People Before Profit blog

In France, undocumented workers strike for rights

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 07:34:00 +0000

PARIS — Undocumented workers here have done what was once considered unthinkable. Starting in mid-April, they have organized a series of strikes and work stoppages. In some cases the workers, many of whom are African, even occupied their workplaces.

Many undocumented workers in France come from Algeria, Morocco, Turkey, Tunisia, China, India, Mali, Egypt and Pakistan.

The majority of the strikers decided to join the left-led CGT labor federation (General Confederation of Labor). Solidarity movements to support the actions of the undocumented workers include large parts of the left.

There is wide support for these workers among the general public. Even some business owners express support for legalizing these migrants. Businesses are being pressured by the government to lay off undocumented employees, but at the same time they are confronted with a lack of workers.

These strikes and other actions are new forms of resistance in France to capitalist globalization, neoliberalism (known as free trade in the U.S.) and the repression of workers that follows these economic trends. A key aspect of the current struggle is that these workers constitute an important intersection between the workers of the “North” and the peoples of the “South” that could potentially bring together the workers’ and people’s movements of the two global regions.

In France as in other northern capitalist countries, the economic weight of the undocumented workers is significant. Significant numbers of undocumented workers labor in the construction, hotel, cleaning and delivery services sectors of the economy. They contribute to economic growth as well as to the financing of social programs.

But discrimination against the undocumented is considerable. While they pay for social programs through various taxes, they do not receive any benefits. Employers set up a competition between undocumented and documented workers (whether French- or foreign-born) that result only in lower wages and other benefits for the capitalists. Clandestine networks of labor traffickers are established to provide for the labor needs of the employers.

Repression against these “illegal” workers includes arrest, imprisonment and expulsion from the country.

Since Nicolas Sarkozy’s appointment as interior minister in 2002 and his election in 2007 as president of the republic, a reactionary hardening of immigration policy in France has taken place. The number of undocumented immigrants who are arrested and confined in 24 “administrative retention centers” or 185 “local administrative retention sites” and numerous “transit zones” has increased dramatically over the last few years.

Many are arrested at border crossings, on the roads or in railway stations. But raids and police roundups are also being used. According to the only nongovernmental organization authorized to be present in the detention centers — the interfaith group CIMADE — more than 40,000 are in such centers, up from 25,500 in 2004.

Many immigrant defense groups criticize the criminalization of migrant labor and the unacceptable conditions these workers — men, women and children — are subjected to in these jails. Some of the jailed migrants take desperate action in the detention centers, including hunger strikes, suicides and riots.

There are difficulties and possibilities in this new type of democratic struggle. But the openings for a united coalition for economic and social rights are there, involving everyone from the trade union movement to the youth and students to the homeless, to teachers, fishermen, truck drivers and even police. All these sectors of the population have risen up against some aspect of capitalist globalization and therefore can benefit from unity and solidarity.

African unions urge action on Zimbabwe

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 07:28:00 +0000

Labor unions from southern Africa have called on the regional Southern African Development Community to send peacekeepers to Zimbabwe to ensure presidential elections take place democratically.

A statement from the main labor organizations in eight countries also called on the SADC’s 15 governments to mount “vigilant monitoring” of Zimbabwe’s June 27 runoff vote and to make sure United Nations and other observers can also be on the spot.

“The workers in the region cannot allow the election and the expression of the people of Zimbabwe through the ballot box to be stolen,” said the statement, read at a news conference by Swaziland’s labor federation leader Jan Sithole.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was sending high-ranking envoy Haile Menkerios to Zimbabwe to help the nation with the election.

The statement was issued by leaders of national labor federations representing as many as 15 million workers in southern Africa, who were in Geneva attending the annual conference of the International Labor Organization.

They said the abuse of labor activists’ rights in Zimbabwe has multiplied since the first round of presidential elections March 29.

Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai outpolled President Robert Mugabe in the first round but, according to official results, failed to win the 50 percent plus one vote necessary to avoid a runoff.

The African union leaders charged that many May Day meetings organized by labor unions in Zimbabwe were forbidden or forced to be canceled at the last minute. The president and secretary-general of Zimbabwe’s trade union confederation were recently imprisoned for 10 days and released under bail terms that have prevented them from carrying out their work or traveling, the statement added.

The stance of the worker delegates at the ILO meeting contrasted sharply with that of the political leaders of the Southern African Development Community.

