“The 2006 juncture, a hard battle for the representative democracy is ending. Now it starts a middle term challenge, a hard battle for the participative democracy. Something new is emerging. The near future will bring new visions and new strategies. The institutional structure of power lost its legitimacy in front of millions of Mexicans. The people this time decided not to be deceived any more.”

MEXICO, AT STAKE

A worldwide war against people and its most basic rights deploys the power of mass media as the main weapon to erase consciousness. If people react to it with dignity, then the police and the military complete the task. A mega-machine opposes our efforts for a better society, for medular changes, for a sustainable world.

We witness a Big Brother with the carrot and the stick. If a dictator as Augusto Pinochet dies in Chile, reminding us the big stick applied in another September 11th, Felipe Calderon is put almost furtively as a spurious president of Mexico opening the era of the big TV spot. FC is the product of a dubious law without legitimacy and he is at the top of a pyramidal order without foundations.

People mistrust. The public arena is monopolized by politicians and their parties. Most of them are considered only performers on a very visible public stage but controlled by invisible overwhelming forces. Behind, below, besides, the power of money. Money inflates discourses and deflates them at foreign will. 'Foreign investment' is the key word and the so called powerful politicians tremble and obey. Today we have great transnational corporations imposing the logic of 'business and development' without effective human purposes despite the rhetoric.

At the same time we have the reactive massive mobilization of angry grassroots people looking for real solutions to poverty, unemployment, corruption and delinquency. A vicious spiral is on the process: simulation-deep crisis, abuse-reaction, repression-mobilization. The rightists hoping the masses will surrender exhausted after continuous demonstrations and the leftists hoping the administration will collapse in the middle of contradictions, ineptitudes and resignations. In between, the historic national unity of the Mexicans has been broken

Networks of self reliant cells resist by all means and explore by practice and intellect new ways of articulation, sustainability and governance. Sooner than later they will overcome the present pseudo-democracy supported by the mass media and the plutocracy. Let us see what has happened in Oaxaca and Mexico City.

NOVEMBER 25th, THE BIG STICK IN OAXACA

Oaxaca is one of the Mexican regions, with a little more than 3 million inhabitants, mostly indigenous people, where an original culture has attracted the attention of millions of foreign visitors. Well known are the millenary remnants of sacred cities like Montealban and Mitla, with astonishing pyramids, palaces and even an astral observatory, belonging to the ancient zapotec and mixtec cultures. Well known are the rich alive culture where 10 different ethnic groups very remarkable when they converge every year into Oaxaca City to celebrate the 'Guelaguetza', 'the giving among ourselves', the famous ceremonial party with plenty of dancing people. But this year Oaxaca will be worldwide known by its heroic resistance to the stupidity, corruption and hypocrisy of many politicians belonging to the obsolete PRI and the rightist PAN, the first one leading the local government and the second one the national presidency.

Disdaining the historic resistance of the people after seven months of intense social struggle lead by the APPO (Asamblea Popular de los Pueblos de Oaxaca), these politicians, PRI and PAN, talking always about 'dialogue' but not listening the serious demands of the mobilized crowd, decided to dissolve by all means the opposition and resistance of the society. The grip of the militarized federal police applied step by step the usual strategy of enclosure, infiltration, provocation and repression. The mischievous tactics are classic, to harass by day and night the barricades with paramilitary forces, to create violence inside the crowd with some masked agitators and then to repress the columns of thousands of manifestants in the main avenues, with armored vehicles, gas, water, ink and garrotes.

On November 25th, a pacific massive march with 300,000 demonstrators, the 7th. Mega march in seven months, fell in a trap, a huge street battle was then engaged involving attacks and counterattacks. Masked people with shields, many stones, pellets and home made weapons emerged. Many young people reacted using molotov bombs, handicraft bazookas with fireworks, slings and anything that could be useful to defense and repel. But the technology of repression has evolved much more than the people's craft and after 6 hours of battle 3,000 almost robotic elements could force the retreat of the marchers and eliminate the barricades with the aid of bulldozers. 15 blocks were suffocated by gas. 15 historic buildings including the Judiciary Power were burned. Also, tens of cars. One hundred people were seriously wounded, 20 by bullets. 300 persons were seized by the police and many homes violated by searching and arrests without judiciary orders.

