Trump’s ban: discriminatory, hypocritical and irresponsible

30th January 201730th January 2017admin

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“I express my deepest disgust and regret on the Trump ban of citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen”, said Howard Lee, president of International Union of Socialist Youth, DAPSY International Secretary and Perak State Legislative Assemblyperson, Pasir Pinji.

Banning anyone from any country is as bad, if not worse, than a “Muslim ban”. Saying that someone is a potential terrorist solely on the basis of his/her nationality, and, more so, religion, is the highest degree of discrimination. Religion is a choice, but there is no choice in where one is born. Where will it end? Belgium has the highest ISIS recruit per capita in the world: is President Trump going to ban Belgians from entering in the U.S.A.? My own country, Malaysia, is a Muslim-majority nation, which many consider as a hotbed with perfect conditions for IS operatives to be recruited and based. When is Malaysia’s turn to enter the ban list?

The criteria cited for the policy on who gets ban is also the highest degree of hypocrisy. They are, according to the Trump executive order, those who “place violent ideologies over American law”, “engage in acts of bigotry or hatred” or “would oppress Americans of any race, gender, or sexual orientation”. Just replace the word Americans in any of those points with any of the seven nationalities facing the ban and it will become too easy to call the ban hypocrisy.

One common denominator among all seven nations facing the ban is that the U.S.A. have been a significant part of, if not led military actions on them. How can the U.S.A. strike a nation militarily and do not be prepared to admit it victimised and war-torn citizens as refugees, and, furthermore, ban them? This is bad enough. Someone would consider the intent of the U.S.A. military action on those banned nations as a reason for the ban, but it would be just hypocritical.

Democracy is about accountability to the people. The U.S.A. who have, on many occasions in history, taken up the mantle of being the leader of the free world must also be responsible and accountable to the people of the world. By betraying the spirit of founding fathers of the U.S.A., President Trump has not only been irresponsible to the world, he has been irresponsible to democracy, liberty, constitutional rights, and, essentially, America and the American people.

I just would like to quote the first president of U.S.A., George Washington, when he said: “The bosom of America is open to receive not only the Opulent and respected Stranger but the oppressed and persecuted of all Nations and Religions; whom we shall welcome to a participation of all our rights and privileges“. And again: “I had always hoped that this land might become a safe and agreeable asylum to the virtuous and persecuted part of mankind, to whatever Nation they might belong”.

Many youths, Progressives, and citizens around the world continue to pledge solidarity and friendship with the American people. We respect the Americans’ right to sovereignty, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to afford respect to the highest political position holder and Commander in Chief of United States of America.

El discurso de odio de Donald Trump es una amenaza para el mundo

24th January 201724th January 2017admin

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IUSY condena las expresiones de discriminación del nuevo presidente de los Estados Unidos de América, Donald Tump, las cuales representan un retroceso en las luchas por la igualdad y la unión de los pueblos del mundo. La violencia expresada tanto en discursos como en las políticas propuestas contra grupos de inmigrantes, la comunidad afroamericana, la comunidad LGBTI y las mujeres promueve la intolerancia y el odio.

Desde la Unión Internacional de Juventudes Socialistas (IUSY), vemos con preocupación las políticas propuestas que significarían un retroceso en los derechos conquistados, por lo que es imprescindible mantener una defensa activa de los mismos y la unión de los sectores progresistas contra el avance conservador que representa Trump. Así también, resultan preocupantes sus declaraciones de negación del cambio climático, que suponen un enorme obstáculo para la concertación de acuerdos a nivel global para construir un mundo sostenible ambiental, económica y socialmente.

Por otro lado, condenamos el discurso supremacista blanco, el racismo y la inacción de Donald Trump para detener las acciones de odio de sus seguidores contra las diversas etnicidades en Estados Unidos. Creemos firmemente que un mundo más justo e igualitario sólo puede ser construido desde la tolerancia y la pluralidad.

Por último, vemos con suma preocupación las posiciones asumidas por Michael Pence, Vicepresidente de Estados Unidos, en contra de la comunidad LGBTI y en contra del derecho de las mujeres de decidir sobre sus cuerpos, así como su cercanía a sectores ultraconservadores durante su ejercicio como Gobernador de Indiana.

