And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: >Date: Thu, 24 Dec 1998 17:41:55 -0600 (CST) >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Chiapas95-english) >Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Subject: En;FZLN Declaration on Acteal Report, Dec 22 > >This message is forwarded to you as a service of Zapatistas Online. > > >From: "NUEVO AMANECER PRESS" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: "NAP ENGLISH-A"<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Date: Thu, 24 Dec 1998 14:42:17 +0000 >Subject: FZLN Declaration >Reply-to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN SPANISH BY THE FZLN-L >TRANSLATED BY LESLIE ANN LOPEZ FOR NUEVO AMANECER PRESS >****************************************************************** > >The Blackest of Zedillo's Government > >Declaration > >The "investigation" into the genocide committed against the indigenous >people of Acteal, Chiapas has added mockery to injury. The Attorney >General (Procurador General de Republica--PGR) and the ensemble of >federal and Chiapan institutions have functioned not to punish those >directly and intellectually responsible for the crime, but to pacify their >American and European associates. > >Every report, every declaration they make, does not seek to satisfy the >Mexican civil society's thirst for justice, but to ease the discomfort of >the governments and the big North American and European Community >investors. Their "White Book" will go down in history as one of the most >obscure acts of justice ever. > >Thus the PGR has played the role of Tartuffe--grand moralizing discourses >which end up trivializing into banality the true reasons for the >massacre--and instead of acting as the public ministry of the nation, by >carrying out a judiciary inquiry, he disguises himself as an >anthropologist or historian, and after a year of "research," he informs >the Nation that the results are the same as those he reported one week >after the massacre: that the problem had nothing to do with a political >plot among local and federal power players, nor with the existence of >paramilitaries, nor with the military siege of the indigenous communities, >but is all about an old inter-family rivalry, which was aggravated by the >"unconstitutional" formation of the autonomous municipality and due to >the existence of the EZLN. > >What's left but to take one more step towards ignominy by saying, "If the >Mexican Army had been present in Acteal on December 22nd, these incidents >would never have occurred." As if the army hadn't been in the region, as >if its presence hadn't damaged and upset the social environment, as if the >arrival of the army hadn't brought alcohol, drugs and prostitution to the >communities. The PGR's world-in-reverse makes the victims the >victimizers, and vice versa. Such is the justice of the Mexican >PRI-State. > >The nation's "lawyer," probably without realizing it himself, has just >completed a supplementary demonstration--for those who had any doubts--of >the existence of a whole, systemic, conspiratorial relationship among the >federal and state powers. The explanation that he offers is a >word-for-word replication of the state government's explanation--repeated >so often by Homero Tovillas Christiani, Uriel Jarquin, Marco Antonio >Bezares, Jorge Gamboa Solis and Cesar Ruiz Ferro (both during and after >the massacre) that it became wearying. > >But if he failed as a lawyer, Mr. Madrazo was a fiasco as an >anthropologist. The problem is not that for thirty years various families >have conflicted over the control of the region, but that, unlike thirty >years ago, the community of the Chenalho' municipality is no longer >willing to be subjugated and exploited by a handful of families >(especially the Arias family), which for more than thirty years has >represented the interests of the Institutional Revolutionary Party--the >same one in which Mr. Ernesto Zedillo, Jorge Madrazo, Cesar Ruiz Ferro and >Albores Guillen are militants. Therefore it is absolutely correct to >indicate that the genocide at Acteal is a State crime and not simply the >act of a small gang out of control. > >The indigenous autonomy promoted by the EZLN is the response to the >federal government's deceitfulness in not respecting the Accords signed at >San Andres. It reflects the will of the communities to put in practice >that which was agreed upon. For the Nation's "lawyer," the origin of the >problem is not the evasive hoax executed by the government he represents, >but the dignified attitude of the indigenous communities. > >If Madrazo wants to be a good historian he should track down the numerous >documents signed by PRI governments which have gone unfulfilled. >Specifically in the case of the indigenous situation, the government has >sought to cheat the global community by signing Agreement 169 of the >International Organization of Labor, which is a commitment to recognize >the rights of original peoples and to establish, within the national State >framework, the right to autonomy. The government has also sought to fool >national civil society, particularly its indigenous sector, by signing the >San Andres Accords which recognized the right to indigenous autonomies and >raised the issue of needing to reform the Constitution in order to pay the >nation's historic debt to those communities. In both cases, the government >has signed with the conviction that it wouldn't comply. A government >which acts in this way loses society's trust and undermines any >possibility for consensus. It presents itself as a belligerant government >which sees a threat in every act of society and which makes coercion its >operating creed. > >The problem in Chiapas (which, as is increasingly evident, is the problem >of all