These have preferred to avoid openly criticizing Mugabe and work through the “quiet diplomacy” championed by South Africa’s President Thabo Mbeki.

Lesotho’s Prime Minister Pakalitha Mososili told reporters Zimbabwe’s sovereignty must be respected. Mososili said he understood there was “no way” that the runoff elections could be rigged.

His argument was rejected by Alina Rantsolase of the Congress of South African Trade Unions, COSATU. “The first round was already rigged,” she told the Geneva news conference.

Sithole said the group was also speaking on behalf of the Zimbabwe union leaders who were unable to travel to Geneva because of the bail terms.

Nepal goes from Hindu kingdom to secular democracy

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 07:23:00 +0000

The king of Nepal is no more.

No. He’s not dead. He has been retired.

After the Maoists’ party won the overwhelming majority in Nepal’s Constituent Assembly elections this April, the country’s left and secular forces joined together on May 28 to vote to end the 240-year-old monarchy. They gave the king 15 days to vacate the palace. He is moving to an older palace — a hunting lodge — outside the capital, Katmandu. His stepmother and his stepgrandmother, in their 80s and 90s respectively, have refused to leave and have been allowed to stay on, in small houses in the palace grounds.

Millions of Nepali people live in abject poverty but the deposed king is widely believed to have a fortune invested in tea, tobacco and casinos. That, plus the fact that he seized absolute power and imposed an autocratic, military rule, means most Nepalis are glad he’s gone.

It’s a far fall for the monarch, who by tradition is the earthly form of a Hindu god. So ends the era of a nation ruled as a Hindu state. The next steps for the “new Nepal” are full of struggles and the unknown.

At present, a seven-party coalition is running the country, including the Maoists. But the Maoists may not stay in the present government. A number of disagreements exist between the major political parties: the Maoists (Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist), the Nepali Congress Party and the UML (Communist Party of Nepal — United Marxist Leninist). These disagreements include differences over the stepping down of the current prime minister, who will become Nepal’s first president, and over the disarming of the Maoist militias and their integration into the Nepalese Army.

The CPN-Maoists and the UML both oppose the attempt by Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, a leader of the Congress Party, to become the president. But the two parties disagree on other points, including the Maoists’ use of their militia to attack the UML and other political opponents.

Meanwhile, the Nepali Congress Party has accused India, one of Nepal’s neighbors and a Hindu-majority country of more than 1.1 billion people, of interfering in Nepal’s internal affairs. Left parties in India criticized the apparent power grab by Koirala, a leader of the Nepali Congress Party, but they rejected accusations that they sought to interfere in Nepal.

Indian left leader Sitaram Yechury, from the Communist Party India (Marxist), who played a major role in bringing Nepali Maoists into the democratic mainstream, said “We reiterate our complete solidarity with the people of Nepal to consolidate the process of the democratic republic in the country. We wish the Nepali people and political parties all success in this endeavour.”

However, India’s right-wing Hindu nationalist party, the BJP, which seeks to change the Constitution and make India a Hindu state, slammed the electoral victory by Nepal’s Maoists and the dissolution of the Hindu monarchy as a “negative development for India.”

World notes: June 21, 2008

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 05:29:00 +0000

South Korea: Conservative president confronts outrage

Monitored by 30,000 riot police, a million people demonstrated throughout South Korea on June 10, following weeks of protests against the government’s bowing to Washington’s threats to retract a trade deal if U.S. beef imports are not resumed. They were cut off five years ago because of fears of human illness resulting from BSE, mad cow disease. Protesters called for President Lee Myung-bak’s resignation, six months after the former Hyundai chief’s decisive election.

Lee’s approval ratings are now at 20 percent, due to discontent with neoliberal educational reforms, privatization of public institutions and a proposed cross-country canal project. The president’s cabinet offered to resign. Two labor federations mobilized tens of thousands of demonstrators and were planning an upcoming general strike.

The Hankyoreh news service pointed out that the rallies commemorated the 21st anniversary of the death of student Lee Han-yeol at police hands during pro-democracy demonstrations.

Spain: High fuel costs trigger trucker strike

Almost half of Catalonia’s service stations had no fuel by June 11, day three of a truckers’strike extending across Spain, Portugal and southern France. Truck slowdowns backed up traffic for miles around Bordeaux, Madrid and Barcelona, and at border crossings. In Spain, food stores closed, factory entrances were blocked and 6,000 trucks driven by nonstrikers received police escorts. Dozens of strikers were wounded, 60 arrested and two killed on picket lines.

