| florian schneider on Wed, 19 Jan 2000 02:05:31 +0100 (CET) |
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| <nettime> no revolution yet in ecuador |
[here is a compilation of some messages from a-info@tao.ca about the mass protests of indigeneous and other social movements in Ecuador. /fls] Information in Spanish is available at an NGO website: "Coordination of latin-american scientists, researchers and marginalized groups for a democratic alternative" <http://conjuntos.es.fortunecity.com/social/6> or the NGO Pulsar (news agency and radio network): <http://www.amarc.org/pulsar> Or through the mainstream Ecuadoran daily newspaper: <http://www.hoy.com.ec/> The economists titles: Ecuador on the Brink: <http://www.economist.com/editorial/freeforall/current/index_am4164.html> _______________________________ 1. Preliminary account of the events in Ecuador (1/18/2000) 2. Resolutions of the People's National Parliament of Ecuador 3. Ecuadoran Government Repression (1/18/2000) 4. Beginnings of an Uprising (1/15/2000) 5. Police teargas Ecuador oil workers, students (Reuters,1/17/2000) _______________________________ (1) From: macamblo@itq.upv.es To: ainfo@tao.ca, a-infos-en@tao.ca Newsgroups: tao.a-infos Subject: (en) Preliminary account of the events in Ecuador 18th January 2000 There are many news from alternative media informing of a revolt in Ecuador. Some of the news came through reliable collectives such as Usurpa (usurpa@sindominio.net) but many of them are only available in Spanish. The following is an attempt to summarize relevant facts in English. Please note that the information is at present very fragmentary, that not all the sources are reliable and that the writter of this has not a deep knowledge of Ecuador. Right now everything looks quite confusing with calls to civil desobedience and for a real direct democracy, on one hand, and other calls (from the so-called "National Parliament of the Peoples of Ecuador", see below) asking for a strong State, the collaboration of the Army, the Salvation of the Patria, the unity of the Patria, the set up of a "Governmet for the National Consolidation" and so for. Patria means the country but it has in Spanish an awful, strongly nationalist sense. It is a favorite word of fascists and stalinists; but in South America is essentially everywhere. The social base of the revolt seems to be chiefly the indigenous people through the CONAIE (Confederacion de Nacionalidades Indigenas de Ecuador- Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador). These are the ones calling for the indigenous and popular uprising together with the Coordinadora de Movimientos Sociales. There are also trade unions involved (at least the Union of oil workers of Petroecuador, the state-owned petrol company). The uprising is apparently supported by the catholic church. There is a so-call National Parliament of the Peoples of Ecuador, which is helding sessions since around a week. It claims to be a democratic assembly of grassroots organizations. The chair person seems to be Bishop Luna. It is from this organization from which I hear disgusting claims about the Patria (its Salvation and Unity) and about the need for a strong State. My friend from Ecuador updated me about the economic situation behind the uprising: -a ramplant inflation (100% according to some sources) -the dolarization process. In one year the price of the dollar has increased from 5000 sucres to 25000 sucres. Now the government of president Jamil Mahuad decreted the "dollarization", i.e., the replacement of the sucre by the dollar as the national currency. The decrete needs to be approved by the National Congress (official Parliament). -the basic salary is less than 25 $/month. -there was a decrete to block the bank accounts (something that probably doesn't matter for most of the people, but which could help in movilizing "middle class", if there is any). -there are also plans to start the privatization of the petrol fields and companies (some of them in the Amazonia). I guess the problems must be far more deep and there is a common call against neoliberalism and capitalism in the callings for upheaval. The population of Ecuador is around 40% indian, 40% mixed, 20% white. The power is held by the whites and there is a widespread corruption at all levels. According to my friend the indians are very well organized throughout the country and this is the fifth indian uprising in the last few years. They got what they wanted in the previous four movilizations. But what they really want now? Apparently, the main goals are the resign of President Mahuad, stop to the dollarization process and of the privatization of the oil fields and companies. There are also calls for a real democracy and for a strong decentralized State. Not very revolutionary and libertarian by now, but this could be just the start. My friend thinks there will be a lot of violence, since the military support the president. Concerning the actions, the indians were supposed to enter into Quito, the capital city, during this weekend. Quito was controlled by the military and the police. I heard nothing significant happened yet (but see below, at the end of this post). Other actions planned are the closing of roads (anytime, anywhere) and the seize of public buildings. Some organizations expect up to 1 million peasants