The “Western” mainstream media, which no doubt wants the removal of even the “pink” leadership of many Latin American countries, still had to admit that Peru's rightist dominated congress is deeply unpopular, if I recall correctly more unpopular than President Castillo might have been. I think it was also suggested by a correspondent that many of the legislators serve corrupt interests. Peru's economy is apparently still mostly neocolonial and extractive, based on mining, and imperialism prefers that it stay that way, as was the case with Cuba . It was claimed that Castillo's party calls itself Marxist-Leninist. It was eventually mentioned, I think on the BBC, that the government of neighboring Bolivia had denounced the coup, and many times that Mexico had offered Castillo asylum, but he was betrayed by his security detail and imprisoned. In recent months the BBC has occasionally mentioned Peru's political crisis, for example that the legislature wouldn't even let Castillo travel abroad, I think for example to attend the inauguration of Colombian president Gustavo Petro a few months ago. The coup was covered for about one day, or for a few hours, on NPR and the BBC, seeking to quickly bury the Peruvian left and the Latin American left in general, and legitimate the coup. The fast-moving November 10, 2019 coup in Bolivia was also legitimated by the "Western" mainstream media. The demonstrations, violence, and repression of indigenous groups that followed was poorly reported and then Evo Morales' party won the next presidential election. This is also more evidence of NPR's poor and even ignorant [US chauvinist] coverage of international news. It was claimed that "authoritarian," "would be dictator" Castillo was elected only because rightist Keiko Fujimori was the greater evil, that he accomplished nothing, and merely sloganeered about convening a constituent assembly, but the legislature seems to have been interested only in obstruction and impeachment, and Castillo was apparently very inexperienced as an elected leader and had few allies in congress to work with. [Around December 19th or earlier someone from I think the Financial Times was interviewed on reliably imperialist program The World and decried the authoritarian leaders of those countries that have voiced support for Castillo, such as Mexico and Bolivia, versus Brazil and Chile. There might have been mention of 'threats to democracy.' After Castillo was removed there was violence, with several protesters having been killed, supposedly because the military isn't trained well enough, and transportation was blocked. Will the censors let me compare this to the US reaction to Bush v Gore? People talk about "fascism" in 2022, but where were they in 2000-2008? Note the two notices from the AFGJ below.] These documents are slightly edited.
Roger Harris spoke too soon in his three-part series of articles on Latin America's gathering "Pink Tide" - www.counterpunch.org/2022/12/07/the-volatility-of-us-hegemony-in-latin-america-challenges-ahead-for-the-pink-tide/
Some post-coup articles:
Diosdado Cabello, first vice president of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, on the removal of Castillo and the judicial moves against Argentina's Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who is or was a probably going to be a candidate in the upcoming presidential election: inen.ultimasnoticias.com.ve/news/politics/diosdado-cabello-coup-against-pedro-castillo-was-orchestrated-by-the-usa/
resumen-english.org/2022/12/peru-a-reactionary-coup-is-consummated/
newleftreview.org/sidecar/posts/after-castillo?pc=1486
peoplesdispatch.org/2022/12/08/perus-oligarchy-overthrows-president-castillo/
DOWN WITH THE PARLIAMENTARY COUP D'ÉTAT, ORCHESTRATED BY THE RIGHT AND US IMPERIALISM!
FOR A SOVEREIGN AND POPULAR CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY, THEY SHOULD ALL GO!
What happened today, Wednesday, December 7, 2022, at noon in Peru, has not been an unplanned event or just an outburst of adventurism of former President Pedro Castillo, who gave a televised speech to dissolve the Congress of the Republic and thus seek to put an end to the disputes between the Executive and Legislative Branches. This dispute trapped many bills that could provide some solutions in the current context of food, energy, economic and political crisis that the country is experiencing. There are major elements that we cannot lose sight of, so as not to become foolish victims of the deception of others and our own, and to unmask the class interests that have been in contest in the current situation, in the face of which we cannot be naïve.
The OAS mission, stationed in the country weeks ago, was more than a mission to contribute to the stability of Peru, the possibilities of establishing a transitional government within the framework of maintaining calm in the region. This was one of the directives of US imperialism; of which the government of Pedro Castillo did not affect any of its interests, but on the contrary gave it more possibilities to consolidate its domination, following the recommendations of the IMF and World Bank.
The mission of the OAS and the interests of US imperialism should have been to seek stability, so that the forces of the left would no longer raise the demand for the "Call for a Sovereign and Popular Constituent Assembly." This would lay the foundations for a new economic model that would enable national development and the improvement of the living conditions of working people. In addition to this, it would avoid a new government that would bring Peru closer to Chinese and Russian influence, after the constituent assembly.
There exists in the world a context of inter-imperialist contention, which puts us in danger of war. The United States, the countries of the European Union, Russia and China, are fighting for a new redivision of the world in the context of the economic, political, food and energy crisis on a global scale. For this, US imperialism had to cool the foci that would make possible the progress of the left forces and pay more attention to the inter-imperialist contradictions.