Nos solidarizamos con los sectores progresistas que manifiestan y luchan contra el avance de la derecha en Estados Unidos, con las compañeras y compañeros que marcharon en la Protesta de las Mujeres del 21 de enero, y especialmente con nuestras compañeras y compañeros de YDS. Llamamos a las organizaciones progresistas del mundo a solidarizarse y establecer acciones conjuntas atendiendo a la importancia de Estados Unidos como una de las potencias globales y su importancia en la agenda internacional.

Juntos venceremos.

Donald Trump’s hate speech is a threat to the world

24th January 201724th January 2017admin

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IUSY condemns the expressions of discrimination of the new president of the United States of America, Donald Tump, which represent a setback in the struggles for equality and the union of the peoples of the world. The violence expressed in both his speeches and his proposed policies against immigrant groups, the African American community, the LGBTI community, and women are the doorway to intolerance and hatred.

We – the International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY) – are concerned by such proposed policies that would mean a setback in the hard-won rights, therefore we strongly encourage the unity of the progressive actors against the conservative advance represented by President Trump, and the strong defense of the liberties accomplished. Furthermore, his denial of climate change is also concerning, posing a huge obstacle to the implementation of global agreements to build a world that is environmentally, economically and socially sustainable.

We cannot but condemn Donald Trump’s white supremacist discourse, racism, and passivity in stopping his followers’ hateful actions against various ethnicities in the United States. We firmly believe that a more just and egalitarian world can only be built from tolerance and plurality.
Finally, we are baffled to notice the stands taken by Michael Pence, Vice-President of the United States, against the LGBTI community and against the right of women over their own bodies, as well as his closeness to ultraconservative fractions during his office as Governor of Indiana.

We stand in solidarity with the progressive actors who have demonstrated and fought the rise of the right-wing in the United States, with all the comrades who marched on the Women’s March on January 21, and especially with our YDS colleagues. We call on the progressive organizations of the world to stand together and establish joint actions in light of the role of the United States in the international agenda as one of the global leaders.
Together we will win.

IUSY condemns the escalating repression in Ethiopia

27th October 2016admin

Following the downfall of the previous Ethiopian government in 1991, Ethiopians were eager to have their freedoms back. Beside many failures of good governance, the abolishment of the former regime was rooted by its execution and imprisonment of innocents. However, though Ethiopians have sacrificed their valuable lives expecting justice and freedom, they are not yet able to get what they have been waiting.

The Ethiopians situation is a clear evidence for the notion that the death of the previous dictatorship did not ensure the birth of a democracy that guarantees human rights. Until today Ethiopians are being incarcerated, tortured and killed for crimes they did not commit. Both their human and democratic rights are being violated by government forces for only asking legitimate questions. They are being dismantled from their lands without enough compensation and forced to live under poverty lines.

The systematic marginalization of the largest ethnic groups by the government which is highly dominated by a minority ethnic group is also significantly affecting the lives of millions. The government of Ethiopia is highly characterized by its unfair distribution of wealth, which placed the majority in extreme poverty. It is evidenced by the recent reports of the Ethiopian government itself that since 2016 more than 10 million people are suffering from drought while few segments of the population are taking unfair advantage of the nation’s resources.

Despite all the challenges, Ethiopians did not keep quiet. Since 1991 until today they are firmly standing against the dictatorship that oppressed their rights and killed many. The legitimate demands of the people intensified since November 2015 when the government officially declared to expand the boundaries of the capital city, Addis Ababa into the Oromia region. The reaction of the government towards all the peaceful protestors, however, was highly unprofessional, if not inhuman. Since then people are being killed, detained, and brutally tortured for only standing against a system which excludes them from political and economic development and led the protest to its highest level.

The brutality of the Ethiopian government against its own citizens revealed itself many times. One of the evidence can be the killings of hundreds in October 2016 where more than two million people gathered for the religious festival and government forces opened fire on people who were expressing their grievances by crossing their hands above their head.

The Ethiopian government is not only killing peaceful protestors but also suppressing their voices through blocking the internet in the name of‘‘State of emergency’’ while many activists and journalists are being tortured and jailed for crimes they did not commit. Therefore, Ethiopians these days are not only demanding for political and economic inclusions but also basic human rights. As IUSY we call for respect of human rights and the government must call an all inclusive political dialogues to solve the impasse. History has taught us that violence is not the solution to solving problems.