A report in the UK Guardian says the truckers’ action indicates a new level of planning for multinational strike actions. “We’re taking this up a gear and focusing on the European dimension,” explained French union leader Jérôme Cordier.

Governments responded with early retirement deals and tax relief. Portuguese truckers returned to work on June 12.

Iraq: U.S. occupation treaty still secret

In a letter to the U.S. Congress, an Iraqi parliamentary majority said U.S. troop withdrawal must be part of a treaty presently being negotiated with Washington. The proposed agreement, targeted for completion by July 31, would replace the UN authorization for the U.S. occupation, which expires Dec. 31. A recent AP report, however, doubts that an agreement will be in place before President Bush leaves office.

The Voice of Iraq web site quotes State Department official David Satterfield giving assurances June 10 in Baghdad that there are “no items that require Senate approval.” He claimed that it’s an executive matter and that discussion points will remain secret until “there is agreement upon them.”

Cuba: World Trade Organization hears dissent

Jorge Ferrar, counselor of Cuba’s Permanent Mission in Geneva, took the occasion last week of the World Trade Organization’s ninth “trade policy review” of U.S. compliance with WTO objectives to denounce U.S. economic sanctions against Cuba. He reminded officials that Cuba is denied credit, use of dollars in international trade and access to multilateral financial institutions. Focusing on the “extraterritorial” application of U.S. policies, Ferrar attributed trade losses of $1.3 billion in 2006-2007 to the U.S. economic blockade.

Nevertheless, Washington won high marks from the WTO. Referring to the “openness and transparency”of U.S. trade, a WTO press release applauded continuing U.S. efforts “to reduce barriers to market access and other distorting measures.”

Morocco: Troops rout demonstrators

In the southern Moroccan port city Sidi Ifni, youths and women demonstrating over unemployment and grim economic prospects triggered brutal suppression by 3,000 Moroccan police and soldiers on June 7.

A camp had been set up May 30 blocking truck entrances to the port. Over 4,000 people had assembled before the city hall when the attack came. Homes were entered, belongings stolen, hundreds detained and, according to Reuters, eight killed.

Chile: Pinochet-era censorship persists

Chilean filmmaker Elena Varela was jailed on May 7. Demonstrators this week demanded a fair trial and return of seized material related to Varela’s unfinished documentary depicting the Mapuche people’s struggle to regain land.

The police may hope to use this material in tracking down indigenous militants. Prosecutors identify Varela as the “intellectual author” of robberies allegedly organized by the Movement of the Revolutionary Left, subject of an earlier Varela documentary. “The Chilean state applies an antiterrorist law from the Pinochet regime,” filmmaker Patricio Guzman wrote on piensaChile.com, to bury awareness of “the stealing of lands and bad treatment visited upon the Mapuche since the creation of the Chilean republic” and to throttle resistance to these policies. Four foreign documentarians filming the Mapuche were arrested recently.

World Notes are compiled by W.T. Whitney Jr. (atwhit@roadrunner.com).

Highlights from Cannes Festivals 61st season

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 09:33:00 +0000

Cannes is a term that has come to represent celebrities, new international films, recognition of actors and actresses and, of course, money and power as represented by the outrageous expenditure of capital in that southern French town.

Most U.S. theatergoers who have an interest in Cannes Film Festival events look forward to the designation of the best films and acting performances.

The titles of the awards are in French and are often confusing. But, this year a two-part film has captured the attention of the whole festival and much of the international theater world. “The Argentine” and “The Guerilla” were opened at Cannes and directed by Steven Soderbergh. They are about revolutionary icon Ernesto “Che” Guevara. The comments from U.S. commentators are predictably mixed.

“His brutal role in turning a revolutionary movement into a dictatorship goes virtually unmentioned,” said the New York Times. Leave it to the Times to inject anti-communism into the Cannes. Given the myriad of Times articles against the widening array of Communist and progressive movements in Central and Latin America, this kind of comment is to be expected. But, even with that Cold War caveat, A.O. Scott, leading Times film reviewer, had to give the impression that it was a good film. On the last day of the festival Benicio Del Toro received the best actor award for playing Che Guevara.

British filmmaker Steve McQueen (not to be confused with the American actor of the same name) received the Camera d’Or for best feature film. The film is about the Irish hunger strikers, especially Bobby Sands. It takes place in the early 1980s.

