ABSTRACT
This chapter examines some of the concrete characteristics with respect to the post-colonial authoritarian state’s treatment of labor, the ‘civil rebellion’ it generates against its measures, and the lengths to which it goes to legitimize itself. The main argument is that the post-colonial authoritarian state cannot function unless it brings under its subordination the organizations of civil society including those of the working class and the country’s constitution. The doctrine of ‘party paramountcy’ had nothing to do with building ‘socialism,’ it was purely a device of authoritarian party control of the government, military and judiciary. The nature of the post-colonial authoritarian state is further exposed by the discussion on how it coerced the workers and their children to do forced labor. Retrenchment in the 1970s and early 1980s posed a grave threat to job security. The state had over-expanded employment in the public sector, and it blamed workers for the economic crisis.