Statement brought forward by Vice President Bheki Dlamini and supported by the IUSY Presidium.

IUSY reitera su llamado al diálogo plural en Venezuela

25th October 2016admin

Please find attached the press release of IUSY VP’s and American Committee Coordinator Jesús Tapia:

Desde la Unión Internacional de Juventudes Socialistas – IUSY, por sus siglas en inglés- expresamos nuestra preocupación antes los últimos acontecimientos que se han producido en Venezuela, producto de la ausencia de espacios de diálogo y entendimiento entre los distintos actores del país.

La polarización y el conflicto se han incrementado en Venezuela de manera acelerada, lo que ha hecho más vigente la necesidad de un proceso de diálogo, negociación y acuerdos tendentes a la solución de la problemática política causante de las dificultades económicas y sociales que viven los venezolanos y venezolanas. Desde IUSY recomendamos que el proceso de diálogo venidero sea inclusivo y participativo, enfocando su esencia en los valores de la democracia y la solidaridad.

Como organización juvenil internacional, hemos estado presentes en diversos procesos políticos y sociales que ha enfrentado la sociedad global y es por ello que deseamos pueda en Venezuela darse espacio para el entendimiento y el diálogo, donde sean estos las razones para que los distintos actores promuevan soluciones en beneficio de todos y todas.

25 de octubre de 2016

Ceasefire deal reached between Colombian Govermenet and Farc

24th June 201627th June 2016admin

IUSY welcomes the news about ceasefire deal reached between the Colombian government and Farc and we are looking forward towards a permanent peace agreement

[EN]

From the International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY) we celebrate the process that is taking place today in Colombia between the Colombian Government and the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) , a process that set the road towards a very much needed peace of great importance for America and the world. Dialogue between the parties has been the methodology in order to look for solutions that would give a guarantee of peace and a stop to the conflict.

The government of Colombia and the FARC announced a definitive agreement for the cessation of bilateral fire, including aspects such as laying down of weapons by the guerrillas, security guarantees, the fight against paramilitarismo and persecution of criminal behaviours which threaten peace in Colombia.

The government and the FARC in Colombia have reached a consensus on other key issues such as security guarantees and the fight against criminal organizations, these being breakthrough points.

[ES]

Desde la Unión Internacional de Juventudes Socialistas ( IUSY) celebramos el proceso que hoy se está presentando en Colombia, entre el gobierno y las FARC ( fuerzas armadas revolucionarias de Colombia) , un proceso que da inicio a una muy necesaria paz de gran importancia para América y el mundo. El diálogo entre las partes ha sido la vía para la búsqueda de soluciones que permitirán la garantía de paz y el cese al conflicto.

El gobierno de Colombia y las FARC anunciaron un acuerdo para el cese del fuego bilateral y definitivo, entre otros aspectos como: el abandono de las armas por parte de la guerrilla, las garantías de seguridad, la lucha contra el paramilitarismo y la persecución de las conductas criminales que amenazan la paz en Colombia.

El gobierno y las FARC en Colombia han logrado un consenso acerca de otros puntos fundamentales como las garantías de seguridad y la lucha contra las organizaciones criminales, siendo estos puntos un gran avance.

Condolences for Jo Cox MP

16th June 2016admin

We are shocked and saddened to hear the news of the horrific murder of UK Labour MP Jo Cox. Our comrade was holding a surgery in her constituency in West Yorkshire when a man attacked her. She was stabbed and shot a number of times; the motivation remains unclear at time of writing. She focused her mandate on the Syrian crisis and on humanitarian law, was the founder and chair of the ‘Friends of Syria’ All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), and, in the past months, was a passionate campaigner for the Remain Campaign in the EU referendum debate.

This is not just an attack on a comrade and on a fellow Labour Party member, but an attack on what we stand for as socialists and social democrats., This is an attack on democracy itself. We express our deep condolences to Jo’s family and friends and to our British comrades. We are reminded that we have to stand up against violence and extremism, to challenge hate and intolerance and to know violence and weapons won’t stop us. We shall overcome.

