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NEWS & LETTERS, March 2003
Argentine masses: 'All politicians, out!'The man the Argentinian masses have accused of destroying their economy while he was president during the 1990s, Carlos Menem, plans to win the next presidential elections, scheduled for April 27. He has declared from his safe haven in Miami that the solution to the country’s ongoing revolts of PIQUETEROS, occupied factories, and neighborhood assemblies, is to “saturate” the streets with the military. Menem will have a tough time achieving his goal. The currently ruling Partido Justicilista is deeply divided over who should stand as their candidate. More importantly, the mass movement that arose Dec. 20, 2001, which continues to identify itself (in part) through the slogan “que se vayan todos” (all politicians out) considers Menem’s plans a slap in the face. Whether Menem ends up as the PJ candidate or they find someone else, it’s clear that the bourgeoisie has grown desperate for a way to put an end to the protests. Unfortunately, the mass movement has gotten no nearer to proposing an alternative to PJ rule. The third national meeting of neighborhood assemblies that met on Feb. 1 only attracted 150 people. There are still about 100 factories that are under workers’ control, but these too seem to be on the defensive. Workers at the Brukman plant, for example, were ousted by the police in November, re-occupied it in December, and are bracing for more of the same. Their predicament is revealed by their formal proposal, issued to the government in early February, demanding “statification under workers’ control.” There is no explanation how they will retain control if the current State becomes the owners. The Bush Administration, for its part, has appointed a
new ambassador to Argentina, the Cuban-born rightist Lino Gutierrez. The choice
of Gutierrrez as well as the timing leaves no doubt as to U.S. intentions, given
his ties to the conservative Cubans in Miami who played an important role in the
Menem government. He intervened in the Nicaraguan electoral process in late 2001
when Bush was desperate to ensure that former Sandinista president Ortega not
win. --Mitch Weerth |
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