The Salvadoran Social Movements Respond to CAFTA
Solidarity note from the Red Sinti Techan in response to the July 28 th CAFTA Vote
Companions and Colleagues of U.S. Social and Popular Organizations:
The organizational members of the Red Sinti Techan of El Salvador want to show our recognition and esteem for all of the efforts that our partners have made over the last few years to prevent the ratification of CAFTA-DR in the U.S. Congress. In our countries, our organizations made similar efforts, in spite of which the treaty was approved in Guatemala , Honduras and El Salvador . Then we united efforts to make a better attempt to stop the ratification in the U.S.
On July 28th, CAFTA-DR was approved in the U.S. Congress by only two votes, The Bush administration and the promoters of CAFTA-DR made use of all the ruses that they could, they twisted arms, they threatened, they lied, and they deceived. Several years ago, our organizations united efforts to educate and to raise the consciousness of Congressional representatives and the public of Central America and of the United States in general, on the implications of CAFTA-DR. As the vote in the U.S. neared, we managed to coordinate on a level previously unseen in the past two years; and we strengthened our presence in the public eye.
Beyond that, our organizations also reached the highest levels of brotherhood and sisterhood and mutual solidarity in our actions seen in many years. We have created together a network of social and popular organizations between Central America and the United States opposed to the CAFTA-DR. This brotherhood and sisterhood, without a doubt, won the debate of ideas and the rational arguments in favor of the people of both countries, not to approve CAFTA-DR. We have neither the money, nor the resources, nor is it our style, to use the instruments that the Bush administration and the promoters of CAFTA-DR used to force the agreement's approval. Nevertheless, quite rightly, good will and few resources won: we won, in the land of the ideas, arguments, and even of popular will and public opinion.
Now, our most precious victory is the same: the brotherhood and sisterhood and solidarity that we have constructed between our organizations. This we must use in the new struggles of the people of the United States and Central America . And of course, we must take this experience to all the regions of the world that will be under the challenge of facing ominous U.S. policies for their people.
Brothers and sisters, united we make a force; let U.S. continue with the struggles and the challenges of these times.
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FUNDE- Mesuamerican Initiative- CID
CAFTA, a reality to be adequately approached
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CAFTA has been ratified by the United States Congress and may now come into effect in the three Central American countries that have given their approval ( El Salvador , Guatemala , and Honduras ). Independent of the difficult and polemic negotiations and debates that preceded their ratification, in the United States , as well in Central America , CAFTA is now a reality that must be undertaken.
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The Mesoamerican Commerce, Integration and Development Initiative (CID Initiative), and the FUNDE (Fundación Nacional de Desarollo) have been insisting that CAFTA presents a set of potential opportunities and threats for our development and that by maximizing the first and minimizing the second depends on what we must do, and what we will actually do, from now on as a country.
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CAFTA will make El Salvador more appealing to external investment or will extend our possibilities of placing exports in the North American market, but few investments will come in and few exports will go out, if we discard adequate socioeconomic structures, institutions and laws. Either way, CAFTA, for example, contains a series of dispositions that threaten the production of basic nutrition; if we don’t do something now to support and/or restructure the above mentioned nutrition sector, we won’t need to wait for the end of the protection period contemplated in the treaty to see thousands of agricultural producers seriously affected.
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One of the principle challenges that CAFTA has presented to the country is to make sure that the opportunities are distributed among those who have historically and structurally been excluded from receiving past opportunities and prevent the threats to rise against the most vulnerable, those who have endured them the most. Previous opportunities to improve our country have gone to those who already have opportunities. This historical pattern cannot continue with CAFTA.
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In the end, one thing should be clear with CAFTA: we cannot continue “privatizing” the opportunities and “socializing” the threats. The FUNDE, with the CID Initiative, is prepared to collaborate in the thrust of those institutional, legal, and socioeconomic transformations that are necessary in order to maximize the opportunities and minimize the threats of CAFTA in favor of excluded sectors and the vulnerable of our country and the region.
San Salvador , July 29, 2005
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