Thursday, 20 August 2015 00:09
Ten days of torches marches have been carried out in Tegucigalpa and so have in other cities. The toiling masses are still determined to struggle against corruption, impunity, to oust the General and Deputy Prosecutor; they also demanded the departure of the president Juan Orlando Hernández (JOH) from the presidential chair.
Thousands of Hondurans are mobilised and make great sacrifices to take part in this struggle, such as is the case of those on hunger strikes outside the presidential house or at the Park of San Pedro Sula. And yet, no matter how heroic these activities may be, the president does not look very concerned. The contrary seems true, for his demagogy and manipulations seem to be aimed at avoiding the crisis from getting any deeper even if the whole world will admit the rottenness of his administration since he was the Speaker of the National Congress.
At present, we should add another element apart from his demagogy to understand his movements: the strategic political errors committed by the Outraged Opposition.
For example their confidence in imperialism, an eternal ally of JOH, the anti-democratic secretiveness that surrounds all their decisions, which makes them act as if they were the owners of a patent. The retreat in demanding JOH’s resignation, replacing it for the demand of a UN-backed International Commission Against Impunity in Honduras (CICIH) – which, even if achieved, would not radically solve the problems of the bourgeoisie who at first imposed JOH and now sustain him in office. This is not really surprising as the leadership of the Indignant Opposition – in the best of the cases – will not go any further than reforms that would only strengthen capitalism, which is naturally corrupt.
Taking all this into consideration, the Socialist Workers Party (PST) have been posing the need of involving workers’ organisations and particularly those that have been in the lead of the process of the struggles.
We have also proposed that a National Strike should be organised in the broadest democratic manner. The integration of all the sectors should be carried out based on the agreement on a minimum programme recovering the demand of the resignation of JOH as its central axis. We are convinced that only actions coordinated on a national level, aimed against the bourgeois profit may press the government and cause its removal. That is why at present a National Strike is the only solution that may be favourable for the toiling masses. If we do not advance towards the National Strike, the administration will be able to get over the crisis and apply the strategy of social pacification and postpone any real solution in the country, as if “nothing would have happened here”.
 “Outraged Boards”: new organisational initiatives      
The hesitations of the leaderships of the Indignant Opposition and the lack of workers’ organisations are driving the creation of new organisations, such as the Outraged Boards though their effectiveness has yet to be tested. If the results of these Boards are in any correspondence with the needs of the movement, if it is possible to impress the principles of internal democracy, political independence and the broadest unity with sectors that have a tradition in the struggle, not only in words but also in deeds, just as the CNRP did in the previous decade with the “12 points,” we can welcome the Boards as a space where struggles can be boosted.
Experience has taught us that any organisation only work when they are based on basic agreements determining why do you fight and how, subjecting the agenda of each organisation to the collective action. That is why the PST proposes that at the Foundation Assembly of the National Outraged Board the programme and the plan of struggles should be defended in the first place. We propose a progressive containing growing actions that finally challenge the government.
That is why we propose that the organisation of the National Strikes should be a roadmap, regardless of whether the Torch Mobilisations and other activities carried out by the different sectors are maintained or not. The development of the events will allow us to carry out the corresponding political and organisational adjustments, but let us be quite clear that the Boards should be a space to bind the sectors in struggle and not a space of petty dispute or for negotiation with the government or to fight for electoral posts, as it happens too often.
We ought to develop a behaviour that would differ substantially from what the leadership of the Outraged Opposition proclaims.
For an inclusive, democratic and participatory Outraged Board!
We also propose that university and high school students should also be part of the Outraged Board for they are developing a historic process in defence of public education.
Neither should women’s organisations, indigenous organisations, organisations of teachers, of sexual diversification, trade unions, basic FNRP cooperatives and the diverse municipal, county and national organisms be left out.
Only with an Outraged Board with this kind of composition can we talk of inclusion and democracy and we shall be really changing the course of the events.
Let us follow the footsteps of the peasants and students
We have been putting up with being beaten and now it is our turn to beat. Do not give the government a chance to recover. These opportunities will not be repeated nor will they last for a long time.
In this context, we propose that the organization of the National Strike should be the roadmap, for students and peasants show that it is possible, but we need to bring about a meeting of all these forces. The development of the events will allow us to carry out the political and organisational adjustments, but the most important is the strength of actions beating like a single fist until victory.
We have already endured five long years being beaten; this is our turn to beat. Do not give the government a chance to recover. These opportunities will not be repeated nor will they last for a long time. The government is the most benefitted with fragmentation for it weakens us and everything else is just a question of time. After a retreat, defeat is unavoidable and our noble people do not deserve it.
Tegucigalpa, DC 30th July 2015
Executive Committee of the Socialist Workers’ Party, Honduras