participating in the movement. The petrol workers are on strike, they will not pump oil to the pipelines and will support the seizure of oil wells by the indians in the Amazonia. News about the students are confuse: some are on strike, some are claiming against violence. The government has declared the state of emergency. There have been at least three indigenous and/or popular leaders arrested, who will face a military trial. There were also more than one hundred demonstrators arrested in Quito. Most of them were children and old people, who have been liberated now. But there are 27 students and workers from the Universidad Central of Quito who remain in jail. Apparently the region of the Sierra (the mountains) is completely militarized and there are severe controls by the military in the main roads, checking for arms. I have read some news in the web (Diaro HOY, a mainstream newspaper, I guess. http://www.hoy.com.ec/). They talk about fragmentary movilizations with different intensity in different parts of the country. Most of them consist in the closing of roads, particularly the main one, the Panamerican road. In several parts of the country, included Quito (capital city) the military holds an strict control. In Cuenca a bomb destroyed the headquaters of Democracia Popular (the christianodemocrat party, supporter of the government of Mauhad) Nobody has claimed authorship. The party stated they are sure the indians are not responsible for the bombing. Finally, Blanca Chancoso (a leader of the CONAIE) have called the three indigenous representatives in the National Congress to leave this institution, given that the alternative National Parliament of the Peoples of Ecuador has denied authority to the "three powers" of the State. One of the indigenous representatives answered that now they should stay in the official Congress as representatives of the indians until the situation changes. Blanca also pointed to the singular character of this uprising which, in contrast to the previous ones, will be gradually increasing in intensity. According to her organization there has been a significant movement of indians to Quito, where they will contact other social organizations. However, the strict control by the military may prevent a larger success: yesterday around 11 am the march of 400 indians coming from Chimborazo (180Km south of Quito) was not allowed to proceed to the capital city. There are informations of a severe repression there. (see http://www.amarc.org/pulsar/). All in all, I think we must keep alert about it since I doubt we will heard much on it from the mainstream media. Even with its contradictions (which maybe are the result of different faces inside the movement) this appear to be important news. ________________________ (2) --- Forwarded Message from "el desaparecido" <desaparecido@gmx.de> --- >Subject: (en) [ecuador] resolutions of the peoples' national parliament Resolutions of the People's National Parliament of Ecuador 1. To install the People's Parliament of Ecuador as a request for democracy and plurinational representation, legitimate and sovereign: the People's Parliament of Ecuador is a permanent organ of decision and resolution. It assumes the preparation of transition to the NEW GOVERNMENT. 2. This Parliament does not recognize the set of measures announced by Jamil Mahuad and calls for civil disobedience and the raising up of the people until succeeding in the revocation of the President and his Government, National Congress, Supreme Court of Justice and the Organisms of Control and the establishment of a government of the people. 3. The People's National Parliament of Ecuador assumes as a mandate the preparation of the Alternative Program of Government, for which they summon to strengthen the work of the provincial and district Parliaments. 4. The Parliamentarians of Ecuador's people, in representation of the 22 provinces of the country and of the discussed proposals at the district and provincial level, ratify the necessity of a total change of the neoliberal model for a fair, responsible, environmentally sustainable economy, that recognizes plurinationality and cultural diversity, productive and democratic, directed towards human development. 5. The people of Ecuador, represented in this National Parliament, resolve to practice and develop democracy, real, with true participation and directed towards a political model, under the principles of AMA KILLA, AMA LLULLA, AMA SHUA. 6. The People's Parliament at the provincial, district level, of the people and nationalities of Ecuador and the People's National Parliament of Ecuador, will function in a permanent manner in the whole country, and will be the organ of political-democratic representation and resolution of the MANDATE of the people. 