Guatemalan A very
coup
= literacy unequal Page 17 mortality the poorest most distribution "the worst rate, one of infant worst health records and the land of Latin rate, the America... Decisive elements in the 'garrison state' uny counter-offensive of 198l-82, measures consisted in milfarsing the villages by forcing all men to enrol in dians of different communities lo destroy the collective sense of solidarity and force them to learn various organisations (ERP. ORPA, Unity (URNG) in Fehruary 1982 landl, despite their defcal in the massive cal and military force to he included The counter insurgency project was designed in 1982 to defeat strategicaly the URNG by military means, by inlemationn isolation and by social meatures to lessen the cxist- ing contradictions, Part of the civil patrols. Numerous villages were destroyed with their inhabitants reset- tled in model villages mixed with In- The US multinationals and banks 500 US companies. They far outweigh Discontent and rovolts are natural given the gross inequalities of the situation, Repression has reached un- believable heights in Guatemala, until the carly 80'r when major blows were inflicted to the guerrilla organisations: The Guatentalan guerrillas are, with their 20-year history, the oldest insur- gent movement on the continent. The FAR and PGT) regrouped in the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Spanish, the only common language. arc often linked to the traditional families and the unny. In 1985, there were 483 branches or subsidiary of US transnationals including 90 of the top have reemerged as a vigorous politi in any solution to the internal crisis. counter-insurgency Insurgency and the national industrial copital. The armed forces have always ladinos clite which started in the last century when coffee became a major dustry and otber agro-exports. They played a much more important role in Guatemala than elsewhere in Central America, because they did not keep to the subordinate role of defending the interests of the ruling class but have developed their cconomic base, with some generals becoming millionaires. The Bank of the Any is the 7th largest in the country. The specific na- ture of the military in the country has prompted some authors to name it "Garrison State' or "Garrison for local consumption and in which strong industry - both controlled by a 8% of Guatemalans control 90% of Tabour intensive, crashed recently due to falling world prices. The private cal instability in the region. Insicad, the profits made have heen sent abroad or lavishly spent by the tiny ruling class. Prices of staple food, however. keep on increasing: maize and beans Three intertwined groups control the country and make huge profits. The oligarchy, the Guatemalan produce, has since moved onto in- generate three-quarters of the - She explained that hunger Guatemala has a strong agro-expon sector (based on coffee, cotton and sugar) to the detriment of production the land. Cotton production, the most sector did not invest much in the last few years with the rocession in the in- dustrial countries and the fearof politi- sonal testimony. 'I...Rigoberta and poverty are another fom of kill- wages are extremely low, a fairly ing in parallel to direct repression. Guatemala Ltd country's foreigu exchange. limited number of families. trebled in 1985 alone. Menchi. SOCIALIST OUTLOOK no 12 February 1989 pared to plants and animals whilst the ranks only third in Latin America for rate and the worst literacy rate of sent some 50 to 70% of the population. Over 60% of the 2 million adults avail- able for work are completely un- employed. In this intensely racist ladinos, the mixed-blood people, dominate socicty. There are 22 Indian communities all over the country, and all speak a different idiom. This can make communication difficult, as Rigoberta Menchú reported in her per- its population are 'extremely poor" Democratic goverment of President surgency project and the culmination class and the army. Since then, ment and repression have been on the Guatemala, the coutry of beautiful ses, is one of the worst to live in. It the quality of life. Between 40 and 55% (depending on the estimates) of and up to 86% live below the poverty line. It has the worst infant mortality Central America, one of the poorest health records and the most unequal land distribution of Latin America. Life expectancy is very low, in par- ticular among the Indians who repro- socicty, pure-blood Indians are com- The capitalist world only talks coups that matter in the political destiny of the oppressed are not Despite its failure, the attempted coup of the 1lth May in Guatemala was significant as it marked a tuming point in the policy of the Christian Cerezo, the failure of its counter-in- of deep divisions inside the ruling Maya ruins and colourful Indian dres about events that suit its ideological purposes or make money. The ongoing massacres of poor peasants or military Last to eat, first to die mobilisations of the popular move worth reporting.