The Palme d’Or was awarded to French filmmaker Laurent Cantet. His film is about life in a French school through the eyes and life of Francios Begaudeau, whose autobiography the film is based on. To complete the picture, Begaudeau plays himself in the film. The movie won best film and the award was given to Begaudeau. The kids who are students at the school and also play themselves in the film were invited on stage. Many said it was a wonderful experience.

Actor Sean Penn chaired the awards committee this year.

At the time of the festival, Soderbergh’s film about Che still did not have a U.S. distributor. That will change soon. The next hill to climb will be for theatergoers to settle down and view a rather long film.

UN backs Puerto Ricos right to self determination

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 08:27:00 +0000

The United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization unanimously approved a resolution June 9 calling on the United States to allow the Puerto Rican people to exercise their right to self-determination and independence.

The UN panel called on President George Bush to release all Puerto Rican political prisoners serving sentences for cases relating to the struggle for independence and those jailed for fighting to get the Navy out of Vieques.

The committee also urged the U.S. to complete the return of occupied land and installations on Vieques and in Ceiba, site of a former Navy base; respect the fundamental human rights to health and economic development of their inhabitants; and expedite and cover the costs of decontaminating the areas previously used in military exercises.

Introducing the text, Cuba’s representative said, while the committee and the General Assembly had been adopting resolutions and decisions reaffirming the inalienable right of the Puerto Rican people to self-determination and independence, the U.S., as colonial power, had tried by all means to consolidate its economic, political and social domination over the “brotherly Latin American and Caribbean country.”

Because of its culture, history, traditions and especially its national identity, Puerto Rico would continue to be a Latin American and Caribbean nation, with its own national identity, he said.

After the committee’s adoption of the text, Cuba’s representative said “The adoption of this resolution today is a tribute to the patriotic spirit of the Puerto Rican people and the tradition of struggle led by their heroes, who are also the heroes of Cuba and all the Americas.”

A number of leaders, including from Puerto Rico and the U.S., gave testimony on the future of Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico Gov. Anibal Acevedo Vila agreed that Puerto Rico had not fulfilled its right to self-determination in 1952 with the establishment of the “Commowealth of Puerto Rico.” He argued for an “expanded Commowealth” status. U.S. legal experts argue such a status is not viable under the U.S. Constitution.

Kenneth McClinton, president of the Puerto Rican Senate, argued that the status of Puerto Rico is an internal matter for the U.S.

Most of the Puerto Ricans giving testimony argued for a process leading to an independent sovereign republic for Puerto Rico and for the implementation of the decolonization UN Resolution 1514.

Ruben Berrios, chairman of the Puerto Rican Independence Party, said “Only the revolutionary government of Cuba and pro independence Puerto Ricans and maybe one or another Latin American country” would testify before the Decolonization Committee but “today those of other ideologies come to speak.”

Berrios noted “The American policies of the past are no longer possible.” He added the U.S. needed a “new policy towards Latin America of recognizing differences but promoting the mutual economic and social interests.” The first step towards a new policy would be recognizing the independence of Puerto Rico as “the clearest proof of a new American policy of respect for Latin America.”

Besides Cuba and Venezuela, who introduced the current resolution, a number of other countries also spoke in favor. These were Ecuador, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Panama, Dominica, Syria, Iran, and St Vincent and the Grenadines. Representatives of the Latin American social-democratic parties also urged a process for Puerto Rican independence as did representatives of the Non-Aligned Movement.

Israeli-Palestinian peace prospects need a miracle

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 08:21:00 +0000

Palestinian negotiator Ahmed Qureia told reporters this month he does not think an Israeli-Palestinian agreement can be reached this year “unless there is a miracle.”

On the eve of a June 2 meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Israel announced plans to build nearly 900 homes in the occupied West Bank around Jerusalem, despite calls to stop settlement expansion.

The 2003 peace “roadmap” agreed on by the Quartet — the U.S., Russia, the United Nations and the European Union — requires a halt to all settlement activity on the occupied land.

The issue has emerged as a key obstacle in the peace talks launched last November at Annapolis, Md.

“If Israel does not halt these activities, it will be difficult to reach the political settlement,” Abbas told a news conference after his talks with Olmert.

Qurei told The New York Times that Israeli and Palestinian negotiators have agreed to start drafting a paper defining their positions. Olmert spokesperson Mark Regev said Israel is still committed to trying to get an agreement on the “core issues” by the end of the year. But Israeli officials have spoken of reaching a “framework” rather than an actual resolution of the fundamental issues. That is not acceptable, Qurei told the Times. “We do not want a framework. We want a comprehensive agreement on all the issues.”

