Mexico as seen by an accordionist and occasional traveller
Mexico is… Mexico. Everything political is larger than life. In Europe we have demonstrations: last week, as we were there, there was a protest of flower sellers (the government wanted them out of the place where they had been traditionally doing their trade) in a village called San Salvador Atenco that led to two field battles between demonstrator and police. The first one led to the death of a 14-year old boy and 12 policemen being detained by the protesters; for the second one the police brought 3,000 men in and beat up everyone in sight, including sexual humiliations for the women and a lot of fairly obvious lying by the media (see the report on Indymedia). But again, in Europe we would sort of swallow all of these lies, with a sort of we-know-it’s-rubbish-but-it’s-the-only-game-in-town attidude; in Mexico Subcomandante Marcos (who now styles himself “Delegado Cero”) gave the press bullets used on the battle site, that obviously come from policemen’s guns, and therefore disproved the declaration of the police force that thay had gone into Atenco unarmed.
Yes, Mexico has a lot of energy and a lot of potential for positive change… a lot more than us, in fact. But I am quite sad by the division I saw between the EZLN and the political left (the left-wing candidate, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, looks like he might win the presidential elections on 2nd July ). Basically Marcos is saying that there is no difference between presidential candidates. Well, I am not Mexican, but it seems to me there is some kind of difference between Calderon and AMLO. It seems there is a hell of a lot more difference than between Berlusconi and Prodi: Prodi is certainly not a working class candidate. But there is a BIG difference, believe me, between being governed by Berlusconi and being governed by Prodi.
Seen with the eyes of a non-Mexican accordionist and occasional traveller, the Otra campana of the EZLN seems really good because it is trying to change the operating system of politics. But a victory of AMLO in the presidential elections might bring about changes in the right direction even within the existing operating system. He did well as mayor of Mexico City, and a change was obvious to its inhabitants.
And another question: Mexican media are full of Marcos. But what happened to the EZLN Comandancia?
Maggio 12, 2006
Alberto
comment | 2006-05-16 at 12.52 am | individual comment-link
Hi, my name is Ulises Matus and I am from Mexico. I had the fortune to know you in the festival ollin kan tlalpan.
Treating the topic of San Salvador Atenco, there are many things that doesn’t said, for example, those who initiated the conflict it was a group of persons who are professional agitators who came striking the people and even to the policemen. In response the Federal government sending refuersos and they answered with violence. This is not with the intention of defending the actions of the government, in fact I believe that the current government has been an bad government.
It brings over of the subcommander Marcos, I believe that he is a manipulative person. Before, I agreed with what he was saying, but after seeing the actions and attitudes that he has taken, I have changed my way of thinking person brings over of this one. I believe, that Marcos’s appearance in the national panorama, owes to, that exists a dread on the part of the governing classes, from which Andres Manuel comes to the power and takes his privileges from them. And it is, where Marcos enters, being this one a saboteur paid for the corrupt politicians, reducing the votes of Andres Manuel. And it is possible to see, for the actions of Marcos and of the government, for example, Marcos had been kept calm in Chiapas for years, but on the elections times, does his appearance. Then to come to the Capital, the government remove all the military men of the way to Marcos could pass without problem. Besides, to Marcos has been given him spreading with a style very burges and he has appeared in the most popular channels of TV and in the most commercial hours.
comment | 2006-05-16 at 2.27 pm | individual comment-link
Hola Ulises, claro que no conocimos toda la historia. Pero me parece que los dos, el acordeonista de paso y el mexicano verdadero, pensamos que ya hay distancia entre el EZLN y la izquierda de AMLO. Y esto no nos gusta nada.