Sixth Declaration of the Selva Lacandona
The latest series of communiques from the Zapatistas, explaining why they went on Red Alert, and their plans for the future.
Originally published in Spanish by the Zapatista Army of National Liberation
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Translated by irlandesa
Zapatista Army of National Liberation.
Mexico.
Sixth Declaration of the Selva Lacandona - Part I
This is our simple word which seeks to touch the hearts of humble and
simple people like ourselves, but people who are also, like
ourselves, dignified and rebel. This is our simple word for
recounting what our path has been and where we are now, in order to
explain how we see the world and our country, in order to say what we
are thinking of doing and how we are thinking of doing it, and in
order to invite other persons to walk with us in something very great
which is called Mexico and something greater which is called the
world. This is our simple word in order to inform all honest and
noble hearts what it is we want in Mexico and the world. This is our
simple word, because it is our idea to call on those who are like us
and to join together with them, everywhere they are living and
struggling.
I - What We Are
We are the zapatistas of the EZLN, although we are also called
"neo-zapatistas." Now, we, the zapatistas of the EZLN, rose up in
arms in January of 1994 because we saw how widespread had become the
evil wrought by the powerful who only humiliated us, stole from us,
imprisoned us and killed us, and no one was saying anything or doing
anything. That is why we said "Ya Basta!," that no longer were we
going to allow them to make us inferior or to treat us worse than
animals. And then we also said we wanted democracy, liberty and
justice for all Mexicans although we were concentrated on the Indian
peoples. Because it so happened that we, the EZLN, were almost all
only indigenous from here in Chiapas, but we did not want to struggle
just for own good, or just for the good of the indigenous of Chiapas,
or just for the good of the Indian peoples of Mexico. We wanted to
fight along with everyone who was humble and simple like ourselves
and who was in great need and who suffered from exploitation and
thievery by the rich and their bad governments here, in our Mexico,
and in other countries in the world.
And then our small history was that we grew tired of exploitation by
the powerful, and then we organized in order to defend ourselves and
to fight for justice. In the beginning there were not many of us,
just a few, going this way and that, talking with and listening to
other people like us. We did that for many years, and we did it in
secret, without making a stir. In other words, we joined forces in
silence. We remained like that for about 10 years, and then we had
grown, and then we were many thousands. We trained ourselves quite
well in politics and weapons, and, suddenly, when the rich were
throwing their New Year's Eve parties, we fell upon their cities and
just took them over. And we left a message to everyone that here we
are, that they have to take notice of us. And then the rich took off
and sent their great armies to do away with us, just like they always
do when the exploited rebel - they order them all to be done away
with. But we were not done away with at all, because we had prepared
ourselves quite well prior to the war, and we made ourselves strong
in our mountains. And there were the armies, looking for us and
throwing their bombs and bullets at us, and then they were making
plans to kill off all the indigenous at one time, because they did
not know who was a zapatista and who was not. And we were running and
fighting, fighting and running, just like our ancestors had done.
Without giving up, without surrendering, without being defeated.
And then the people from the cities went out into the streets and
began shouting for an end to the war. And then we stopped our war,
and we listened to those brothers and sisters from the city who were
telling us to try to reach an arrangement or an accord with the bad
governments, so that the problem could be resolved without a
massacre. And so we paid attention to them, because they were what we
call "the people," or the Mexican people. And so we set aside the
fire and took up the word.
And it so happened that the governments said they would indeed be
well-behaved, and they would engage in dialogue, and they would make
accords, and they would fulfill them. And we said that was good, but
we also thought it was good that we knew those people who went out
into the streets in order to stop the war. Then, while we were
engaging in dialogue with the bad governments, we were also talking
with those persons, and we saw that most of them were humble and
simple people like us, and both, they and we, understood quite well
why we were fighting. And we called those people "civil society"
because most of them did not belong to political parties, rather they
were common, everyday people, like us, simple and humble people.
But it so happened that the bad governments did not want a good
agreement, rather it was just their underhanded way of saying they
were going to talk and to reach accords, while they were preparing
their attacks in order to eliminate us once and for all. And so then
they attacked us several times, but they did not defeat us, because
we resisted quite well, and many people throughout the world
mobilized. And then the bad governments thought that the problem was
that many people saw what was happening with the EZLN, and they
started their plan of acting as if nothing were going on. Meanwhile
they were quick to surround us, they laid siege to us in hopes that,
since our mountains are indeed remote, the people would then forget,
since zapatista lands were so far away. And every so often the bad
governments tested us and tried to deceive us or to attack us, like
in February of 1995 when they threw a huge number of armies at us,
but they did not defeat us. Because, as they said then, we were not
alone, and many people helped us, and we resisted well.
