when it was revealed that it had allowed complaints about these conditions, the repressive apparatus (which also includes while at the same time doing its best white extremists who seized the radio station, the airport, and various other buildings in Lourenco Marques last weekend came as no real surprise. Behind their surrender lay their failure to win suppert trom more than a small section of the white community: while for all their declarations of multi-racialism, the only blacks who rallied to them were 'exFRELIMO guerrillas who defected to the Portuguese before the coup, informed on their comrades, and now lear the consequences', as the Guardian put it. Their isolation was further emphasised by South Africa's decision to stay firmly on the sidelines Nevertheless, the mere fact that the revolt took place at all has impoitant lessons tor the tuture.
MANOEUVRES
The first thing to note is the responsibility of the l'ortuguese: LOveInment In anowing LaI situation to develop. Instead of coming out immediately after the 25 April coup for total independence for the African colonies, they instead engaged in a series of anti-FRELIMO manoeuvres which at best tolerated and at worst encouraged the growth of such reactionary groups.
These manoeuvres were foiled not by any action by the Communist and Socialist Party representatives in the Government - who preferred office to principle - but by the admirable determination of FRELIMO to reject all compromises.
Understanding clearly what was at stake, the liberation forces took advantage of the capitalist weakness shown by the coup to step up their military and political activities to a new level, In July they opened up a new front in Zambezia province, and at The same time escalated attacks on the main rail communications so that supplies of equipment to the Cabora Hassa dam and of coal from the Moutize mines to Beira were contin wally disrupted.
LESSONS FOR ANGOLA The effect of their political actvity was shown on 21 July when African dockers refused to load Lisbonbound cargo ships with property belonging to whites leaving Mozambique, in response to a FRELIMO call for white residents to remain in the territory and assist its development.
These lessons are especially important when applied to the present situatHONG KONG:
A CASE TO ANSWER The Labour Government got off pretty lightly a couple of months ago Hong Kong to Thieu's prison camps in South Vietnam.
But it may have more difticulty in brushing aside further protests about the situation in this British colony as a result of the publication of a new pamphlet by the Hong Kong Rescarch Project and Spokesman Books - Hong Kong:A Case to Answer. Angola (where the white population is much larger). The Portuguese Goverg ment is playing the same game here as it did in Mozambique but with Angola's mineral wealth together with the oil will be much less willing to concede defeat this time.
Furthermore, it is manoeuvring against an opposition which is deeply divided here are no les than three iberation movements in Angoin, and two of them (the FNLA and UNITA) seem susceptible to some kind of neo-colonialist compromise. The third group, the MPLA, has in the past shown more determination to light for a completely independent, socialist Angola, but it too is now rent with divisions which were only temporarily patched up at its recent congress.
This situation therefore demands the utmost vigilance on the part of the world working class movement, to ensure that the achievement of real independence by the people of Angola is not frustrated by right-wing manoeuvres. Here as elsewhere our slogan must be: SOLIDARITY TILL FINAL VICTORY!
Every page of this pamphlet testfies to the aptness of a recent Ties quick profit is a way of life. Between 1960 and 1967, for instance, the rate of profit rose from an already high 20% to an incredible 35% EXPLOITATION This capitalist paradise depends, of course, on the rutbless exploitation of the Chinese workforce, who have the longest working day and the longest working week in South-Eust Asia if not the world. The Government recently introduced a regulation making four rest days a month compulsory (including Sundays, not in addition to them), but 'many workers signed agrecments with employers to forfeit holidays in order to keep up their income to the minimum necessary to live.
Just in case there might be some 118 refugees to be deported back from Government has taken care to ban all political parties and impose severe restrictions on the trade unions that exist. Moreover, every single member of the two main governing bodies -the Executive Council and the Legis lative Council - is appointed, not clected.
To help maintain this state of affairs the colony disposes of an enormous repressive niachine, Do Comercio.
strike for more than three weeks of fascist sympathies.
moved in to expel them and shut down the building.
Following the military's mere a part on the hest way to demonstrate solidarity 24-Jour national solidarity sunke the following day. Radio and television workers decided to join the solidarity whose relative importance can be judged from the fact that eight Limes as much is spent on the police force as on the social welfare department.
The corruption in the former is notorious - Last Saturday a senior widespread speculation that he had met with total non-cooperution from the local force. As the pamphlet points out: "The force is directly involved in profiting from the inequality and insecurity which the ruling class it serves needs to maintain its high level of capital accumulation and profit several thousand troops) are tellingly outlined:
In 1974, in the territory which, it is officially claimed, has the second highest per capital income in Asia Labour Government elected by the British people is responsible, there is: no minimum wage, no paid maternity Jeave, no sickness benefit, no medical