“ HO CHI MINH’S LEGACY IN THE PRESENT ERA”
120th Birth Anniversary
2010
Respected Members of the Presidium
Dear Comrades and Friends,
We gather here to pay homage to an outstanding leader of Vietnamese people, a patriot and revolutionary, a man of undaunted courage and determination who lead successfully the national liberation movement and founded the first Worker Peasant State in South Asia, advancing towards socialism.
Comrade Ho Chi Minh was not only the leader of Vietnam he was a true internationalist, who also directly participated in the struggle for peace, freedom, democracy and socialism while he was living in different corners of the world.
Imperialism and its lackeys carried out horrendous crime against humanity in the soils of Vietnam. The US imperialism who boasts of democracy and human rights wanted to bomb Vietnam to Stone Age, killing all life forms and destroying what ever was created by Vietnamese civilization during many centuries.
But Ho Chi Minh declared: we have to win independence even if the Truong Son Mountain burns.
The indomitable courage, enormous sacrifice, protracted and heroic struggle of the people of Vietnam lead by the Communist Party and its inspiring leader Comrade Ho Chi Minh defeated the worlds most powerful and aggressive imperialist power, the USA. Comrade Ho Chi Minh the beloved leader a great patriot and revolutionary, a poet, dreamer and visionary foiled all colonial and imperialist plans and instead laid the foundation of Vietnams advance towards golden age.
As in War so in peace the Socialist Republic of Vietnam rose from ashes to rebuild the country and since then made tremendous progress in agriculture, industry, construction, export etc. achieving growth rate surpassing almost all.
Vietnam is an inspiring example to people all over the world fighting for independence and social progress.
In Bangladesh our people fought a heroic war of independence against colonial type of rule. The occupation forces perpetrated genocide. We took up arms. We organized guerilla warfare. It was the example of Vietnam the valour of its People’s Army which inspired us. When sometimes death and defeat overtook us the perseverance and endurance of your fighters shined before us. We said to ourselves if Vietnam can, so can we!
I was a commander of the Special Guerilla Force organize by the Communist Party of Bangladesh. Like many others in combat, I read General Giap and learnt to apply his tactics in real fight. Ever since our struggle for independence, democracy, peace and socialism, solidarity to Vietnam was the cornerstone of our internationalist tasks. Two of our comrades died in police firing on 1st January 1973 in Dhaka while demonstrating against U.S. bombing in Hanoi.
Vietnam and President Ho Chi Minh symbolizes people’s heroic struggle for a just cause, uncompromising fight against imperialism and hegemony. It symbolizes national liberation and socialism. Vietnam symbolizes Victory. Victory of Vietnam was also the victory of National Liberation Movements, and forces of peace freedom and socialism. It was a shameful defeat for imperialism and international reaction.
But today when we are meeting here imperialism is becoming more aggressive and desperate. We are witnessing the most severe and deep crisis of capitalism in the U.S. and melt down of a global scale. Plunder, war, militarisation, arms trade, gambling, machination of the multinationals, speculations, manipulation of currency, overwhelming chaos, bankruptcy is the order of the day.
The fundamental contradiction of Capitalism is blowing up with catastrophic impact. The bourgeois state is bailing out big money, with public money. But the big money is responsible for this crisis. Public at large and developing countries are suffering. Poverty hunger, joblessness, reduction of social benefits and services etc are haunting common masses every where.
Never before mankind had the potentiality to produce enough to provide food, clothes, shelter education and health for all. Never before mankind developed arms and weapons which can destroy all life forms in earth several times over. Forces of imperialism and hegemony are waging wars against many countries, provoking strife, conflict and arms race with a view to control and plunder resources and wealth of various countries. The United States of America has unleashed war and terror in the name of fighting the fundamentalist and terrorism. They are propagating the theory of limited sovereignty and pre-emptive attack. We are witnessing a process of re-colonisation.
Today mankind again stands at cross roads. On the one hand immense possibility to eradicate the miseries of people, bring abundance and ensure a free society for free men. On the other hand destruction, plunder and degradation of the environment and enslavement of people.
Here again Ho Chi Minh is relevant who said: it is better to sacrifice everything than to live in slavery.
Ho Chi Minh combined national liberation with socialism.Ho Chi Minh was an active leader of International Communist Movement. Today Communists all over the world must close their ranks to face the danger faced by mankind. Communists, progressives, patriots and peace loving forces of the world must unite to build up a global struggle against the global onslaught of imperialism.
The struggle for Freedom, Peace,Progress and Socialism are inseparable. Uncle Ho, your beloved leader, and also our revered leader will continue to shine our path of struggle for the emancipation of mankind.
