In Uribe’s Colombia, protest means “terrorism”

While the Colombian government deals with scandal after scandal, in the last few weeks we have witnessed, again, protests from different sectors: the judiciary branch, the sugar cane cutters, and indigenous peoples. But why if Colombia’s the second happiest country on Earth? Why if everything’s so perfect with the "democratic security" policy? Why if, according to terrorist Pablo Escobar’s cousin (José Obdulio Gaviria, turned into presidential adviser or a de facto minister of propaganda), paramilitary death squads no longer exist, FARC are nothing but six separated bands on the verge of collapse, and there is no internal displacement but "migration"? Let’s take a look.

The judiciary branch started a national strike late August. They demanded a 1992 law to be finally honoured. That law enacts the salary and benefit system for Colombia’s government employees, but it has not been completely fulfilled in the case of the judiciary branch. In other words, judiciary employees were demanding fair salaries. Negotiations were hard, but the worst thing is that, after months of smear and intimidation to the Supreme Court of Justice from the government because it is probing alleged links between President Uribe allies and paramilitary death squads, most of the public believed that judiciary employees were striking because "they didn’t want to work", "they earn too much and they want more", "they just want to f**k president Uribe." A series of presidential decrees, intended to partially satisfy judiciary employees demands, was not enough. It could satisfy judges and justices, who have been enjoying previous benefits, but not low-rank employees. On 9 October, president Álvaro Uribe, after a "suggestion" by Colombia’s richest man, declared a state of emergency. Intimidation finally worked, and the judiciary branch union voted to "suspend" the strike 15 October, after 44 days.

Early September sugar cane cutters in Valle del Cauca (southwest) decided to strike, protesting for low salaries and unfair social security conditions. It turns out that the sugar cane cutters, working for around 13 sugar cane mills and ethanol plants grouped at ASOCAÑA, are actually "employed" indirectly through "associated labour cooperatives", "bodies that were designed by the Colombian government in the late 1990s as part of a labour reform so that companies no longer have to pay contributions to social security and other benefits." As a minister cinically said they cannot strike against themselves. Most of the sugar cane mills are owned by tycoon Carlos Ardila Lülle, who also owns pro-Uribe, Fox News-like RCN TV and Radio. The protests, initially peaceful, turned violent when riot police cracked down on sugar cane cutters striking and blocking highways. Some cutters marched in Cali, and a few protestors traveled to Bogotá to explain their demands. The reaction of Uribe was to claim that FARC had infiltrated the strike, which is still going on, despite media blackout.

Finally, indigenous peoples all over the country celebrated the Minga Nacional de Resistencia Indígena, as a commemoration of that it’s known in English-speaking countries as Columbus Day and in Spanish-speaking nations as Día de la raza or, more recently, Día de la Hispanidad. In La María-Piendamó, Cauca (southwestern Colombia), indigenous activists blocked the Pan-American Highway to force the government to sit and talk about their demands (including but not limited to land promised by the government as a compensation for a 1991 massacre).

Riot police and military forces were sent to the area by the government, supposedly to "unblock" the highway. The indigenous claimed government forces killed two persons and wounded around 100. Websites of at least two indigenous organizations were reportedly hacked or blocked. Again, the answer from Uribe was accusing indigenous of being infiltrated and directed by FARC terrorists, despite the very own indigenous leader had received death threats from that group, and even worse, claiming that alleged infiltration was aiming to "kill policemen", despite the fact no one cop had been murdered and at least 2 indigenous had been killed. They also forget that Nasa people created the Indigenous Guard in order to stop abuses from FARC and other armed illegal groups. And that’s not the worst thing. Uribe said there were "political interests" because the protests wanted to screw the Free Trade Agreement with the US approval up. We are talking about the same government which abstained from voting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples last year.