He later said that Israel had presented a proposal for land swaps that would allow Israel to keep 10 percent of the West Bank. The Palestinians rejected this, saying they would not give up more than 2 percent or 3 percent of the already diminished Palestinian territory. Palestinians note that they have previously made enormous concessions with their willingness to accept establishment of a state on less than half the land allotted to them in the 1947 United Nations partition plan.

In a televised speech June 4, Abbas called for talks with Hamas to reestablish Palestinian national unity. The split between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority/PLO has been seen as seriously weakening the prospects for achieving a peace agreement with Israel. A Hamas spokesperson called Abbas’ statement “very positive.”

Meanwhile, Olmert met with President Bush in Washington and pressed him to supply Israel with additional military hardware.

On his return to Israel, June 6, Olmert threatened a major assault on Gaza in response to rocket and mortar attacks that have killed three Israelis recently.

At the same time, despite Israel’s public rejection of talks with Hamas, it is involved in such talks, brokered by Egypt, for a Gaza ceasefire.

Israel has maintained a chokehold on Gaza since Hamas seized power there a year ago, creating what human rights groups say is a humanitarian disaster for Gaza’s population.

Israel is also involved in negotiations with Syria, with Turkey as a go-between, over the possible return of the Golan Heights, which along with the West Bank has been occupied by Israel since 1967.

Olmert is undergoing a corruption investigation at home, and his political coalition is shaky. Prominent rivals are hoping to topple him. Commentators say he is seeking to placate contending domestic political forces. Many question whether he has the political strength to achieve peace agreements.

One of Olmert’s rivals, Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz, said June 5 that Israel would attack Iran if it “continues” a much-disputed nuclear program that Iran insists is for peaceful purposes. Mofaz also rejected returning the Golan Heights to Syria.

Much attention now is focused on what a new U.S. administration might do.

The day after Barack Obama clinched the Democratic nomination, he, Hillary Clinton and John McCain addressed the annual conference of the influential American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

McCain devoted much of his speech to saber-rattling against Iran and dismissing presidential diplomacy. Obama drew a strong contrast with his emphasis on diplomacy, and on an active presidential role in promoting an Israeli-Palestinian settlement. He called on Israel to “refrain from building new settlements.”

Peace advocates generally praised Obama’s remarks, noting his willingness to challenge Israel’s settlements policy before the hawkish AIPAC leadership. But many took issue with his statement that Jerusalem “will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain undivided.” Obama’s somewhat ambiguously worded remark did not address the core Palestinian demand that East Jerusalem must be the capital of a Palestinian state.

The following day, Obama told CNN, “Obviously it’s going to be up to the parties to negotiate a range of these issues.” A spokesperson told the Jerusalem Post that Obama’s position is that Jerusalem “is not going to be divided by barbed wire and checkpoints as it was in 1948-1967.”

James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, notes that the Palestinian position has been that Jerusalem can remain the capital of Israel and remain undivided as long as that does not preclude the Palestinians from also having their capital in a shared city.

suewebb@pww.org

Court gives mixed decision on Cuban Five

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 08:12:00 +0000

Declares no “top secret” info gathered, but upholds convictions

In the complicated case of five Cuban men arrested on various charges of conspiracy almost 10 years ago, an appeals court upheld their convictions June 4, while rescinding some of their harsh sentences.

A three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals annulled life sentences for Antonio Guerrero and Ramon Labinino on grounds that no “top secret information was gathered or transmitted.”

They also threw out the 19-year sentence against Fernando Gonzalez because of his subordinate role in gathering information on Florida-based right-wing paramilitary groups. The groups were notorious for mounting terrorist assaults against Cuba.

However, the court’s decision to uphold the guilty verdicts shows another agenda is at work, according to defense attorneys.

“It is very clear to us attorneys that there is an ideological prejudice in the writing,” attorney Leonard Weinglass said on Cuban television last week, analyzing the June 4 ruling. “The U.S. government is using the justice system to achieve a foreign policy objective,” he said.

Gerardo Hernandez, Fernando González, René González, Ramon Labanino and Antonio Guerrero, also known as the Cuban Five, had monitored violent Florida-based groups in order to protect lives and property from assault. Attacks on Cuba from these groups have been planned and executed with impunity over many decades.

