[ecuador] Preliminary account of the events in Ecuador Date Tue, 18 Jan 2000 11:26:02 -0500 ________________________________________________ A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E http://www.ainfos.ca/ ________________________________________________ 18th January 2000 There are many news from alternative media informing of a revolt in Ecuador. Some of the news came through reliable collectives such as Usurpa but many of them are only available in Spanish. The following is an attempt to summarize relevant facts in English. Please note that the information is at present very fragmentary, that not all the sources are reliable and that the writter of this has not a deep knowledge of Ecuador. Right now everything looks quite confusing with calls to civil desobedience and for a real direct democracy, on one hand, and other calls (from the so-called "National Parliament of the Peoples of Ecuador", see below) asking for a strong State, the collaboration of the Army, the Salvation of the Patria, the unity of the Patria, the set up of a "Governmet for the National Consolidation" and so for. Patria means the country but it has in Spanish an awful, strongly nationalist sense. It is a favorite word of fascists and stalinists; but in South America is essentially everywhere. The social base of the revolt seems to be chiefly the indigenous people through the CONAIE (Confederacion de Nacionalidades Indigenas de Ecuador- Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador). These are the ones calling for the indigenous and popular uprising together with the Coordinadora de Movimientos Sociales. There are also trade unions involved (at least the Union of oil workers of Petroecuador, the state-owned petrol company). The uprising is apparently supported by the catholic church. There is a so-call National Parliament of the Peoples of Ecuador, which is helding sessions since around a week. It claims to be a democratic assembly of grassroots organizations. The chair person seems to be Bishop Luna. It is from this organization from which I hear disgusting claims about the Patria (its Salvation and Unity) and about the need for a strong State. My friend from Ecuador updated me about the economic situation behind the uprising: -a ramplant inflation (100% according to some sources) -the dolarization process. In one year the price of the dollar has increased from 5000 sucres to 25000 sucres. Now the government of president Jamil Mahuad decreted the "dollarization", i.e., the replacement of the sucre by the dollar as the national currency. The decrete needs to be approved by the National Congress (official Parliament). -the basic salary is less than 25 $/month. -there was a decrete to block the bank accounts (something that probably doesn't matter for most of the people, but which could help in movilizing "middle class", if there is any). -there are also plans to start the privatization of the petrol fields and companies (some of them in the Amazonia). I guess the problems must be far more deep and there is a common call against neoliberalism and capitalism in the callings for upheaval. The population of Ecuador is around 40% indian, 40% mixed, 20% white. The power is held by the whites and there is a widespread corruption at all levels. According to my friend the indians are very well organized throughout the country and this is the fifth indian uprising in the last few years. They got what they wanted in the previous four movilizations. But what they really want now? Apparently, the main goals are the resign of President Mahuad, stop to the dollarization process and of the privatization of the oil fields and companies. There are also calls for a real democracy and for a strong decentralized State. Not very revolutionary and libertarian by now, but this could be just the start. My friend thinks there will be a lot of violence, since the military support the president. Concerning the actions, the indians were supposed to enter into Quito, the capital city, during this weekend. Quito was controlled by the military and the police. I heard nothing significant happened yet (but see below, at the end of this post). Other actions planned are the closing of roads (anytime, anywhere) and the seize of public buildings. Some organizations expect up to 1 million peasants participating in the movement. The petrol workers are on strike, they will not pump oil to the pipelines and will support the seizure of oil wells by the indians in the Amazonia. News about the students are confuse: some are on strike, some are claiming against violence. The government has declared the state of emergency. There have been at least three indigenous and/or popular leaders arrested, who will face a military trial. There were also more than one hundred demonstrators arrested in Quito. Most of them were children and old people, who have been liberated now. But there are 27 students and workers from the Universidad Central of Quito who remain in jail. Apparently the region of the Sierra (the mountains) is completely militarized and there are severe controls by the military in the main roads, checking for arms. I have read some news in the web (Diaro HOY, a mainstream newspaper, I guess. http://www.hoy.com.ec/). They talk about fragmentary movilizations with different intensity in different parts of the country. Most of them consist in the closing of roads, particularly the main one, the Panamerican road. In several parts of the country, included Quito (capital city) the military holds an strict control. In Cuenca a bomb destroyed the headquaters of Democracia Popular (the christianodemocrat party, supporter of the government of Mauhad) Nobody has claimed authorship. The party stated they are sure the indians are not responsible for the bombing. Finally, Blanca Chancoso (a leader of the CONAIE)