But a revolutionary process, particularly in the absence of a clear programme, strategy and mass socialist organisations, will be a drown out process that inevitably will include periods of set-backs. The struggle in Indonesia reached a temporary stalemate at the end of last year, which has paved the way for ethnic divisions and even horrific pogroms on some of the most isolated islands. However, this is not the final stage in the unfolding Indonesian revolution, the whip of counter-revolution and disintegration can provoke a new upsurge in the struggle. The world is not lacking resources or wealth, but never in history have the so few been in control of the wealth produced. The gap between rich and poor has reached an unprecedented level.
Capitalism is a system based on production for profit and consequently on exploitation.
The recent profit bonanza at the expense of the workers and poor has meant that there is a shrinking market for the goods produced, and at the end of the day capitalists have to sell their products in order to make profits. The result of this contradiction, inherent in the system, is that in the grotesque world of capitalism there seems to be too much of everything at the same time as one fifth of the world's population is starving and more than 1,000 million people are either unemployed or underemployed. This perversion is throwing more and more people out of work and living in poverty. The only way to overcome the present, and increasingly acute crisis facing mankind is through decisive struggle with the aim of abolishing capitalism and landlordism. A planned economy, run and controlled by democratically elected assemblies, will make it possible to develop the productive forces in harmony with nature and the environment.