Noting that not all the Cuban men got their sentences changed, Weinglass condemned the court’s failure to modify René González’s 15-year sentence and its dismissal of pleas to remove Hernandez’s two life sentences.

In a statement lauding Judge Phyllis Kravich’s dissent, the National Lawyer’s Guild said the government had failed “to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Hernandez agreed to participate in a conspiracy to shoot down planes.” This is a reference to the murder conspiracy charge against Hernandez stemming from the deaths of four Miami pilots whose planes were attacked by Cuban jets after flying into Cuban airspace in 1996.

Weinglass noted earlier that in Hernandez’s case, the legal argument to reduce his sentence is clear: even though he was charged only with conspiracy, his sentence was the same as for a more severe charge, espionage.

Judge William Pryor wrote the appeals court opinion. His appointment to the appeals bench was originally rejected by the Senate. President Bush then used a temporary recess appointment to install the right-wing judge, and Sen. John McCain engineered Pryor’s final Senate approval in 2005.

In 2005, another appeals court panel accepted defense arguments that prejudice in Miami had invalidated the original convictions. But that ruling was rejected a year later by the full court. This time, the court ruled on remaining questions: insufficient evidence for conspiracy, “sovereign immunity,” skewed sentencing, and several matters relating to due process.

Attorneys for the Cuban Five will ask the three judges on June 24 to reconsider their decision based on errors noted by the lawyers, possibly asking for a full court review. Appeal to the Supreme Court is likely, according to Weinglass. Acceptance of the case would permit review of all defense arguments including venue prejudice, alleged secret arrangements between trial judge and the prosecution, and evidence withheld favoring the defense.

The National Lawyers Guild statement noted, “During the original trial, the Bush administration paid journalists to write unfavorable stories about Cuba. Anti-Cuban extremists tried to intimidate the jurors, and even prospective jurors admitted that they would be afraid to return not-guilty verdicts against the Five.”

In the wake of the appeals court decision, protests have taken place in the United States, Canada, Latin America and Europe. The International Committee for the Freedom of the Five declared, “We are not surprised by the judicial ruling. On the contrary, it reaffirms our need to continue fighting tirelessly to denounce this colossal injustice.”

In a statement, Jitendra Sharma, president of the International Association of Defense Lawyers, called upon “all of its members and others in the legal community to condemn the decision and to take actions seeking the release of these five men.”

Upon hearing the decision, prisoner Gerardo Hernandez promised to “endure as many years as necessary, 30, 40, whatever it takes. As long as one of you is resisting, we will also resist until there is justice.”

From prison in Florida, René González denounced lies and crimes “against the people of Cuba.” He extended “our expressions of optimism, assurances as to our integrity and our sentiments of infinite love” as the “only worthy reply to this meanness.”

atwhit@roadrunner.com

Israeli-Palestinian peace prospects need a miracle

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 00:08:00 +0000

Colombia, land of fear and cover-up

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 10:55:00 +0000

“That’s pure terrorism,” Colombian President Álvaro Uribe said of students at Bogota’s Pedagogical University demonstrating May 30 for university autonomy and against cuts in public funding for education.

Hyperbole in the service of fear and division is now fueling Uribe’s push toward a third term, presently forbidden under Colombia’s constitution. Following the March massacre in Ecuador of guerrillas associated with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the government identified neighboring Ecuador and Venezuela as complicit with the FARC in allegedly promoting “terrorism.”

Then on May 22, Attorney General Mario Iguarán announced plans to investigate 11 public figures — journalists, peace activists, advocates for humanitarian exchange of prisoners and leaders of leftist political parties primed to oppose Uribe’s re-election. “Actually, no one knows what crime they are accusing us of,” said TeleSur correspondent William Parra. “Supposedly there are ‘presumed ties with the FARC.’”

Government insinuations about easy tolerance of terrorism are derived from the Colombian military’s interpretation of material taken from computers seized from the demolished FARC campsite in Ecuador, which was leaked to rightwing press outlets worldwide. Verification sought from Interpol, the international police agency, has been widely discredited.

Others fingered by the rightwing Colombian government, a Washington protégée, include Gloria Inés Ramírez and Wilson Borja of the Alternative Democratic Pole party; Liberal Party Senator Piedad Cordoba, a prominent facilitator of prisoner exchange; journalist Carlos Lozano of the Communist Party’s Voz weekly; Álvaro Leyva, a former presidential candidate; Lázaro Viveros, an advisor to ex-President Andrés Pastrana’s peace campaign; and four foreigners: Ecuadorians María Augusta Calle and Iván Larrea, Amilcar Figueroa of Venezuela, and James Jones, a U.S. academician.