govemment's policies on electricity, opening political space for their par- strongly against it, in particular given the political nature of the agroement which included the legalisation of the CUC (Committee for Peasant Unity) Labour and Popular Action - formed at the end of 1987 as a response to the salanes, prices, human rights viola- tions, the right to organise and the ictim of the land to the peasants) be- cause of the threat of general strike. He signed the union' a demands, hence acknowledging their legitimacy and ticipation. The oligarchy reacted considered a 'violent faction on the beers of the Mountain" is opposed to ported by the agro-exporters involved in coffee and cattle production. For ly subordinated to the military and civil self-defence patrol. They are sup commercialisation industry and dialogue with the URNG, to the agrarian reform, to the retur of the In- temational Red Cross, to the presence of the Soviet and Cuban press cor respondents (who have had to leave since), and wants the dismissal of Gramajo and the maintaining of the them, the govemment should be total- The other faction led by the 'Of- z financing: praised by the US Administration as the "final step in the reestablishment of military because he has never been, In January 1986, for the first time rule, the civilian president, Vinicio Cerezo, took office. The result was democracy'. It was of courso part of their strategy to isolate the "totalitarian' Nicaragua, Rigoberta Menchú said: 'Vinicio Corezo bas kept a space for himself with the and never will be, a threat to the sys- after 32 years of unbroken military Never a threat to the D. system D un
fringes of the law'. The government was also obliged to create conditions for the repatriation of refugees living in Mexico and to support the demand of the GAM (Mutual Support Group) formed on Febuary 8 1982 by the Guerilla Army of the Poor solidated in May 1985 with the formation of the general command Guatemala in a territory of three million inhabitants, equal to al- development of a sole guerilla front operating in the central plains. The Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity (URNG) was (EGP), the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR), the Organisation of the People in Arms (ORPA), and the directorate of the Guatemalan Workers Party (PGT). The unity process was con- of the URNG. In the last six years the URNG has extended its in- surgent activities to eight of the twenty-two departments in most half the entire population. The unity process has allowed the (From Barricada International, 8.9.88) ing ground. They are behind the 11th they show little concem for the potco- tial loss of international aid and legitimacy that this could entail. They believe that 'war is war' and are gain- in the regional conflict and a stance Sandinista govemment as advocated of the appalling human rights record idea of agrarian refor and wanted to tion between different groups of the oligarchy and the military al the time tem. That is why he is the President." Cerezo came to power with a very watered down programme that still in- cluded a policy of 'active neutrality' against the military overthrow of the by Washington. His efforts won him support from the international com- munity after years of isolation because of Guatemala. Cerezo had dropped all restructure the economy using Inter- These measures required some political opening and led to confronta- national Monetary Fund schemes, September "In
Guatemalan Opposition). Originaily the government wantedto use the visil When it was accepted by the RUOG members, it then tried to prevent it. 2 of the 4 delegutes were ar- rested and released the day of their ar- rival. The visit backfied on Cerezo. Li was one of the main reasons for the The coup failed. Cerezo and Gramajo arc still in control. For the moment. Since the coup, the death squads have grown. Al the end of August, more than half a million Guatemalans went on strike as the Then came the visit of the RUOG (United Representation of the for its own aims and publicise it wide- to form a commission ahout the disap Peared, launched a campaign which was to be insurgency". 6,000 troops were sent cial report. According to the URNG, the army suffered some 500 caxualtics in 60 days of confrontation. At the same time, various plots or rumours of coups in the capital prompted several and large military operations had to be suspended because of fears of uprising against the govemment. The guerrillas tend its operation to nearly half the country. The intensification of the armed conflict failed to meet the At the end of 1987 the army tho into the Quiché department. The ex- pedition ended without even an offi moves of troops around the country were able to strike at the army and ex- final battle against May attempted coup. 'the The Esquipulas agreements forced tion, as was requested by Nicaragua to the delight of the US strategists. This was totally rejected hy the oligarchy tionary movement. The group of the Officers of the Mountain" appeared as a major pressure group within the urmy which forced a unilateral break of the talks. Then came a number of defeats in Cerczo's attempts to win in- lemational recognition. Asaresuli, the of the 1987 Peace Plan initiated by President Arias of Costa Rica in an at- tempt to bring peace to the whoic the Guatemalan president to open space for a dialogue with its opposi- which wanted to eradicate the revolu Peace and power CONA VIGUA, Coordinating organisation was formed: Guatemalan 1988 a new Committee it adopted Known as of women Widows. the of
coup! bocause it signalled the end of government bas not honoured its promises, The aims of the Cerezo government have all failed and Cerezo is losing more and more credibility. The URNG is getting stronger. The main problem remains the army. as it has been formany ycar in what some have called Garrison Guatemala. The Guatemalans still talk about 'the the Chrisbian Democrat adventure and a new stage for the revolutionary Maria Astorga SOCIALIST OUTLOOK no 12 February 1989 agreement with the UASP (Unity of army's objoctive. With its demand for a political dialogue, the URNG took the initiative. Defence Minister Gramajo tried to justify this by stating: *The radicals within the army say that dialogue constitutes a political defeat. To my mind, rather, the dialogue is a ratification of the military victory over the URNG. Dialogue is a cuphemism There was no surrender however. In April, President Cerezo signed an Agreements and disagreements we usc to speak of surrender". One sector of the army is led by the Defence Minister Gramajo who calls ses. It is supported by the members of the oligarchy involved in exportation, US aid approved for Guatemala was In 1976 when the US govemment cut military aid to the country, some officers were trained in Taiwan army political centre and others in American pliers of military arms and equipment. This resulted in 2 very different con- for respoct of the institutional proces- centres. Israel became the major sup The bad and the ugly reduced and the 'neutrality" ended. ceptions in counter-insurgency. the people." and unity of are present women, we slogan for struggle of the dignity following in the Page 18 the
noting the high levels of US inter- Salvadoran workers launch UNTS people choose to rise up against a US P the near future, recognises that the FMLN can- not he defeated in not this century. and a possible US Everyone Nor, however, intervention on a can they defeat purely military level. If the is in sight El Salvador The end In 1989 eyes should be turned te El