Tuesday, March 17, 2009
EL SALVADOR AND MEXICO
Today is two days after the historical presidential elections of El Salvador. The country has put an end to the twenty-year reign of extreme right-wing, anti-progressive policies of ARENA, and have put in its place Mauricio Funes, technically a political moderate but with the support of the FMLN. Another country in Latin America, like Venezuela and Bolivia, is being governed by a leftist, progressive administration that more accurately represents its people. With the constant vigilance of the FMLN, and the Salvadoran people, Funes needs to do all the things he has said he would (i.e. the completion of the Cuidad Mujer project, creating more jobs, the complete overhauling of the voting system). El Salvador has set an amazing example for all of Latin America, especially Mexico: that people can change their country—it's only a matter of time and tenacity.
Eyvin and I had a great discussion on Mexico's broken political system, and the very real possibility of an armed insurrection taking place—with proper coordination, made up of disciplined and experienced members, lead by credible leaders (i.e. FMLN, Cuba, Nicaragua). It isn't out of the realm of possibility because of Mexico's vast uninhabited terrain and the extreme lack of technological communication between villages. The mountainous regions would be tough but the EZLN has occupied similar regions like that in Chiapas (a Mexican state) since the 1990's. It isn't out of the realm of possibility because of Mexico's inability to put into power a working government that works to better the life of the average Mexican, as oppose to the American corporation and the rich, something that has become so accepted that it is a part of daily Mexican life, like having to illegally travel to another country to find work. People can only go for so long being repressed without there being a violent, abrupt change if there isn't a moderate movement toward something else. Recently the conservative political party PAN won the last two elections, defeating the PRI (a party notorious for political assassinations and corruption that was in power for more than 70 years)—but neither party is pro-country and they do not benefit the integrity and wellness of the average Mexican; they're more corporation-orientated, more interested in U.S. relations than its very own proper sovereignty, more concerned in perpetuating the broken political-economic system. Corruption and fraud are normal. Political assassinations are normal. There is not a person alive that doesn't know about the Mexican police (and some army) taking bribes and being bought by the drug cartels. Businesses pay off elected officials; elected officials pay off the press; the majority of the population makes an average of $5 per day, not an hour, dependent on U.S. remittance and industry.
Mexico is a gunpowder keg that doesn't even know it's a gunpowder keg waiting to go off.
I need to look into the political parties and organizations in Mexico, including the PRD (Revolutionary Democratic), the PT (Workers Party started in my parent's home state of Zacatecas), the PSD (Socialist Democratic) and of course the EZLN (National Zapatista Liberation Army—an organization defending the indigenous people of the country), to see if there exists a credible party to fully support. And if there isn't, I believe armed insurrection to be a viable and necessary means to bring radical change to Mexico.
Our last day at Eyvin's house we turned on the TV to see the news, to check up on the post-election coverage. But there wasn't any. Instead, a majority of the news channels had reports on Britney Spears allegedly being fat, showing a picture of her on a swing with her soft stomach hanging over her waist. Next, they talked about Madonna being too skinny, showing pictures of her thin, tight arms and back. Then afterwards there was a long program about the Salvadoran Civil War which featured an elderly grandmother reminiscing about that time, lamenting the loss of her husband, who was killed by the FMLN guerrillas. All the while soft piano and violin music played in the background.
The majority of the main media is still on the right-wing side of the political spectrum and when they're not denouncing the FMLN, they're talking about empty Hollywood issues, as if saying, simply, the best way to combat something is to ignore it—a page taken directly from our unofficial policy handbook of mass media in the U.S.
Nonetheless, coming back to the States I was still expecting the news stations to have long reports and documentaries on the brief history of El Salvador and the Civil War, albeit probably anti-FMLN but at least giving the country attention. After all, it was historical world news. But there was nothing, nothing on Fox News, MSNBC, CNN nor any of all the regular TV news channels. On the Internet there was slightly more (but mainly personal blogs). Yahoo.com news had a short report about the elections, with no denouncement of the FMLN.
This was nothing short of historical. A first-time presidential victory of a leftist party in the country, a leftist organization that openly states in the first sentence on their website in the history section that the Communist Party of El Salvador played the most important role in the formation of the FMLN.
And it's as if it never happened.
And weeks later, still little is said about El Salvador on the news.
This ends on a somber note but it doesn't change the reality of it, regardless of the lack of world-wide media attention: Mauricio Funes and the FMLN have won the country after several decades of bloodshed and sacrifice; there is now a progressive force in power in El Salvador with the country's people on its agenda; there is now an end to the oppressive extreme right-wing rule of ARENA that has lasted twenty years; there is now change because the people of El Salvador had the courage to stand up and demand it.
I'm forever grateful and honored that I was asked by the FMLN to be an international observer; I've come back heavily tanned and a more optimistic person, incapable of hiding this feeling of invincibility that we were all infected with, with a better developed political ideology and with a new and horrible chain-smoking habit.
Luis Rivas lives in the San Fernando Valley, California. He was a telemarketer, construction worker, assistant drug dealer, flower delivery driver, fast food cashier, sales clerk, package handler/zip code sorter. His work has appeared in the following publications, some of which he contributes to regularly: Zygote in My Coffee, The Hold, My Favorite Bullet, Cherry Bleeds, and Sex and Guts Magazine (R.I.P.).
He dropped out of Los Angeles Valley College where he was studying journalism to work full-time at a porn shop, where he still is.
Luis says: "My parents are from Zacatecas, Mexico. I was born in Los Angeles, California. My mother recently became a U.S. citizen a few years ago and my dad is a legal resident but not a citizen. I involve myself with the UFW (United Farm Workers) and FMLN committees in Southern California, as well as other leftist causes, specifically in Latin America."
Comments (closed)
Tim
2009-05-01 02:40:42
Great article. I feel like I have a much better idea of what is going on down there now.
Carla M G
2009-05-19 09:55:39
Luis, this is Carla, you took me back... back to March 09, San Salvador, Nejapa, Los Planes... everything. We were a part of something so big, something so important, something that we can talk about to our cipotios when were al Rucos. We now permanently tattood ourselves with a beautiful semilla de Izote. Saludos companero :)