More than 140 arrested people have been sent by helicopters to prisons in remote regions, 1000 kilometers far away their communities, relatives and supporters, as an emulation of the Bush's strategy which creates punitive confinements like Guantanamo where the law is pseudo-military. In Mexico we had this type of repressions only during the dictatorship that preceded the historic Revolution of 1910, we remind the total eradication at that time of an entire ethnic group, the Yaquis, from one extreme of the country to the other one.

During seven months of constant, firm and peaceful demonstrations no less than 20 people have been killed on the streets for the only crime of expressing protests and aims for justice. Tens of people are reported as disappeared. Now the only space in Oaxaca City where the direct voice of the people is expressed is the university campus but even there, the radio station has been silenced and delivered to the university authorities.

This balance means the beginning of a new attempt to silence the people with the big stick. And more violence emerges. In Mexico City several bombs have exploded by midnight, without human casualties, in public offices and banks, one in the auditorium of the PRI, then 5 guerrilla bodies declared they are acting together for this challenging violence. But people mistrust the authenticity of these corps, perhaps it is a tactic to justify more repression.

This permanent battle has been only the beginning of another kind of war in our 21st Century. A people's non violent struggle looking for a new participative and fair society, against the formal political framework supported by the mass media and the military, institutions with a dense democratic rhetoric but working at the end exclusively for the few, for the transnational corporations and mainly for the worldwide financial capital.

5O local NGO's and 15 ethnic local groups in the State of Oaxaca had their urgent assemblies at the end of November. They declared that they will continue their efforts for expelling the present governor, Ulises Ruíz, the removal of the federal police and the freedom of all imprisoned innocent people. Abroad, in Mexico City and other 35 countries, demonstrations have protested against this repressive abuse.

DECEMBER 1st, THE BIG SPOT IN MEXICO CITY

In the meantime, the national political regime is split in two opposite processes. Now Mexico has bizarrely two presidents. The legitimate one without the force of law and the legal one without the force of legitimacy.

Andrés Manuel López Obrador, AMLO, belonging to the PRD, assumed on 20th November a new kind of leadership and governance, as a legitimate President supported by the impoverished masses concentrated in the Zócalo, the main square of Mexico City. AMLO presented 20 key points as his strategy to follow together with a cabinet of 12 ministers, half of them women. This unprecedented massive act shocked the wealthy sectors. The mass media tried to minimize its impact on the news, I witnessed how CNN showed images of an almost empty square when in fact it was totally full.

On the institutional side we had a very significative theatrical act, this time supported not by masses but by the media and the military, in favor of the legally declared president, Felipe Calderón, FC.  The Political Constitution of Mexico prescribes the transmission of the Presidential power every six years, on December 1st., when the new President must pledge his respect of the Constitution in front of the Congress.  This time, the left had announced the ceremony would be impeded by the alliance of deputies created by the PRD. At the same time AMLO's supporters were convened for that day to demonstrate in the Zócalo. The Palace of the Congress was then surrounded by a disproportionate contingent of federal militarized police and during the two previous weeks the parlamentarian discussions were followed with the presence of military elements inside the Congress Hall.
This show of strenght and violation of norms emulated a sort of state of exemption which tried to frighten citizens and representatives. Democratic procedures were transformed in an obvious fake.

Three days previously to the ceremony, the deputies of the PAN invaded the top level of the Congress Hall where the Deputy Coordinator of the Congress seats. This violent handling operation provoked historic tumultuous body fights among the opposite representatives in fact not very trained for boxing. Both opposed corps, the PAN and the PRD deputies, remained in the hall for three days and nights trying one to find space for the pledge and the other one trying to abort the ceremony. It was a huge scandal never seen before. On December 1st, being the normal entrances closed and sealed by the PRD, the new formal President could arrive only through a rear entrance controlled by military forces. The pledge took 4 minutes in the middle of a tremendous protest (shouting, whistling, barricades) and FC protected by 30 military dressed as civilians escaped immediately taking advantage of the calm created by the chant of the national anthem initiated by the PAN and PRI deputies. The discourse FC had prepared for the Congress and the foreign delegations was given instead in a big auditorium with less than 10,000 guests. At the same time, AMLO was giving his ardent antagonistic speech very near in the broad avenue Reform in front of 100,000 followers.