And then the bad governments had to make accords with the EZLN, and
those accords were called the "San Andreas Accords" because the
municipality where those accords were signed was called "San Andreas."
And we were not all alone in those dialogues, speaking with people
from the bad governments. We invited many people and organizations
who were, or are, engaged in the struggle for the Indian peoples of
Mexico, and everyone spoke their word, and everyone reached agreement
as to how we were going to speak with the bad governments. And that
is how that dialogue was, not just the zapatistas on one side and the
governments on the other. Instead, the Indian peoples of Mexico, and
those who supported them, were with the zapatistas. And then the bad
governments said in those accords that they were indeed going to
recognize the rights of the Indian peoples of Mexico, and they were
going to respect their culture, and they were going to make
everything law in the Constitution. But then, once they had signed,
the bad governments acted as if they had forgotten about them, and
many years passed, and the accords were not fulfilled at all. Quite
the opposite, the government attacked the indigenous, in order to
make them back out of the struggle, as they did on December 22, 1997,
the date on which Zedillo ordered the killing of 45 men, women, old
ones and children in the town in Chiapas called ACTEAL. This immense
crime was not so easily forgotten, and it was a demonstration of how
the bad governments color their hearts in order to attack and
assassinate those who rebel against injustices. And, while all of
that was going on, we zapatistas were putting our all into the
fulfillment of the accords and resisting in the mountains of the
Mexican southeast.
And then we began speaking with other Indian peoples of Mexico and
their organizations, and we made an agreement with them that we were
going to struggle together for the same thing, for the recognition of
indigenous rights and culture. Now we were also being helped by many
people from all over the world and by persons who were well respected
and whose word was quite great because they were great intellectuals,
artists and scientists from Mexico and from all over the world. And
we also held international encuentros. In other words, we joined
together to talk with persons from America and from Asia and from
Europe and from Africa and from Oceania, and we learned of their
struggles and their ways, and we said they were "intergalactic"
encuentros, just to be silly and because we had also invited those
from other planets, but it appeared as if they had not come, or
perhaps they did come, but they did not make it clear.
But the bad governments did not keep their word anyway, and then we
made a plan to talk with many Mexicans so they would help us. And
then, first in 1997, we held a march to Mexico City which was called
"of the 1,111" because a compa=F1ero or compa=F1era was going to go from
each zapatista town, but the bad government did not pay any
attention. And then, in 1999, we held a consulta throughout the
country, and there it was seen that the majority were indeed in
agreement with the demands of the Indian peoples, but again the bad
governments did not pay any attention. And then, lastly, in 2001, we
held what was called the "march for indigenous dignity" which had
much support from millions of Mexicans and people from other
countries, and it went to where the deputies and senators were, the
Congress of the Union, in order to demand the recognition of the
Mexican indigenous.
But it happened that no, the politicians from the PRI, the PAN and
the PRD reached an agreement among themselves, and they simply did
not recognize indigenous rights and culture. That was in April of
2001, and the politicians demonstrated quite clearly there that they
had no decency whatsoever, and they were swine who thought only about
making their good money as the bad politicians they were. This must
be remembered, because you will now be seeing that they are going to
say they will indeed recognize indigenous rights, but it is a lie
they are telling so we will vote for them. But they already had their
chance, and they did not keep their word.
And then we saw quite clearly that there was no point to dialogue and
negotiation with the bad governments of Mexico. That it was a waste
of time for us to be talking with the politicians, because neither
their hearts nor their words were honest. They were crooked, and they
told lies that they would keep their word, but they did not. In other
words, on that day, when the politicians from the PRI, PAN and PRD
approved a law that was no good, they killed dialogue once and for
all, and they clearly stated that it did not matter what they had
agreed to and signed, because they did not keep their word. And then
we did not make any contacts with the federal branches. Because we
understood that dialogue and negotiation had failed as a result of
those political parties. We saw that blood did not matter to them,
nor did death, suffering, mobilizations, consultas, efforts, national
and international statements, encuentros, accords, signatures,
commitments. And so the political class not only closed, one more
time, the door to the Indian peoples, they also delivered a mortal
blow to the peaceful resolution - through dialogue and negotiation -
of the war. It can also no longer be believed that the accords will
be fulfilled by someone who comes along with something or other. They
should see that there so that they can learn from experience what
happened to us.
