28 October 1998
The recent "Peppergate" controversy continues in Canada. Accusations and counter accusations fly between politicians, the RCMP, student demonstrators.Last year, during the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) summit hosted in Vancouver, students demonstrated against the authoritarian ruler of Indonesia, President Suharto. The RCMP (with the alleged collusion of Prime Minister Jean Chretien's office) kept files on, and even before the day of the demonstration, arrested those students suspected as "troublemakers". Demonstrating students were pepper sprayed and more arrested.
The students and some members of the media jump on the story as a violation of free speech and "misuse" of the Prime Minister's office. The defensive Prime Minister points the finger of wrongdoing to the RCMP and sighs that "at least they did not use baseball bats". The RCMP claims it was forced to follow orders against students "pushing the limits".
The controversy goes far beyond the present issues outlined by politicians and the corporate controlled media. Socialists argue that the entire episode once again explodes the myth that the state, government, is some abstract institution that floats over society kindly dispensing laws for the good and benefit of all.
Socialists understand that governments (no matter how "democratic") represent the interest of capital. We live in a class society and capitalism ensures its survival by virtue of its political rule. The state (no matter which party governs) is capitalism's political authority and administrative force. It represents class rule. Available to it are the bureaucracy and military - what Karl Marx in his early writings called "the essence" of the state.
For many years media (newspapers, television, movies) continuously portrayed the RCMP in red tunic and mountie hats as a symbol of a kind force representing "law, order and good government". I was so taught in school. The reality is that it has represented the order of class government time and time again.
The RCMP, as an arm of government force, is more or less the equivalent of the FBI and CIA in the United States, and the KGB in the former Soviet Union. It is an institution of governmental (class) control.
Countless are the times that the RCMP in Canada was used at the direct request of political authorities to arrest "subversives", deport "undesirable" immigrants, stomp on free speech, shut down newspapers, infiltrate organizations, keep massive dossiers and files on "agitators", beat up striking workers.
The present Liberal government in Canada followed a long line of tradition when it chose to use the RCMP at the APEC conference (a conference of international capitalist representatives) hoping it would be saved the public embarrassment of students ridiculing a dictator.
Socialists think it is time to get rid of the illusion that the government is a beneficial force which represents the interests of "the people", that it is neutral.
Socialists are in favour of the most complete freedom of expression.
And we argue that a system of democratic control by the immense majority
will do away with the class state and all its powers of repression and
coercion. There will be no need for them.