Vol.63/No.37 October 25, 1999
'Withdraw troops from E. Timor!'
Communist League candidate in New Zealand speaks out
The following statement was issued October 14 by Ruth Gray, announcing her campaign for Parliament in the Christchurch Central electorate. Gray is a member of the Engineers Union.
My campaign is demanding the immediate withdrawal of New Zealand, Australian, and all foreign troops from East Timor. The deployment of the United Nations force has nothing to do with helping the people of East Timor to free themselves. Its real goal is to advance imperialist economic domination of the region. Through 25 years of unbroken struggle, which was actively opposed every step of the way by the rulers in Wellington, Canberra, and Washington, the workers, peasants, and youth of East Timor have demonstrated that they are not helpless victims, but determined and courageous fighters for their own national independence.
My campaign is also calling for support from the wider labor movement to the pilots locked out by Ansett Airlines. The pilots' fight is part of the growing resistance by working people around the world to the attempts by the bosses to unload the effects of the deepening capitalist crisis onto our shoulders. My campaign stands in support of all such efforts by working people to defend ourselves, our living conditions, and our trade unions.
I support the recent protests and occupations of university registry buildings by students opposing fee increases. Education is not a privilege but a right and my campaign calls for education to be free to all, including at the tertiary level.
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