The previous day, November 30th at 23:55 hours, an uncommon ceremony announced a few hours before was transmitted by TV. FC, accompanied by the still President Fox, was presented by a voice in off as the actual new president just one minute before midnight. FC presented his cabinet underscoring the military presence. A cadet kept the presidential band. This unusual midnight show without the presence of the Legislative and Judiciary powers was the culmination of a mass media's stroke of State initiated two years before.

The first decisions of the new regime have been the raise of the salaries for the military and to put in prison the most relevant leaders of the APPO, including the notorious Flavio Sosa, betraying them with the promise of a dialogue with the Home Minister. The alliance of the rightist PAN with the corrupted PRI have permitted the continuity of the governor of Oaxaca and the killers of many demonstrators and a foreign journalist are still free.

In Mexico City the legal President and his ministers are immediately silencing the scarce voices that the former presidential team permitted to talk by mass media. A famous journalist, José Gutiérrez Vivo and his radio station have been put out of air on December. He was the only one who dared to transmit the AMLO's speeches when day by day he talked to the masses barricaded during 45 days in the main streets and the Zócalo.

A new political regime is trying to conceal its weakness with tough acts. Nevertheless, the mobilizations are spreading in many places of the state of Oaxaca and beyond. If the urban battle is fading the rural is starting. The Delegate Zero, Marcos, the spoke man of the Zapatistas movement in Chiapas continued for a while traveling in the country but we do not imagine how he will manage in order not to be bound.  'The Other Campaign' inspired by the Zapatistas is another option beyond the leftist parties lead by the PRD, beyond the first steps of a Democratic National Convention and beyond the alternative executive cabinet lead by AMLO. The Zapatistas are convening for a worldwide mobilization supporting the people of Oaxaca, next December 22d.

NEW PARADIGMS, NEW STRATEGIES, NEW LIVELIHOODS

The 2006 juncture, a hard battle for the representative democracy is ending. Now it starts a middle term challenge, a hard battle for the participative democracy.  Something new is emerging. The near future will bring new visions and new strategies. The institutional structure of power lost its legitimacy in front of millions of Mexicans. The people this time decided not to be deceived any more.

Despite all the overwhelming propaganda by TV with ample talks and promises, despite the distribution of always scarce money to begging hands, despite the threats and fears, there are everywhere in Mexico layers of people which not only will resist, protest and disobey, behaviors suffering many times repression, but will create another strategy which will change the life of much more people and finally of all.

The global system of power is unsustainable and is provoking wars everywhere in order to prevail. Propaganda, weapons and money are its usual tools. How can we overcome these multiple tactics? We need to unveil the essence of them and to recreate by our direct practice the power implied. Propaganda should be neutralized and overcame with truthful communication and education; lethal weapons, with systems of self defense and non violence; money, a false profiting money, with new codes of value, with systems of exchange and with redistribution of real goods.

The art of politics should be to find the way not to be trapped by the permanent provocation and exhaustion but to behave in order to create power instead of being polarized by the old power. The new power should have a different nature than the opposite one in order to really overcome it. Its effective nature will be based on a basic cellular strategy with paradigms like: participation, accountability, responsibility, reciprocity, equity, generosity, transcendence, communion with the environment. Perhaps the most important one is to act in a human scale, that means to overcome the anomy and anonymity imposed by the dominant system which performs with abstract figures, fear and images of pseudo-happiness according to the 'American way of life' Instead, we need sustainable livelihoods.

Once I lectured in India, in the framework of the World Social Forum, about a trinomial for a life with dignity, the three S. In culture, to behave with Simplicity; in politics, with Silence; in economy, with Sustainability. It means to find Autonomy, Wisdom and self reliance. Every dimension will demand a lot of effort and discipline and we should create symbiosis with them. It will be the gift we may create in order to pay the huge debt we all have with the generations sacrificed by the present monstrous and decaying power.