In the lead up to Red Ant’s second National Conference, organised under banner Building Anti-Imperialism in a Polarised World, international greetings were received from across the world including from Cuba, Indonesia, the Philippines, United States and Timor Leste.

The Red Ant Collective would like to thank the following groups and individuals for their support, solidarity and the inspiration they provide: Cuban Institute of Friendship with the People (ICAP) in Havana; Danial Indrakasuma, Pembebasan; and the Socialist Union (PS) in Indonesia; Partido Manggagawa (PM) in the Philippines, the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) in the United States; the Socialist Party of Timor (PST) and Vijay Prashad.

The Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP)

Esteemed members of Red Ant,

The Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP) salutes the National Conference you will be hosting from September 9th to 11th. We wish you a fruitful debate about the challenges humanity faces in our struggle against imperialism, especially the necessity to build unity within the working class and Australian left.

Australia – as with the rest of the world – is experiencing a complex scenario marked by internal contradictions, generated after several decades of neoliberal and anti-progressive administrations and exacerbated in the last years by the multidimensional impact of the Pandemic.

On the other hand, foreign dynamics are driving the country dangerously towards a war scenario, fundamentally against China. This behavior, furthermore, responds to a global scenario where Australia is pledged to the interest of US hegemony and a key partner in its strategy in the Indo-Pacific.

There is a huge historical and socio-cultural battle for recognition of Aboriginal rights. Recently, it was announced the important date for celebrating the “Yes” Referendum which would be a small but important step for this cause. Nevertheless, there is still a long way forward to continue achieving justice for aboriginal communities.

Climate change also offers a panorama that most of the political elites, linked to big mining companies and fuel and gas extractors, just look away from. It is our responsibility to act now to preserve our environment and combat climate change in defense of life.

This context requires the reflection of all those who struggle for socialism. It needs mobilisation and actions in accordance with the interests of our peoples. In particular, the unity of all those engaged with social struggles creates a pillar of resistance. That’s why international solidarity, supporting just causes that surpass our own realities, is critical to face common challenges that have the same root: imperialism.

On behalf of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, we encourage you to promote a sincere and profound debate on this and other complex issues that require comprehensive analysis.

In solidarity,
Iván Ernesto Barreto López
Asia-Pacific Division
ICAP
Havana, September 7th, 2023
“Year 65 of the Cuban Revolution”

Danial Indrakasuma

Dear Red Ant friends and congress attendees,

Day by day I am increasingly happy to see the development of Red Ant, which is continuously able to carry out its programs – especially in expanding awareness about the importance of fighting for socialism and fighting imperialism. Thank you – literally, in Indonesian, it means I/we have received your love.

While current world changes are not yet fully characterised by anti-imperialist resistance, current world developments do provide opportunities to develop resistance to imperialism, especially with the struggle towards a multi-polar world challenging the hegemony of the United States and the imperialist bloc. This is an opportunity that should not be wasted by socialists.

And, therefore, international cooperation is needed – for example between Red Ant and ourselves which so far has been going well even though it is not completely optimal. Of course, we have to work hard to advance and expand it again together.

Happy congress, good luck.

Comradely,
Danial Indrakusuma,
Solidaritas-net.

Partido Manggagawa (PM)

Solidarity Message to the Red Ant National Conference

The Partido Manggagawa (Workers Party-Philippines) extends its warm and comradely greetings to the participants of the Red Ant National Conference this year. Even though Red Ant is a young organisation, it has made significant strides in consolidating and expanding its ranks. Moreover, its focus of articulating the anti-imperialist standpoint within the progressive movement in Australia is an important contribution to the rebuilding of the Left, nationally and internationally.

Increasing interaction between comrades in our organisations is testament to the recognition of our common positions around the primacy of the working class advocating an anti-imperialist line along with its socialist vision in the current period.

We look forward to more collaboration in the future. We need solidarity between our organisations around resistance to the escalation of imperialist manoeuvres in the Asia-Pacific. Thus, it is also relevant to forge a loose network of left and progressive groups in Southeast Asia and Australia.

Resist imperialism! Fight for socialism!

Partido Manggagawa
National Executive Committee
5 September 2023

Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL)

Dear comrades at Red Ant,

We look forward to hearing the outcome of your deliberations at your important upcoming national conference.