7. The people of Ecuador call on the Armed Forces to respect and support the actions and decisions of the provincial indigenous-popular Parliaments and of the People's National Parliament of Ecuador, for being a legitimate expression and the Constitutional Sovereign Power of the People. Given and signed in Quito, capital of the Republic of Ecuador, in the session of the People's National Parliament of Ecuador, January 11, 2000. Mns. Alberto Luna Tobar. S. President Antonio Vargas Vice President Napoleon Saltos Secretary Manuel Castro Pro-secretary ################ (3) Ecuadoran Government Repression --- Forwarded Message from "el desaparecido" <desaparecido@gmx.de> --- >Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 03:04:36 +0100 >Subject: [ecuador] Day of Uprising 17.1 PGA Action at WTO Seattle - http://members.aol.com/pgacaravan spanish original : www.amarc.org/pulsar Information for Latin America via Internet _________________________________________________ Ecuador: In a day of indigenous uprising, popular leaders and unionists are oppressed by security forces. By Marlon Carrión C. _________________________________________________ QUITO, Ecuador. - In response to the uprising of the indigenous people of Ecuador, the government put into practice a National State of Emergency, which had been in fact declared several days ago. In the early morning hours three union and popular leaders were arrested by masked policemen. The detentions were effected by members of public security who forcibly broke into the houses of Luis Villacís, Ciro Guzmán y José Chávez. Doors and windows were smashed. The detainees say and their families say that the arms-brandishing agents hit them and threatened them with death. Since there is a State of Emergency, the detainees will be taken before a military tribunal instead of a civil court. They are being held on charges of endangering the internal security of the State. For its part, the Conference of Indigenous Nations of Ecuador said that its vice-president, Ricardo Ulcuango, had to be removed to an unknown location after having escaped government agents who had captured him. The same sort of situation is occuring with the leaders of the Coordinator of Social Movements, which in conjunction with the Conaie declared the popular and indigenous uprising for the overthrow of President Jamil Mahaud. Monsignor Albertos Luna Tobar, President of the National Parliament of the People of Ecuador, protested and rejected the actions of the police and the military in detaining the union leaders. Other political leaders have made similar protests. The Popular Parliament is a democratic forum composed of indigenous natives, farmers and city people, that rejects the economic politics of Mahaud. The Popular Parliament has called for civil disobedience. Repression by state security forces against the demonstrators is taking shape. The mountainous region of Ecuador, with its high indigenous population, is totally militarized, and clashes between indigenous people and the military have taken place, but the Ecuadoran press has suppressed the information. The Conaie and the other social movements asks that the international community maintains vigilance over the repression ordered by President Jamil Mahaud and carried out by the National Police and the military. ############## (4) --- Forwarded Message from "el desaparecido" <desaparecido@gmx.de> --- >Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 03:02:19 +0100 >Subject: (en) [ecuador] beginnning of popular indigenous uprising 15.1 PGA Action at WTO Seattle - http://members.aol.com/pgacaravan National Parliament of the Peoples of Ecuador Quito, January 15, 2000 PRESS BULLETIN Mahuad must leave office in order to prevent a social convulsion BEGINING OF POPULAR-INDIGENOUS UPRISING The popular-indigenous uprising called by the National Parliament of the Peoples of Ecuador against the "dollarization," coruption, privitization, and the empoverishing of the country started at 0 hour today with the closing of roads in several provinces and the mobilization of thousands of indigenous people on an encounter with the peoples of Ecuador in Quito; Antonio Vargas, Parliament Presiden, insisted thet the only maner in to avoid a social convulsion is if Mahuad and his government give way to the desires of the peoples of Ecuador. While Mahuad reads his testament before a corrupt Parliament, of hunger, "dollarization," speculation and privitization, we the peoples of Ecuador have convened ourselves in this Parliament of solidarity, of many-nationalities, of a new Ecuador, democratic, economically productiveand with millenary ethical principles, that is the difference between our proposal and that of the the corrupt politicians, pointed out Vargas. On his part, Napoleón Saltos, spokesperson for the Coordinator of Social Movements (Coordinadora de Movimientos Sociales), emphasized the democratic character of this proposal and states being sure that men and women will join this movement for a new Ecuador, and with more reason when the cost of food products has increased about 60% to 80% in price as consequence of the "dollarization," consequences which will be intolerable when the price of gas and food products become unfrozen. At the same time, he gave thanks to the Eclesiastical Community of the Religous (Comunidad Eclesiástica de Religiosos), whom in an unpublished event, manifested their total support with the peoples of Ecuador in this sovereign search for a just and democratic future. On their part, the oil workers iniciated their actions of protest with the paralization of La Libertad Refinery (Refinería La Libertad) and anounced that by January 17th it will add the rest of the areas of the oil-industry, progresively, until reaching a total halt. The CONFENIAE ( Confederación de Nacionalidades Indígenas de la Amazonía Ecuatoriana), the Confederacy for the