By Sergio Rodriguez in Mexico City THE USCONGRESS has just rozen aid to Nicaragua, or he pretext that Violeta Chamorro's government hasn't sufficiently 'deSandinised' the state.
Washington's aid to the right wing National Opposition union (unor sovernment has been less than Bush promised. And it is subject to aracoman conditions, meddling In Nicarasud s internat attairs The US demands economic and state reform, the dismantling of the public sector and the eviction of the Sandinistas from positions of power. Up to April 992, Managua received S581m dollars, mainly aimed at stabilising the economy -reducing inflation and deadening the impact of the 'adjustment policy.
Conflict
This has increased pressure on the FSLN, which has formal. ly asked to join the Socialist International (SI). Apart from the discussions around the deteriorating standard of living and the dismantling of the revolution's gains, it is wracked lections and its possible ∞o government' with the so-called civilised' right.
On January the Nicaraguan people learit that General Humberto Ortega commander of the revolution, still head of the army had awarded the Camilo Ortega medal to US Lieutenant Colonel David Quinn.
Outrage erupted immediJuly/Aug, 1992 No. 26 Luis Carrion said in the daily Barricade that it was 'a political mis take...this medal was a historic symbol for a whole generation of Sandinistas...the indigna• tion among the people shows that this was an But he was care. error ful, adding that FLN fighters shouldn't send back their medals.
Ortega retorted that the medal had been given to other foreign military advisers and launched a blistering attack on 'ultraleftism'in the Sandinista ranks.
'Don't be fooled by the radical-sounding words of ultraleft minorities who are trying to manipulate patriotic feelings and national pride to stir up a fanatical confrontation be Nicaraguans and the USA.
"This radical minority are uselessly trying to attract the poor with impossible and desabilising proposals which would only result in worsening their already crushing difficul Behind the scandal over the medal lie other problems -Army (EPS). It has through numerous crises: the sending of missiles by some of its officers to the SalFMLN fighters; the lack of пе.р EPS fighters, leading to the appearance the recompas'; and the accord' confirmed it" us millary orockaac Daniel Ortega - against currents Ortega evidently decided it was opportune to give the medal to an American officer. Quinn is no lowly military attache to the US embassy. He used to direct the US inquiries which tried to prove that the military sid to the FLAVing Sandinistas He discovered the sending of missiles, and tried to get both the Sandinista officers and the Salvadorean fighters prisoned. Hesabotaged an offer of arms sales to Nicaragua from Taiwan. Humberto Ortega wants at the same time to be a member of Chamorro's government and a "The 'centre current' just recognised for redundant reality. The consensus in the Sandinista assembly on calling for a 'national the opposition. And that only happen If the PSLN ceases to be the opposition party and accepts co-government. character shows through in the phrase The best way of stand That was the role of medal. He used a similar method at the first PL congress in 1991, when he refused to go on the national leadership because constitutional problems. But he also explained the FSIN's role in international situation, having lost the government and in a situation of social unrest.
argued that the "tercerista" line of 1979 should ho resurrected, it may be true that the tercerista line was successful in 1979. But 12 later, Chamorro and Lacayo aren't Somoza and Bush isn't Carter.
people aren't lust ants dictatorship, they know what socialism is and they have a certain class consciousness. That's Humberto Ortega remonstrated with workers on strike and appealed for sacrifice in 'the national interest'.
answered by saying that 99.9 per cent of strikes are provoked by workers' Specinc needs ana se are just. But Humberto's line is beginning to bear fruit. press signed by a supposed centre current' composed of middle-ranking Sandinistas, some closely linked to Ortega. They preached the necessity of redefining the FSLN's polítics according to the 'immediate 'national priority: a broad agreement', including the They become the proponents of co-government.
Virulent
The Sandinista leadership's reaction was, at least superticially, virulent. Daniel Ortega's main criticism was that the existence of currents would make the PSLN seem divided. But the substance of the current's positions wasn't attacked.
And the signatories had put their fingers on the problem. The elements of co-government have existed ever since Violeta Chamorro took power:- the agreement on the armed forces and police, the participation I of known Sandinistas in the management of big banks.
The 'centre current just recognised reality. The consensus in the Sandinista assembly on calling for a 'national accord' confirmed it.
A large part of the Latin American left has caught a social democratic fever. The Spanish and French Socialist Parties are the main instigators of the 'new left's' attempt to join the Socialist International.
They are pusning the Mexican Democratic Revolution Party, Colombia'sM-19, the FMLN, Uruguay's Broad Front, the Brazilian and the FLN to become full Si members.
State Department still alarmed that armed forces are under Sandinista control But the case of the Sandinistas is a surprising one. Not only ask to join the SI, but also because of the harsh criticisms of the Si made by Daniel Ortega at the time of the Gulf War. the peoples of the Third World At that time Orte said that had no international organisa- Nuevo Diario. tion to represent them and that the liberal, christian democrat ana socianst internatondis ep resented the North - imperialism.
Authoritarian Suddenly the analysis has changed and the FLN leadership has even gone back to the old authoritarian and antidemocratic methods. The supreme body of commanders look the decision to ask for membership of the Si by itself, without consulting the Sandinista assembly.
Sandinista The arguments employed during the Gulf War were radi. cally changed. The Si was suddenly presented as a 'friend', ignoring the role Felipe Gonzalez and Francois Mitterrand played in the Gulf War, and that administration. of the social democrat governments in Latin America.
But there is worse to come. In Ortega explained that the decision to join the st nad beca deepened. taken by the leadership because no-one opposed it at the SIN congress which is completely The SI is not exactly at the most giorious moment of its history. They lost the elections in Sweden, Germany and Britain - and if there were elections now in France, they'd lose.
In Latin America they were formally beaten in Ecuador and Peru, and will be beaten Venezuela. In Europe the social democrat government par exprobiens cerere - in ine spanish state -has succeeded in raising unemployment to 25 per cent of the active population, passed aim would he to racist legislation and bowed - will be insocia crisis probably would proposal's main government's crisis deepened" International News 'elaborate alternative certain the sembly publicly known, is positive, There is a double aim behind the FSLN's attitude. The rightly judged to be the most serious crisis in its history While inflation and public spending have been controlled, the social cost is enormous.
55 per cent of the active opulation are unemployed -Coast. 300,000 peasants haveno access to credit. which is worsened by the crisis hitting the cotton and coffee industries.
The much-vaunted North American aid has been frozen after reports by the counsellor to Alfredo Cesar, the old President - who is today a partisan of 'hard line' against the FSLN. He maintains that funds were diverted to the EPS and the FSLN.
All or unis is pusnine sne country to the brink of social calastropne. situation puts enormous pres pushes them towards an accord "When the most right wing faction in UNO this took control of the parliamentary group, the FSLN -elections!' development -people or develop Nícaraguan on the Latin executive' knows will be successful. The workers in the towns and countryside, the thousands of un md, the thousands of living.
For the ficult.
told The covern from below' as Ortega enclosing Notes who Nicaragua's threatened eent Kon Er demands, sur 15a their demands, but the This article will appear in the next issue of French Inprecor. It was translated by Patrick Baker No. 26 July/Aug, 1992 Page 7
Winston Silcott