Those living in Colombia can hardly be surprised when Uribe’s government labels as "terrorist" anyone who does not agree with its policies. Supreme Court, opposition congresspeople, indigenous people, NGOs, sugar cane cutters, small social organizations, unionists, activists, community leaders, etc. And in Colombia those "labels" can become your own death, as it recently happened in Curvaradó, Chocó (northwest, somewhat near Panama) with a community leader. Protests started as "peaceful" and turned out "violent", which is a pretext for the government to not to listen their demands. We are talking about a government whose president loves being wiretapped to say such sweet things as "If I see you I’m gonna punch you in your face, bastard," and promoting violence. If FARC terrorists are so over, how come they’re "everywhere", infiltrating "everything"? Why are indigenous people treated as if this was a western movie?

Uribe’s government is more worried about reforming the Constitution again in order to a second re-election to be allowed, than for the problems Colombia is facing (besides FARC, which is a huge one, but not the only one), among them the causes for insurgence groups (such as FARC in their beginnings, more than 40 years ago) to eventually surge. Interior and Social Protection (Labour and Health) ministers are defending from scandals instead of doing their jobs. Agriculture Minister wants to look as Uribe’s clon. Increasingly government officials and ruling coalition legislators face scandals ranging from corruption to links with death squads. It is easier to say "terrorist" or to see them everywhere than dealing with issues. This is the "best administration in Colombian history," leaded by the "Second Libertador," as their fans yell at internet fora, blogs, radio and television shows.

Now the current Colombian government’s priorities are clear. If tycoons, bankers, and upper-class in general feels unsatisfied, Mr Uribe rushes to do whatever they want. If the common people is unsatisfied, Mr Uribe says it must be ‘infiltrated’ or ‘conspiring’ with FARC, despite goverment officials and military keep saying that FARC are almost defeated. In the "second oldest democracy in the Americas," the only protests allowed are the ones endorsed by Mr Uribe and his friends. Everything else "must be" sponsored by terrorists, despite Mr Uribe has said FARC is on the verge of collapse. In this country, only the upper-classes seem to enjoy the modest (compared with most countries in the region) recent economic growth.

If people are protesting, where’s the 84% who, according to the polls, "support" the president? Is the government really dealing with bread-and-butter issues affecting common people, or is only interested in keeping the current administration in office? Why is protest criminalized? Why, if this is a "democracy", anyone who disagrees with Mr Uribe (despite his failures, his scandals, his controversies, and the kind of people surrounding him, involved in huge scandals which in any other country would have oust them), is labelled as "terrorist," or "traitor"? What is this paranoid obsession with FARC if the government claims it’s over and some officials are now talking about ‘post-conflict’? Are we being lied to? Why the mainstream media blackout on indigenous and sugar cane cutters protests? Why don’t they have space there to make their demands so they are known by the public? Is this the kind of country we Colombians want? Is this the "paradise" we are living in, according to the government?

In a democracy, a true one, protest is a right, a constitutional right (in Colombia, articles 37, 38, 56). It should not be an excuse to accuse people of being "terrorist," not to allow real terrorists to perpetrate such acts. Is it really hard for Mr Uribe and his cabinet to listen their demands (most of them fair as we have seen), instead of dodging the issues with (mostly) ungrounded accusations? Is it hard for the government to do its fucking job?

P. S. on violence

I will never ever endorse any kind of violence. Nevertheless, Colombia has been a violent country even before it was known by that name. Unfortunately, violence is part of our culture, and our "personality" as a country. That must change. Some policemen and soldiers have been hurt in the indigenous protests, after they turned violent. The government is demanding the indigenous people to apologize for those hurt people. Still, there have been at least two indigenous killed during the riots, allegedly by policemen and/or soldiers. Will the Ministry of Defence or any military or police official apologize? Why do they use weapons after they claim (as in the following video) they don’t? Who’s shooting who and why?

Fatal error: Call to undefined function eqnx_enlace() in /nfs/c05/h04/mnt/79602/domains/equinoxio.org/html/wp-content/themes/eqnX2008_en/single.php on line 16