We are living in a new era of global politics. It is an era demarcated by the Russian military intervention in Ukraine four years after the Pentagon and the U.S. government announced its prioritisation of major power conflict with Russia and China in the coming years. The new era includes the expansion of the BRICS membership, sharp struggles in the African continent, efforts by Global South countries to find alternatives for economic interactions not dominated by US imperialism, and a rising tide of class struggle in many of the major capitalist countries.

It is an era still punctuated by enormous contradictions: massive political confusion, the rise of ultra-right and fascist forces, a growing trend of anti-imperialism, and renewed excitement about socialism and Marxism. The revolutionary socialist and communist movement continues, as it must, to recover from the era of counter-revolution that swept the globe in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s.

Under such circumstances, our collective priorities must be to raise the banner of socialism, to provide political clarity, to foster international coordination and solidarity among all those fighting against imperialism, and against all manifestations of oppression and for a better world. We have a special responsibility and duty for revolutionaries in the United States and Australia to foster anti-imperialist solidarity.

We wish you the very best in your work at the upcoming conference and beyond.

Comradely,
Brian Becker, on behalf of the Central Committee of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL)

Pembebasan

Comrades of Red Ant collective and friends alike,

PEMBEBASAN sends our congratulations on your second national conference! As one of your many collective goals, one more step is taken today to build strength against the influences of imperialism. We are one cell in a body of a worldwide fight against imperialism.

PEMBEBASAN as a students and youth movement focusing on pushing forward democratic ideas in both urban and rural settings through local and national issues. Red Ant Collective as a hub for Marxists to learn and organise the working class within Australia. Across the world, there are many more with the same goals, only separated by administrative borders and different passport strength.

In the Global South, the so-called state of Australia is one stronghold of imperial power, built on British discrimination against the poor and needy, and on the stolen land of the continent’s original people. But through the gatherings of small groups, organising, and making demands deemed impossible by their time; Australia became democratic enough to be the main destination for Southeast Asia’s asylum seekers.

Through works started by gatherings in people’s homes, the people can enjoy rights such as rights to abortion, rights to marry whomever you choose, rights to accommodate their disabilities, and rights to gather to discuss all ideas including socialism. Many of these we do not have yet in Indonesia.

There is a certain privilege of freedom when it comes to organising within imperial cores, yet the task can be more daunting to organise in a comfortable distance from the worst places to be. But progressive movements have been done in the US, in Europe, and certainly Australia, and it will be done again by people who start small.

If it was easy, we would have reached global socialism forty years ago. But here we are, fighting against giants who fear the people shutting down trades and extractive infrastructures more than they fear the climate disasters. All can be done, and will be done in time. A better world will be created by the likes of us.

Again, congratulations on your second national conference from your friends in Indonesia.

PEMBEBASAN National Collective

Socialist Union (PS)

Red Salute,

Congratulations to Red Ant comrades for your upcoming second conference.

We are deeply excited both about its theme: Building Anti-Imperialism in a Polarised World, and the sessions it will cover.

Although the global economic recession caused by the Covid-19 pandemic started 20 February 2020 officially stopped in April last year, this does not mean things have returned to stable condition, especially because that recession was followed by the 2021-2023 global energy crisis, inflation surge, and the 2023 US banking crisis.

Thus, we witnessed the ongoing or even rising urge and desperate attempts by the camp of Imperialists to increase exploitation and oppression.

Imperialism is also sharpening contradictions at international level through diplomatic pressure, economic sanctions, promoting conflicts through their proxies/allies, or even directly sponsoring coups and other forms of imperialist intervention.

There is ongoing hostility in the Pacific against the People’s Republic of China through the AUKUS military pact.

Other forms of escalating imperial aggression are:

• US pressure on the South Korea and Japan to support imperialist actions in the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war

• threats from France and their imperialist allies against regions in Africa that have rebelled to break free from neoliberal domination.

For socialists, not only in Asia-Pacific but across the whole world, it is even more important to stand strong together in opposition against all of these monstrosities. We must put the working class and oppressed people’s interests and common causes up front and fight together in joint struggle.