Stop the war in Bakûr (Northern Kurdistan), Halt immediately the democratic recession in Turkey

5th June 20167th June 2016admin

Resolution passed by the IUSY Presidium on 29^th May 2016 in Vienna, Austria

President Recep Tyyip Erdogan was once praised as a role model for leaders of emerging Muslim Majority nations due to several reform packages he initiated early in his term as Prime Minister of Turkey. Today, he enjoys a reputation far from the democratic, reformist and progressive one he once held among the international community.

Erdogan’s AKP (Justice and Development Party Turkish: Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi) government underwent several crises including corruption scandals, accusations of media intimidation, as well as the pursuit of an increasingly polarising political agenda along ethnic lines; inciting political hatred throughout the country.

Erdogan today, after his ascension to the Republic’s Presidency, is speedily taking the Turkish State towards a one-man system. Erdogan and his party – the Turkish oligarchy- entrenched by the most polarising form of nationalism, is carrying out destruction, annihilation and looting in Kurdistan in order to preserve its colonial agenda.

In order to achieve this dirty objective, Erdogan initiated a comprehensive war in Kurdistan on July 2015. First, he ceased the peace process between the Turkish state and PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party Kurdish: Partiya Karkerên Kurdistanê )‎ and isolated its leader Abdullah Ocalan. Very soon after, he attacked the people with suicide attacks on what was widely alleged as a joint AKP-ISIS operation. In these attacks, 5 people were killed in Diyarbakir, 33 people in Suruc, and 100 people in Ankara; at least a total of 929 people were wounded in all three attacks.

The police and army were introduced in the second phase of Erdogan’s war. For months now curfews have been declared in several towns and cities across Kurdistan. Kurdish towns such as Cizre, Silopi and Sur in the city of Amed (Diyarbakir) have been almost completely destroyed. In Cizre alone, 120 civilians were burnt alive in a basement (this has been documented by the UN, HRW and AI). The same things are now occurring in Nusaybin, Yuksekova and Sirnak. All Kurdish towns are under the attack of the Turkish army on a daily basis. Until now, a total of 800 civilians (mostly women and children) have been killed in these towns and cities by the Turkish state.

Currently, Erdogan is targeting elected Parliamentarians who stand in the way of his dictatorial ambitions. His goal of abolishing the parliamentary system is now ever closer. From 2013 to 2015, the HDP (The Peoples’ Democratic Party Turkish: Halkların Demokratik Partisi) participated in peace negotiations with the AKP government on behalf of PKK, and for this, the political immunities of the HDP legislators were selectively removed. Erdogan did so with the help of the representatives of Turkish state nationalism: AKP, the MHP (Nationalist Action Party, Turkish: Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi) and some members of CHP (Republican People’s Party: Turkish: Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi). It has once again been proven that the only thing that these parties agree on is animosity towards the Kurdish people.

Erdogan’s regime is also blackmailing EU with the refugee crisis into providing it with financial and political aid, all whilst not doing anything to protect the refugees; on the contrary, allowing them to drown in the Mediterranean Sea.

Therefore,

IUSY expresses loud criticism against the EU’s silence on this matter. The EU’s fear is clearly based on the likelihood of Turkey pulling out of the Refugee Deal if critical voices from the EU were to escalate. Human Rights and Democracy should never be allowed to be bargained against each other.
IUSY denounces any form of vilence, oppression and selective persecution whether it be based on ethnicity, gender, political inclination. The Erdogan regime is clearly taking an ethnical approach to his dictatorial agenda; and IUSY and the world should not tolerate such abbhorence.
IUSY extends solidarity with the peace seeking Kurdish freedom movements. In order to reach a peaceful resolution in Turkey it is important that among others the PKK should be included in the peace talks. Therefore, we call on removing the PKK from from the terrorlist to maket his possible.
IUSY calls for the international community, the EU, the USA and other Western countries to recognize the important role of Kurds for contentment and stability in the region.
IUSY follows closely the current development in Turkey where MPs of the HDP have had their Parliamentary immunity revoked as a strategy to silence the critique of the regimes treatment of Kurds, other minorities and dissidents. We demand that the AKP regime, along with MHP and members of CHP, withdraw their decision and reinstate the immunity for the HDP MPs back to the same terms as for all other MPs.

International Union Of Socialist Youth

All Over The World To Change it!

Presidium