of Mexico) will not be resolved simply with the arrest of a >murderer disguised as a "constitutional" municipal president. Peace with >justice and dignity will take its first big step if that which was signed >at San Andres is respected; if the government withdraws its legal project >in denial of what it signed and if the law developed by the Cocopa is >approved; if the army withdraws from the communities; if the political >prisoners accused of being zapatistas are freed; if the paramilitary >groups are disarmed; if the Follow-up and Verification Commission >functions; if the discussion at Table 2 of the dialogue on Democracy and >Justice is recovered; and if that belligerant philosophy with which a >small group has kidnapped the Mexican State comes to an end. > >A year after Acteal, the PGR's (which is to say, Zedillo's) "White Book" >reveals their deep hatred towards the indigenous communities. That hatred >is no longer just about the zapatistas' attitude towards power but is also >about the fact that the struggle of the indigenous communities of the >Mexican Southeast has catalyzed the worst legitimacy crisis yet among all >institutions of power. Ernesto Zedillo is now more isolated than ever, >surrounded by political advisors who share his hatred of the EZLN, and >thus represent an inverted mirror, in which that bunch of scamming >renegades that seethes through the halls of the Government Ministry gazes >at themselves in annoyance. There has never before existed, not even in >the era of Diaz Ordaz, such a degree of international repudiation of the >Mexican government as there is now. Lacking any other outfit to put on, >Zedillo and Madrazo with their "White Book" are trying to close the >subject of Acteal forever--until the next massacre. > >The problem is that, as in the case of the Tlatelolco massacre, Acteal >cannot be erased. The deep basis of the grudge held by the "nation's >lawyer" against the autonomous municipalities resides in the significance >of the civil and peaceful irruption of Mexican Indians in taking the >governance of their own destinies into their own hands, and its >annunciatory nature--of a kind of previously existing future. > >The road towards the democratic transformation of the country is located >in the struggle for autonomy by diverse social subjects; and the autonomy >over forms of government, especially at the basic unit of political >organization in Mexico, the Municipality, is the ideal location for the >exercise of government from below--that is to say, by the majority. And >the fact that the democratic future of the country has no future if it >does not take as a point of departure the reversal of the form, importance >and decision-making capacity of popular representation: From an >organization based in the omnipresence and omnipotence of the Executive to >one based in community representation via the municipal units and >their autonomy. > >The construction of the autonomous municipalities represents the >development of a human energy that seeks to change the relationships of >domination; is carrying out an adjustment of accounts with years of prior >injustices; and is indicating a path of human solidarity, while opening a >space of rebellion within social conformism and resignation toward >goverment activity (they always promise but they never come through). >Their irruption represents a rebellion against injustice, lies, >intolerance, despotism, a fundamental lack of solidarity. It also >represents the will to make themselves heard, by way of breaking with >previously existing forms and balances. This civil and peaceful irruption >represents one of the greatest and most memorable acts in the history of >our people. > >The massacre at Acteal cannot remain put away in the books of the corrupt >bureaucrats that govern us, of those who have been characterized by their >coverups of narcotraffic and organized crime, of those who have proven >themselves incapable of finding those responsible for recent political >crimes, when it would be so easy to find them just by looking in the >mirror. > >The best way to honor the memory of those who died at Acteal is to >participate actively in the preparations for the Great National >Consultation on March 21, on the Cocopa's law and in general on the role >of Mexican indigenous people in the reconstruction of the nation-state. > >Mexico City, December 22, 1998. > > >___________________________________________________ >NUEVO AMANECER PRESS-N.A.P.To know about us visit: >http://www.nap.cuhm.mx/nap0.htm (spanish) > ******************* >In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107,this material is distributed without profit or >payment to those who have expressed a prior interest. This information is for non-profit research and >education purpuses only. **We encourage you to reproduce this information >but please give credit to the source, translator and publication. thank you.** >General Director:Roger Maldonado-Mexico Director Europe: Darrin Wood-Spain >Advisor and Special Correspondent:Guillermo Michel-Mexico. >NAP Coordination:Susana Saravia >*************[EMAIL PROTECTED]************* > >-- >To unsubscribe from this list send a message containing the words >unsubscribe chiapas95 to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Previous messages >are available from http://www.eco.utexas.edu/faculty/Cleaver/chiapas95.html >or gopher://eco.utexas.edu. > <<<<=-=-=FREE LEONARD PELTIER=-=-=>>>> If you think you are too small to make a difference; try sleeping in a closed room with a mosquito.... African Proverb <<<<=-=http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ =-=>>>> IF it says: "PASS THIS TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW...." 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