Indigenous Nations of the Ecuadorian Amazons, the Amazon Defense Front and the oil workers declared that this decisions is undeclinable for no privitization of the oil and for the life of the Amazon. As part of the general uprising, major and smalll markets will close their doors next Monday Januray 17th. The Farmworker Social Health Centers (Seguro Social Campesino) on its behalf has already initiated measures in Manabí, Carchi and other provinces. Neighborhoods, communities, health workers, public and industry works electritians, students, christian communities and universities are ready to initiate marches all over the country, under the proposal convoked by the National Parliament of the Peoples of Ecuador . On Monday January 17th, in the presence of Monsigneur Alberto Luna Tobar, the amplified Parlament will be instated, while the Permanent Comission (Comisión Permanente) has remained in session without a rest since Tuesday January 11th, the day of its instalation. The aproved decrees refer to: state deragoutory for emergency; civil disobidience against the "dollarization"; judicial and civil indictments against Jamil Mahuad for treason; a total fight against corruption, who's power is delegated to the provincial parliaments and the National Parliament of the Peoples of Ecuador. ############## (5) --- Forwarded Message from "el desaparecido" <desaparecido@gmx.de> --- >Subject: [ecuador] (en) Police teargas Ecuador oil workers, students PGA Action at WTO Seattle - http://members.aol.com/pgacaravan Police teargas Ecuador oil workers, students By Carlos A. DeJuana QUITO, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Ecuadorean police teargassed about 700 oil workers and students on Monday who were protesting President Jamil Mahuad's economic reforms, including plans to use the U.S. dollar for all large transactions. Police fired dozens of rounds of tear gas as the protesters marched toward the government palace, scattering the students and workers up side streets and into a nearby park. Just a few blocks away, Mahuad met with international advisers to discuss his plan to adopt the U.S. dollar as the Andean country's currency. He is hoping the shock measure will lead Ecuador out of its worst economic crisis in decades. The police are part of the 30,000 government forces who have been guarding Ecuador's highways, city streets and key government buildings since Friday for fear of protests by oil workers and indigenous groups demanding Mahuad's ouster. Oil workers went on strike on Monday morning to press for Mahuad's resignation and for better terms for state-owned Petroecuador, the country's largest source of revenue. Unions allege his government has been using oil revenues to finance bad economic policies rather than reinvesting in the industry. Highland Indian groups have vowed to block roads and eventually march on Quito to paralyse the capital by midweek unless Mahuad, Congress and the Supreme Court step down. But life proceeded at an almost normal pace on Monday in this nation of 12.4 million, with almost all main roads open and only small incidents reported in Ecuador's provinces. ``Truck drivers tell us that some secondary roads are blocked in part, but the main highways are open,'' said Luis Tipon, a Quito fruit and vegetable wholesaler. In the city of Cuenca, a small bomb was set off at about 3 a.m. (0800 GMT) on Monday at the door of the headquarters of Mahuad's Popular Democracy party, but damage was minimal and no injuries were reported, police said. In Guayaquil, Ecuador's main business city, union workers and small businessmen marched against Mahuad's dollar proposal and threw tomatoes at onlookers who refused to join them. But the protests failed to paralyse the country as the indigenous groups have promised. Indigenous groups, helped by transport workers, paralysed Quito for nearly two weeks last July after Mahuad proposed higher gasoline prices. Analysts say Mahuad's ``dollarization'' plan announced on Jan. 9 may have gained him the upper hand. Under the move, the dollar would be used for all large transactions. The beleaguered sucre, which has fallen to 25,000 sucres to the dollar from 7,000 a year ago, would be used only for small purchases. Mahuad, a Harvard-trained lawyer, says the move will slash inflation and boost investment for a country the size of Italy but whose economic output nearly equals its foreign debt load. Mahuad has had a tough 17 months in office as Ecuador's economy sank into crisis because of bad weather, poor export prices, international financial turmoil and a banking crisis. The economy shrank 7.5 percent in 1999. But although recent polls show Mahuad's popularity has rebounded from a low prior to his announcement, the 50-year-old leader must convince Ecuador's impoverished population that a dollar economy will improve their lives. ``We're all going to protest against Mahuad,'' said Maria Sepeda, an Indian woman working in Quito's market. ``I don't known when, but we're going to go out on the streets.'' # distributed via <nettime>: no commercial use without permission # <nettime> is a moderated mailing list for net criticism, # collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets # more info: majordomo@bbs.thing.net and "info nettime-l" in the msg body # archive: http://www.nettime.org contact: nettime@bbs.thing.net