Ironically, on May 2 President Uribe invited Lozano and Leyva to contact FARC leaders in what looked like a try at reviving humanitarian exchange. That was before stories on Uribe’s own paramilitary ties surfaced, along with reports of bribes and paramilitary intimidation to bolster Uribe’s election campaigns in 2002 and 2006. An aroused opposition now warns of a burgeoning “witch hunt” and “smoke screen” aimed at distraction, divisions and fear. “FARC-politics,” they say, has been added to “Para-politics.”

Amilcar Figueroa, Co-President of the Latin American Parliament, points to potentially grave consequences of unbounded hysteria, especially “as President Uribe looks to put Venezuela in the midst of a Colombian internal conflict, to establish supposed ties between our country and the Colombian insurgency.”

Colombian Communist Party General Secretary Jaime Caycedo sees parallels to the situation leading up to that “most terrible political genocide,” his characterization of the massacre of thousands of leftists who in the late 1980s entered electoral politics as part of the Patriotic Alliance.

The naming of parliamentarians Gloria Inés Ramírez and Wilson Borja, survivors of that tragedy, is seen as retaliation for their leadership in pursuing congressional investigations of the para-political scandals. What the government wants, explains Carlos Lozano, another survivor, is to make us ask, “Why bother explaining ourselves once working for peace and humanitarian exchange has been converted into a crime.”

atwhit@ roadrunner.com

A story of greed vs. love

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 08:43:00 +0000

MovieREVIEW

The movie “Before the Rains” could be used as an example to illustrate the main points of Frederick Engels’ “Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State.” Set in 1930s India during the uprising of Indian nationalists, the film shows the effects of capital on love and human relationships. The bottom line is that people who love money, particularly capital, cannot love people.

The main character is an Indian assistant of a British spice trader. The assistant seeks to protect his master, for which he receives meager wages and benefits. He lives in slave-like quarters on a plantation while his master dines on fine cuisine and wine in the main plantation house.

One of the most poignant moments in the film came when the British master asked his assistant if the workers in the village were calm because the complacency of the workers is of utmost importance to the capitalist.

The British master had embarked on a plan to build a road up a mountain in order to harvest the valuable spices of India. He needed the full support of the native Indian tribes to make this happen. The affair, once discovered, results in the destruction of her life. He sends her away to save his reputation and to save her from the wrath of her tribe. She returns, however, and, rather than live as an outcast, kills herself.

The movie clearly illustrates that under capitalism, and particularly imperialism, love takes a distant second place to profits and when love threatens capital accumulation, love becomes expedient.

Buried in the wonderful imagery of the film, which depicts the amazing Indian countryside, was the fact that labor resulted in improvements to the infrastructure of the community. When the imperialists were expelled, the road endured and the people benefited from their labor. The message seems to be that although the people suffer tremendously during capitalist expansion, they gain the tools and resources to unite and overtake their oppressors.

phill1917@comcast.net

Unionists raise funds for earthquake victims

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 07:23:00 +0000

New York — In response to last month’s devastating earthquake in Sichuan, China, Local 23-25 of Unite Here, which represents a large number of Chinese immigrant garment workers here launched fundraising efforts for the victims on May 16 at a joint activity with the hotel workers from Unite Here, Local 6.

Since then, $16,000 has been collected from union members, retirees, and apparel industry employers and donated to the American Red Cross, which is collaborating with the Red Cross in Sichuan and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to provide aid in Sichuan. The fundraising campaign will continue throughout coming weeks.

The locals urge the public to reflect on the devastation that the earthquake has brought to the people of Sichuan and make an effort to help. If you would like to participate, please contact May Chen ator Lana Cheung ator call them at (212) 929-2600 to make a donation.

India decides on historic womens bill

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 06:56:00 +0000

The United Progressive Alliance, the ruling group of parties in India, finally reintroduced in Parliament last month a long delayed and eagerly awaited bill to advance women’s political representation.

Called the Women’s Reservation Bill, the measure would set aside 33 percent of federal and state legislature seats for women.

Although India once had a woman prime minister, Indira Gandhi, currently only 9 percent of legislative seats are held by women.