And then we saw all of that, and we wondered in our hearts what we
were going to do.
And the first thing we saw was that our heart was not the same as
before, when we began our struggle. It was larger, because now we had
touched the hearts of many good people. And we also saw that our
heart was more hurt, it was more wounded. And it was not wounded by
the deceits of the bad governments, but because, when we touched the
hearts of others, we also touched their sorrows. It was as if we were
seeing ourselves in a mirror.
II. - Where We Are Now
Then, like the zapatistas we are, we thought that it was not enough
to stop engaging in dialogue with the government, but it was
necessary to continue on ahead in the struggle, in spite of those
lazy parasites of politicians. The EZLN then decided to carry out,
alone and on their side ("unilateral", in other words, because just
one side), the San Andr=E9s Accords regarding indigenous rights and
culture. For 4 years, since the middle of 2001 until the middle of
2005, we have devoted ourselves to this and to other things which we
are going to tell you about.
Fine, we then began encouraging the autonomous rebel zapatista
municipalities - which is how the peoples are organized in order to
govern and to govern themselves - in order to make themselves
stronger. This method of autonomous government was not simply
invented by the EZLN, but rather it comes from several centuries of
indigenous resistance and from the zapatistas' own experience. It is
the self-governance of the communities. In other words, no one from
outside comes to govern, but the peoples themselves decide, among
themselves, who governs and how, and, if they do not obey, they are
removed. If the one who governs does not obey the people, they pursue
them, they are removed from authority, and another comes in.
But then we saw that the Autonomous Municipalities were not level.
There were some that were more advanced and which had more support
from civil society, and others were more neglected. The organization
was lacking to make them more on a par with each other. And we also
saw that the EZLN, with its political-military component, was
involving itself in decisions which belonged to the democratic
authorities, "civilians" as they say. And here the problem is that
the political-military component of the EZLN is not democratic,
because it is an army. And we saw that the military being above, and
the democratic below, was not good, because what is democratic should
not be decided militarily, it should be the reverse: the
democratic-political governing above, and the military obeying below.
Or, perhaps, it would be better with nothing below, just completely
level, without any military, and that is why the zapatistas are
soldiers so that there will not be any soldiers. Fine, what we then
did about this problem was to begin separating the political-military
from the autonomous and democratic aspects of organization in the
zapatista communities. And so, actions and decisions which had
previously been made and taken by the EZLN were being passed, little
by little, to the democratically elected authorities in the villages.
It is easy to say, of course, but it was very difficult in practice,
because many years have passed - first in the preparation for the war
and then the war itself - and the political-military aspects have
become customary. But, regardless, we did so because it is our way to
do what we say, because, if not, why should we go around saying
things if we do not then do them.
That was how the Good Government Juntas were born, in August of 2003,
and, through them, self-learning and the exercise of "govern obeying"
has continued.
From that time and until the middle of 2005, the EZLN leadership has
no longer involved itself in giving orders in civil matters, but it
has accompanied and helped the authorities who are democratically
elected by the peoples. It has also kept watch that the peoples and
national and international civil society are kept well informed
concerning the aid that is received and how it is used. And now we
are passing the work of safeguarding good government to the zapatista
support bases, with temporary positions which are rotated, so that
everyone learns and carries out this work. Because we believe that a
people which does not watch over its leaders is condemned to be
enslaved, and we fought to be free, not to change masters every six
years.
The EZLN, during these 4 years, also handed over to the Good
Government Juntas and the Autonomous Municipalities the aid and
contacts which they had attained throughout Mexico and the world
during these years of war and resistance. The EZLN had also, during
that time, been building economic and political support which allowed
the zapatista communities to make progress with fewer difficulties in
the building of their autonomy and in improving their living
conditions. It is not much, but it is far better than what they had
prior to the beginning of the uprising in January of 1994. If you
look at one of those studies the governments make, you will see that
the only indigenous communities which have improved their living
conditions - whether in health, education, food or housing - were
those which are in zapatista territory, which is what we call where
our villages are. And all of that has been possible because of the
progress made by the zapatista villages and because of the very large
support which has been received from good and noble persons, whom we
call "civil societies," and from their organizations throughout the
world. As if all of these people have made "another world is
possible" a reality, but through actions, not just words.