There is a very important background in which the Peruvian oligarchy plays a role, because that plotted that Pedro Castillo would feel confidence in the support of the Armed Forces and Police so that in his speech he would "temporarily dissolve Congress" and in the end be abandoned. This would provide all the tools to proceed with a Constitutional Vacancy from the Congress of the Republic, in which First Vice-President Dina Boluarte assumed the leadership of the country, For a long time she had been the transition card for the parties of the right and had already prepared a speech that denounced Castillo’s attempted self-coup and raised the banners of the defense of the Constitutional Order and respect for the institutionality of the Armed Forces and Police.
Pedro Castillo wanted to carry out a coup d'état in the Fujimontesinista style, repeating the unhappy phrases that lead us to remember the origin of the violent plan of establishment of neoliberalism in Peru. Marx said "History repeats itself, the first time as tragedy, the second as farce." The farce in which Pedro Castillo fell undoubtedly means a blow to the banners raised by the popular movement for the change in the Political Constitution, to limit the action of the monopolies and oligopolies, to put an end to the subsidiary role of the State and to stop the blatant sale of our natural resources to the transnational companies.
The workers are in the streets raising their voices in protest against this maneuver of the oligarchy and US imperialism, who with a false call for "national unity" are trying to divert our attention from the danger that is currently being experienced by the peasant and indigenous communities and national agricultural production. There are more than 46 mining mega-projects that they want to carry out by grabbing communal territories, without a social license and without fully evaluating the impact on the environment and agricultural production. At the same time, they limited the use of the referendum to make changes to the 1993 Constitution, This is in the context of a food crisis, which so far in the first national productive stage has already lost 20% of agricultural production due to the absence of rain. There is no fertilizer production or petrochemical plant that industrializes our gas; all this will affect the food supply starting with the second two months of 2023.
The monopolies that control the import of food, the financial system and the press that agitated for the vacancy, in order to continue to receive money for state propaganda, are the ones that benefited the most by this right-wing coup d'état, orchestrated by US imperialism and that does not prevent the movement in the streets of the workers and organized people.
We the Peruvian Communist Party (Marxist-Leninist) call on the workers and peoples to remain in the streets in order to defend the popular program, to counter the attempt of the parasitic bourgeoisie to impose transnational projects and interests on the country. They should advance in an organized manner to demand that all the corrupt ones leave and convene a Sovereign and Popular Constituent Assembly, in which the organized forces of the people can discuss the model of country that we currently need.
Recent experience has shown us that the electoral path of bourgeois democracy has its limits and should not be the only way in which the working people express their will. Likewise, it is clear that the Armed Forces and National Police are always at the service of the ruling classes in the country and we cannot believe that the changes that the people and country need can be made by the Congress and the new presidency of the country. There will be no caudillo who can replace the role of the organized working people in the task of building a People's Democratic Republic, or to defend their interests.
Neither the forces of nationalism of a pro-fascist-tendency that covered the escape of Montesinos in 2000, nor social democracy and the NGOs (which want new elections without changing the Constitution) are sure paths for the fulfillment of the program of the popular movement.
Only the organized people can save the people!
Down with the Parliamentary Coup d'état plotted by the right and US imperialism!
For a Sovereign and Popular Constituent Assembly, all the corrupt ones must go!
Nilo Candela – Secretary General
For the Political Bureau of the Central Committee
of the Peruvian Communist Party (M-L)
Condemn the coup d'état in Peru; we express our solidarity with the workers and people
The coup d'état that took place in Peru on December 8 is a new chapter in the serious political crisis that has shaken that country for months. As soon as Pedro Castillo took over the presidency of the Republic, imperialism and the Peruvian big bourgeoisie conspired against that government which came about with broad popular support, due to its economic, political and social proposals identified with the people's yearnings for change. However, those aspirations were frustrated by Castillo's abandonment of his electoral program, particularly the proposal to convene a Constituent Assembly, and by a little-transparent government management with close relatives in key positions.
Castillo's dismissal and imprisonment does not end the political crisis, but exacerbates it. Six presidents of the Republic have taken turns in Peru in the last six years; all of them are directly responsible for the economic and political crisis, for the serious social problems that affect the workers and the people, for an anti-national policy at the service of the interests of international finance capital, for the hand-over of huge mining concessions to international monopolies.
In the highest spheres, the different bourgeois factions vie for spaces of power and institutional control, while the workers and the people are victims of poverty, unemployment, low wages and repression when they protest. These and other problems and material demands motivate the struggle of the people, particularly they are demanding the convocation of a Constituent Assembly within the framework of their demands: They must all go!
The International Conference of Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organizations, ICMLPO, condemns the plot of imperialism and the big bourgeoisie, orchestrators of the coup d'état, and expresses its solidarity with the struggle of the Peruvian workers and people.
Coordination Committee
International Conference of Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organizations – ICMLPO
December 8, 2022
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