Uniting across party lines in the interest of health care and the working and living conditions of the mass of the population is the order of the day.

Sources & Links

¹ Mathematical model of a growth process in which the original quantity always changes by the same factor in equal time steps
² Campact Info, 16 March 2020
³ Tagesschau newscast, 12 March 2020
⁴ Analysis of AOK Research Institute (WIdO; AOK is Germany’s biggest public health care fund), March 2020
⁵ Welt am Sonntag, 15 March 2020

Download as PDF