And the villages have made good progress. Now there are more
compa=F1eros and compa=F1eras who are learning to govern. And - even
though little by little - there are more women going into this work,
but there is still a lack of respect for the compa=F1eras, and they
need to participate more in the work of the struggle. And, also
through the Good Government Juntas, coordination has been improved
between the Autonomous Municipalities and the resolution of problems
with other organizations and with the official authorities. There has
also been much improvement in the projects in the communities, and
the distribution of projects and aid given by civil society from all
over the world has become more level. Health and education have
improved, although there is still a good deal lacking for it to be
what it should be. The same is true for housing and food, and in some
areas there has been much improvement with the problem of land,
because the lands recovered from the finqueros are being distributed.
But there are areas which continue to suffer from a lack of lands to
cultivate. And there has been great improvement in the support from
national and international civil society, because previously everyone
went wherever they wanted, and now the Good Government Juntas are
directing them to where the greatest need exists. And, similarly,
everywhere there are more compa=F1eros and compa=F1eras who are learning
to relate to persons from other parts of Mexico and of the world,.
They are learning to respect and to demand respect. They are learning
that there are many worlds, and that everyone has their place, their
time and their way, and therefore there must be mutual respect
between everyone.
We, the zapatistas of the EZLN, have devoted this time to our primary
force, to the peoples who support us. And the situation has indeed
improved some. No one can say that the zapatista organization and
struggle has been without point, but rather, even if they were to do
away with us completely, our struggle has indeed been of some use.
But it is not just the zapatista villages which have grown - the EZLN
has also grown. Because what has happened during this time is that
new generations have renewed our entire organization. They have added
new strength. The comandantes and comandantas who were in their
maturity at the beginning of the uprising in 1994 now have the wisdom
they gained in the war and in the 12 years of dialogue with thousands
of men and women from throughout the world. The members of the CCRI,
the zapatista political-organizational leadership, is now counseling
and directing the new ones who are entering our struggle, as well as
those who are holding leadership positions. For some time now the
"committees" (which is what we call them) have been preparing an
entire new generation of comandantes and comandantas who, following a
period of instruction and testing, are beginning to learn the work of
organizational leadership and to discharge their duties. And it also
so happens that our insurgents, insurgentas, militants, local and
regional responsables, as well as support bases, who were youngsters
at the beginning of the uprising, are now mature men and women,
combat veterans and natural leaders in their units and communities.
And those who were children in that January of '94 are now young
people who have grown up in the resistance, and they have been
trained in the rebel dignity lifted up by their elders throughout
these 12 years of war. These young people have a political, technical
and cultural training that we who began the zapatista movement did
not have. This youth is now, more and more, sustaining our troops as
well as leadership positions in the organization. And, indeed, all of
us have seen the deceits by the Mexican political class and the
destruction which their actions have caused in our patria. And we
have seen the great injustices and massacres that neoliberal
globalization causes throughout the world. But we will speak to you
of that later.
And so the EZLN has resisted 12 years of war, of military, political,
ideological and economic attacks, of siege, of harassment, of
persecution, and they have not vanquished us. We have not sold out
nor surrendered, and we have made progress. More compa=F1eros from many
places have entered into the struggle so that, instead of making us
weaker after so many years, we have become stronger. Of course there
are problems which can be resolved by more separation of the
political-military from the civil-democratic. But there are things,
the most important ones, such as our demands for which we struggle,
which have not been fully achieved.
To our way of thinking, and what we see in our heart, we have reached
a point where we cannot go any further, and, in addition, it is
possible that we could lose everything we have if we remain as we are
and do nothing more in order to move forward. The hour has come to
take a risk once again and to take a step which is dangerous but
which is worthwhile. Because, perhaps united with other social
sectors who suffer from the same wants as we do, it will be possible
to achieve what we need and what we deserve. A new step forward in
the indigenous struggle is only possible if the indigenous join
together with workers, campesinos, students, teachers, employees?the
workers of the city and the countryside.
(To be continued)
Translation of Part II to come. To read it in Spanish visit www.fzln.org.mx/displayarticle1442.html
From the mountains of the Mexican Southeast.
Clandestine Revolutionary Indigenous Committee - General Command of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation.
Mexico, in the sixth month of the year 2005.
For more information, visit Chiapas Support Committee and Frente Zapatista de Liberación Nacional.
For more background on the Zapatistas and their impact on the global justice movement, check out the 3rd edition of Basta! Land and the Zapatista Rebellion in Chiapas from Food First Books.
The views expressed in this article or recording are those of the author/s and do not necessarily reflect those of Food First/Institute for Food and Development Policy.
