> Wasn't there another side to this project, the signing
> on of separate political groups to a joint platform
> for social change? I thought that's what the Mexican
> document represented -- an actual unity movement.
The initial document was signed by 27 people: intellectuals, academics, journalists, a former Catholic bishop, political activists.
I'm sure it started small, as the idea of 1 or 2 people. I don't know what kind of impact it'll have.
Everything is catch-22. How do we get our U.S. manifesto started?
WD wrote:
> How has the Mexican document been received?
I don't know. It'll become clearer in the weeks ahead. As far as the timing of the document, a few things are going on. Just to list a few: (1) the New-Orleans type of flooding that devastated Villahermosa and other areas on the Tabasco-Veracruz; (2) the growing sense that Calderón is politics as usual with more submission to U.S. policies (there's a sort of Plan Mexico as in Plan Colombia in action now and immigration policies are increasingly vetted by the U.S., which fosters the sense of de-nationalization of Mexico; and the economy seems a bit stuck in spite of the nice oil prices -- thanks Chavez and Ahmedinajad!); (3) the failure of the government to reign in corruption and violent crime; (4) the persistence of López Obrador's legit gov't actions (over the weekend, they filled the Zocalo plaza again and had a mass event in the multi-event process they call the National Democratic Convention, AMLO's speech emphasized the defense and reform of PEMEX, the oil company, to prevent its already advanced piecemeal dismantling/privatization); and (5) the growing awareness of what's going on in the rest of Latin America (by temperament, Mexicans are not very warm to Chávez's style, but they are paying attention; IMO regular Mexicans who know about them like Evo and Correa very much).
> Are there any
> particularly good parts that deserve to be translated?
It's not a work of literary art or in airtight logic, but it pushes the right Mexican buttons -- it seems to me. My translation below doesn't quite convey how stylistically plain the document reads in Spanish.
"In the face of this ongoing national emergency, we call all patriotic and national forces to persist in this struggle, which can and must be peaceful and democratic. Conscious of the historical aspiration to build a sovereign and democratic Mexico that enables the full development of the people, in unity and diversity, in their communities, for all and each one of its members. This requires that we promote solidarity and mutual support among all members of our society.
"The self-organization of autonomous communities over the entire country is necessary and urgent -- voluntary communities, with self-identified members who govern themselves democratically to produce, exchange, meet basic needs, acquire food, and provide education, with children, women, the elderly, and men, to defend life, the commons, our public resources, our towns, and our nation, to preserve the environment and strengthen civil and laic spaces, dialog spaces, that unite us in our ideological differences and shared values.
"We respectfully appeal to the existing communities, or whoever may take the initiative in these organizations, to exercise at all times democracy with freedom, as diversity in philosophical and religious beliefs, with individual and collective honesty, with clarity in the administration of collective or public funds and resources, de-commodifying the social services, growing a shared culture and relations for the social interest.
"We respectfully call the communities to avoid abstract or dogmatic arguments about the "best" ways to organize themselves. All experiences of self-organization for emancipatory purposes show that the logic of combination of forces and organizations is most effective when the focus is on advancing the common goals. True to their history, understanding, and experience, movements may choose hierarchical organizations for their self-defense insofar as they prove to be effective. They will be so to the extent the leaders learn to "lead by following" [this is the Zapatista motto] in accordance with the general outlines given by their bases, keeping them informed of their actions, within those outlines. In any case, the need to bring to their bases the necessary changes and allow them the last word in the decisions.
"At the same time, we call for the unity in their diversity of all patriotic and liberating forces. We ask them to reflect on the importance that building alliances, coalitions, fronts, or blocs has in the struggle for national independence and for a new type of socialism -- alliances, coalitions, fronts, or blocs in which the workers and the marginalized peoples, the excluded and discriminated against, have a real and moral weight, as indicated by their presence and participation, and by the decision of the leaders not to betray them once in power, as it has often happened in the past."