[Cispes-update] Saca's Smokescreen Insufficient in Alleviating Economic Crisis

[CISPES National Office]

Saca's Smokescreen Insufficient in Alleviating Economic Crisis

CISPES Update

December 14, 2007

 

[also: check out this recent article in the Nation Magazine about U.S.
support for repression through the anti-terrorism law and the ILEA in El
Salvador: http://www.thenation.com/doc/20071231/enzinna] 

 

In his most recent populist economic push, Salvadoran president Antonio Saca
announced on December 4 a plan of 19 social and economic measures called the
"Alliance for Families".  According to Saca, the plan will help to alleviate
the economic crisis in El Salvador.  The Alliance for Families plan was
approved in the Legislative Assembly on December 7 and will expire in 2009;
Saca did not consult with the various sectors involved and the plan does not
have the means to be financed by the Salvadoran government.

 

Of the 19 measures proposed by Saca, only one would have a moderate benefit
to Salvadoran families. That measure increases the number of deductibles
that a person working in the formal sector can claim on their income tax
form. Another measure includes a reform to extend the expiration date of
pre-paid phone cards by six months.  None of the measures take steps to
alleviate the 6.2% annual inflation rate, lessen the fifth tax imposed on
Salvadorans who have to pay 10 cents more per gallon of gasoline, decrease
the high level of unemployment, or increase the minimum wage in El Salvador
(the lowest minimum wage in all of Latin America at $150 per month).

 

Saca continues to state that these measures are "concrete responses to the
needs of working families"; however the Alliance for Families is viewed
skeptically by the general Salvadoran population, as many believe that it is
simply an attempt to create a positive perception and disguise the failing
government of the ARENA party.  The social movement and the FMLN have
rejected the plan, and even the right-wing PCN has derided the plan as
"simply not enough" to respond to popular discontent related to the economic
crisis. Margarita Cacares, a participate in a recent public poll, stated
that "it's too late to be making promises. Saca has been in power for more
than 3 years and he has done nothing for the population."  Independent
legislator Juan Pablo Duran also said "it's more propaganda than reality, a
virtual help more than real solutions," while Sigfrido Reyes, Communications
Secretary of the FMLN, called Saca's plan an "electoral response given the
drop in his own approval rate and that of his government."  

 

Electoral Reforms Pave Way to Fraud in 2009

 

Also in early December, electoral reforms were hastily approved by ARENA and
its allies the PDC and PCN parties without significant debate or analysis.
The highly controversial reforms are: the elimination of both the seal and
signature that validate each vote; the requirement that a candidate be
affiliated to a political party in order to run (in clear allusion to
Mauricio Funes who has not been historically affiliated to the FMLN); and
the prohibition of citizens changing their addresses one year prior to the
elections. According to Jose Domingo Mendez, the former president of the
Supreme Court of Justice, the elimination of signature and seal on each vote
takes away "transparency in the electoral process," an analysis shared by
the FMLN.

 

The electoral reforms passed with just 47 votes, a simple majority in the
Salvadoran Legislative Assembly, without regard to the recommendations made
by a Legislative Inter-party Commission which recommended that any
modifications to the electoral process be made by a majority 2/3 vote of all
parties in the Assembly. The right is clearly threatened by the FMLN's lead
in recent electoral polls, as ARENA continues to push laws like this
electoral reform which open the path for corruption. The FMLN has stated
that the reforms are "paving the way to a major electoral fraud in 2009." 

 

Funes visits U.S. Following Successful "Open Dialogue" Between FMLN and
Salvadoran Communities in the US

 

FMLN presidential candidate Mauricio Funes will visit the U.S. this week on
the heels of the launching of the FMLN's "Open Social Dialogue" during the
first week of December.  The Dialogue visited several cities in the United
States as part of an initiative to create a government platform with input
from different sectors of the Salvadoran society.  Salvadorans in San
Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington D.C. had the opportunity to
express concerns as immigrants living in the United States and as citizens
of El Salvador. 

 

In Washington D.C. more than 60 people participated in the dialogue, and
their demands ranged from legal advice from Salvadoran consulates and
Embassy to the creation of a bank to send remittances to El Salvador.
Participants expressed discontent with the Salvadoran Embassy saying that
that it should not only provide legal assistance for people reapplying for
TPS (Temporary Protected Status), but also give advice about work permits
and legal residency, and to diminish bureaucracy in the institution. Other
concerns related to the loss of retirement pensions earned in the U.S. when
a Salvadoran immigrant returns to El Salvador, and the need for a
rehabilitation center for Salvadorans deported to El Salvador in order to
reincorporate them into the Salvadoran society.  By participating in the
Open Dialogue, Salvadorans living in the U.S. are included in the party's
creation of a presidential platform.

 

Meanwhile, Funes arrives in New York on December 17 and will visit
Washington D.C. from December 18-19.  Funes and the FMLN are working to
build a broad coalition to defeat ARENA in the all-important legislative,
municipal, and presidential elections of 2009, and during the trip he will
work to build relationships with key members of the U.S. Congress.  He also
plans to meet with a variety of international policy and human rights
organizations to discuss the current political and economic situation in El
Salvador, as well as local business and religious leaders.  Finally, he will
meet with Salvadoran-American organizations in an effort to shore up
relations with Salvadorans living in the U.S., and hold a large public event
in the Salvadoran community (more information at
www.cispes.org/washingtondc.php) 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.people-link.net/pipermail/cispes-update/attachments/20071217/df93e261/attachment.htm