With all the dividing lines in Indian society, from caste to class to language to religion, gender inequality cuts across all of them.

A welcome feature of the bill is that it provides preference to women from down-trodden communities like the Dalits (formerly known as “untouchables” or low castes).

The bill is currently under study and discussion by a 31-member standing committee on law and justice. Seven of the 31 members are women, including two representatives from the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

The goal of 30 percent women’s representation in legislatures the world over was set at the Beijing Women’s Conference in 1995. But according to the Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, only 19 countries have achieved it so far.

While Latin American countries have progressed, the report notes, India lags far behind.

One bright spot for India is the village committee elections. One million women members occupy elected positions in these committees, called village panchayats.

In 1996, when the first federal government with left participation was elected, the first attempt to introduce this bill was made but it failed due to the entrenched feudal-like mindset among many in the opposition.

But now left parties have been pressuring the United Progressive Alliance government to go ahead with introduction of the bill, despite divisions within the ruling alliance.

When Law Minister H.R. Bhardwaj introduced the bill, vociferous protests erupted among some representatives of rightist political parties, and Bhardwaj had to be virtually escorted by the women legislators in the house.

National elections will be held in early 2009. If this bill becomes law before then, it will provide a tremendous boost for progressive forces in the elections.

If the opposition succeeds in blocking the bill, at least half of humankind will know who obstructs their march forward to equality.

Fourth Fleet threatens peace, democracy in Latin America

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 04:58:00 +0000

Latin American leaders have been critical of the Bush administration plan to reestablish the U.S. Fourth Fleet which will, according to a Department of Defense press release, operate “in the Caribbean, and Central and South America.” The Fourth Fleet, originally established in 1943 during World War II to patrol and protect maritime traffic from the Nazis, was disbanded in 1950. The new Fourth Fleet will become operational on July 1, 2008, with aircraft, aircraft carriers, war ships and submarines.

In his weekly column “Fidel’s Reflections,” the former Cuban president, Fidel Castro, noted that the U.S. Navy has fleets “deployed in the western Atlantic, eastern Pacific, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, eastern Atlantic and western Pacific. All that was lacking was the Fourth Fleet so that it could watch over all the waters of the world.”

Quoting from the Department of Defense press release which said the mission of the fleet was to combat terrorism, drug trafficking and other activities, Castro added, “and to send a message to Venezuela and the rest of the region” which has been electing left-wing governments opposed to U.S. hegemony in the Americas.

The DoD says the reestablishment is also “to demonstrate U.S. commitment to regional partners.” The U.S. biggest military partner in Latin America is Colombia which receives over $750 million in military aid, up from $86.6 million received ten years ago, according to the Center for International Policy’s Colombia Program. The right-wing government of Colombia under the presidency of Álvaro Uribe almost plunged the region into a military conflict when he ordered the invasion of Ecuadorian territory to kill a leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia on a humanitarian prisoner exchange mission. The Bush administration supported the violation of Ecuador’s territory by Colombian forces, and it has been reported that Colombia had technological support from the U.S. base in Manta, Ecuador.

Alejandro Sánchez, an analyst with the think-tank Council on Hemispheric Affairs, agrees with Castro. In a recent interview with the French daily Le Figaro, Sánchez said, “the reestablishment of the Fourth Fleet is more a political than a military move” motivated by the election of “left governments in the region.”

Bolivia’s President Evo Morales and Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez both said in separate interviews that they see the reestablishment of the Fourth Fleet as a new sign of aggression towards their governments, and others, in the region.

Morales has accused the U.S. government of interfering in the internal affairs of Bolivia through its diplomatic cadre and helping to instigate a secessionist attempt by capitalists and landowners in various departments (states). Leaders of various Latin American governments have publicly announced that they support the territorial integrity of Bolivia and would not support secession.

Chávez said that Venezuela is going ahead with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s plan for a South American Defense Council, a military self-defense pact which would exclude the United States.

The Bush administration’s aggressive posture towards Venezuela’s Bolivarian government, including support for the two-day coup of 2002, has moved the Chávez government to buy Russian submarines for its defense. This diverts oil profits the country uses from social needs programs to the military.

Socorro Gomes, president of the World Peace Council, condemned the establishment of the Fourth Fleet. She said this action “poses a severe threat to peace, security and sovereignty to all peoples and nations of Latin America.” She added that the fleet together with military and naval exercises in the region “are part of the United States’ imperialism and war policy.”

jacruz@pww.org