2011年04月08日発行 1177号
【The Central Committee Statement of MDS on the
Earthquake Disaster】
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Dear our friends and comrades in the
world,
The Central Committee of the Movement for Democratic Socialism (MDS)
expresses our heartfelt gratitude for all the sympathy and
encouragements you extended to us from all corners of the world
concerning the gigantic earthquake that hit eastern Japan on March 11th
and the following Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster.
Fortunately, there is no one among our membership who died in this
calamity, but some members have suffered from severe damage at home as
well as in their workplaces. The radioactive menace caused by Fukushima
Daiichi disaster is still spreading, and we are evacuating children and
pregnant women to safer areas. However, we are all well. Now MDS
members are all the more united in our struggle to win democratic
reconstruction of the affected communities and to abolish all the
nuclear power plants. The following is the MDS Central Committee
Statement, and let us express once again the determination to stand
firm in our international solidarity. We thank all of you. Let us move
forward!
The Central Committee Statement of the Movement for Democratic
Socialism (MDS)
Let us struggle for democratic reconstruction of eastern Japan, which
is severely damaged by the earthquake, and for the total abolishment of
nuclear power plants!
More than two weeks have passed since March 11th gigantic earthquake
that hit eastern Japan. The death toll is increasing even now, reaching
almost thirty thousand to include those who are still unknown whether
safe or not. MDS extends our deepest condolences to all the victims in
this disaster.
Particularly, Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant poses a serious
issue as it continues to deteriorate its radioactive contamination. In
Fukushima as well as in neighboring prefectures, shipments of
vegetables and raw milk have been suspended since higher level of
radioactive substance was detected from them. Tap water contaminated by
radioactive iodine has expanded to encompass the Tokyo Metropolitan
area.
According to SPEEDI (System for Prediction of Environmental Emergency
Dose Information), the amount of radiation emitted from Fukushima
Daiichi up until March 24th shows the disaster has reached Level 6 of
INES (International Nuclear Event Scale) ratings, which is regarded as
Serious Accident. The scale has surpassed the level of the Three Mile
Island accident (Level 5) in 1976 and, in some localities, severe soil
contamination has been detected reaching the level of Chernobyl
disaster (Level 7) in 1986 in the then Soviet Union. There is a
possibility that the land surrounding the area will not be habitable
for a long time to come. Still now Fukushima Daiichi continues to emit
radiation and defies any prediction as to when we can contain it or
whether it will proceed to the total breakdown of containment vessels
of reactors.
The true cause of the devastation brought about by the earthquake and
Fukushima Daiichi disaster lies in the neo-liberal policies of the
government and global capitalism to promote nuclear energy,
militarization, and destruction of local communities. Nuclear strategy
is the centerpiece of the national security for the government and
global capitalists who have developed and possessed state-of-the-art
nuclear technology, diffusing the myth of nuclear safety. The Fukushima
disaster is not a natural disaster, but one that is politically
generated.
The logistics to supply refugees evacuated in shelters with food,
medication, and oil for heaters is heavily paralyzed so that they are
forced to live in the wretched circumstances. Some refugees even died
while taking shelter at evacuation sites.
These are the results of policies of the government and the global
capitalists to have weakened the organizations for disaster damage
prevention and for rescue operations, basic lifelines, and the local
government mechanism. The restructuring of local governments in the
last decade has diminished the number of cities and towns by 34% to 51%
in Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures. It has caused the widening
economic gap between the urban centers and peripheral areas, which, in
turn, has resulted in the emergence of the disadvantaged in terms of
disaster prevention.
The paralysis of logistics does not merely result from the damaged
roads made impassable by the earthquake. The serious shortage of oil in
the Tohoku Region comes from deregulation in which oil companies have
reduced oil production facilities in those areas; now they have 40%
fewer oil refinery facilities and 70% fewer oil tanks than in 1995.
This has made the areas vulnerable to the earthquake damage and the
stable supply of oil is made impossible.
The deteriorating damage of the earthquake and the nuclear power plant
disaster show that this society will be ruined if we allow the global
capitalism to act as it pleases. The reconstruction does not mean to
return to the original state, but to break away from the nuclear energy
promotion, military build-up, and neo-liberalism, and to move forward
to reconstruction of democratic local communities.
Toward democratic reconstruction and abolishment of nuclear power
plants, let us work together on the following actions.
1. In order to protect our life and health from expanding radioactive
contamination, let us evacuate children, pregnant women, and refugees
in the vicinities of the crippled power plant to safer areas. We Demand
that the government and local authorities take necessary measures to
implement the evacuation.
We accuse the government and corporate media of discharging the
misleading safety propaganda by repeating the cliché that ‘it would not
affect human bodies immediately’. They conceal the danger of internal
exposure to radiation and late-onset disorder that will appear years
later. We will disclose the risk correctly and demand that the
government be responsible for taking measures of risk prevention and
evacuation on human-life-first basis. There is no safe level of
radiation under which human bodies will not be affected. Besides, the
data are often manipulated for the best interest of the national
strategy and energy corporations. The lessons we can learn from past
accidents tell us to evacuate if we detect the level of radiation
higher than usual, and not to take in contaminated food and water.
2. We demand that the government and local authorities secure safe
water and food, also that affected farmers and fishermen be fully
compensated by TEPCO and the government.
3. We demand that all the radiation-exposed residents be given
sufficient medical treatment and living assistance.
4. We demand that the government and TEPCO stop abusing the power plant
workers, without due consideration for the safety in their attempt to
tackle with the accident. Especially the life and health of those
workers working on subcontract or irregular basis should be respected.
5. The government and power companies should be held responsible, and
all the nuclear power plants be abolished. We demand that a drastic
shift toward eco-friendly distributed energy system such as solar and
wind power be realized. Ideally, electric energy should be put under
democratic control of the local communities, and we will launch a
campaign to strengthen democratic regulation of the power companies.
The present rolling blackouts are the result of dependence on nuclear
energy.
This should be switched to utilizing other electric generating
facilities at full capacity, and we should realize a system where
electricity can be supplied from any areas of the country. We will hold
responsible those who have promoted nuclear power plants, such as
companies association, corporations, corporate media, opportunist
scholars, carders of labor unions like Rengo, etc., and local
authorities.
6. We will not allow any dismissal, wage cut, and cancellation of
official job offers for reasons of earthquake disaster and black outs,
and we demand workers rights be protected. We demand also that the
government and TEPCO compensate the damage caused by the blackouts. The
government and the corporations should be responsible for stabilizing
employment of workers.
7. We demand that the government and the local authorities should take
necessary measures to provide special inancial assistance to small and
medium-sized companies in their effort to stabilize employment and
recovery.
March 27, 2011
The Central Committee of the Movement for Democratic Socialism (MDS)
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