We in Socialists Union, forever deeply believe that only socialism, both the theory-praxis and revolutionary movement of the working class and the oppressed to topple tyrannies of class society and put power democratically in the hands of the workers, can be the truly genuine, revolutionary alternative against this rotten imperialist-capitalism.

Not a military junta, not a fundamentalist and bigoted theocratic regime, nor an authoritarian Bonapartist bureaucracy.

However, we agree with Red Ant’s position to support both justified criticism or opposition inside the capitalist regimes in the global south on the one side and on the other side to defend Global South countries against imperialist military and economic aggression.

We strongly support the Republic of Cuba’s socialist government and the Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela.

Beyond the Conference, we also expect broader cooperation between us in the future in the spirit of revolutionary proletarian internationalism, solidarity for the oppressed people, and Anti-Imperialist struggle.

We, the working class, the toilers, and the oppressed people not only need to know more about the historic and current struggles in Australia, Southeast Asia, and the Asia-Pacific,

There is so much to learn from each other. We hope for joint struggle in any form possible.

All the best for your conference!

For revolutionary anti-imperialism!
Long live proletarian internationalism and solidarity of the oppressed!
Long live socialism!
Socialist Union (Indonesia)

Socialist Party of Timor (PST)

Dearest Comrades of RED ANT,

All of you present at this second national conference have decided to fight injustice and you each know the price and sacrifice that everyone may have to pay. In this stage of society’s development, material things and money are the final goal of many people and so they prefer to fight for individual achievement.

You all turn in a different direction. You opt to fight in the common interests of the oppressed people, workers and peasants. You are working and dedicating your life to the sublime values of a new society.

RED ANT’s conference will symbolise the moment and space for maybe only a small number of people, but those now looking for organisation and unity in order to fight the dark side and inglorious path of capitalism.

We salute you and extend our congratulations to you all.

I hope this conference will mobilise more young people to become members of RED ANT and that it will contribute to all left movements in the world, helping us move forward in our fight against injustice.

In the name of all militants and cadres of PST, permit me to extend to you our solidarity and our hope that this conference will mark another step for you in consolidating RED ANT and in developing action in the struggle against the oppression and alienation facing all of humanity.

Permit me to advance to you PST’s salute to your conference today and our call to establish solid cooperation in developing our programs.

A genuine person is someone who feels revolted when they hear of the brutality of people against people. You are here today and that demonstrates that you are on a journey of struggle to free all people from oppression – this journey is hard and long but is part of our life and dedication.

We are socialists and we are revolutionary. This moves all of us to stand against the exploitation of humanity by very few people that control the wellbeing of entire nations.

We hope that you are going to continue to build RED ANT. We hope that it is a very strong organisation with few cadres (at the moment) but with big and deep influence due to your ideas, your attitude in fighting injustice and in seeking a new model of society where there will never again be exploitation of the many by the few.

As you know, in a genuine struggle for socialism there is no journey’s end, there is no category of big or small organisation. What remains valid is what you are doing, moving towards our final goal of abolishing all forms of human oppression and alienation wherever we be and wherever we stand.

Today, maybe you are not yet thousands of people, but your determination, your readiness to sacrifice will guide you in this journey that you have embarked on. We hope that you remember all of us, one day, when together we reach our final goal.

To close this solidarity message, let me express our deepest solidarity, our decision that wherever we fight capitalism and all of its forms of dehumanisation, we are comrades and all of our efforts will guide capitalism to its collapse. Not today, not tomorrow…but one day when the objective conditions are ready and when our subjective conditions have been built and become strong.

We see this conference as an effort to build the Party and to create stronger subjective conditions for the great struggle we all are engaged in.

Once more let me say, and please take note, we all are very happy today in this extraordinary realisation of RED ANT and we wish you all great revolutionary success.

Salute!

Politburo of the Central Committee
The Socialist Party of Timor.

Vijay Prashad

Every moment of history, however unpleasant it might appear on the surface, trembles with its contradictions, the Dialectic at work beneath the surface.

Our work – building the confidence and clarity of the people through praxis – is always necessary, imperative work to bend the narrative of history that will not go toward socialism by itself.

Comrades, the work of Red Ant, to recover traditions beaten down by imperialism and to build new platforms to advance our work, is to be celebrated. And we celebrate you.

Your work is our work. We are in a tight web of solidarity.

Vijay Prashad