This interview with the revolutionary Rican org, that Filiberto Ojeda Rios headed before his assassination by the FBI, was in my inbox this weekend. I’m including the English translation below with a link to the original Spanish interview as featured in Claridad.

Comandante Guasábara, General Subsecretary talks colonial party politics, Luis Fortuño, Puerto Rico’s place in Latin America and Obama.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH THE LEADERSHIP OF LOS MACHETEROS

Claridad

www.claridadpuertorico.com
December 16, 2009

Ten months have passed since the administration of Luis Fortuño and the PNP [New Progressive Party, pro-statehood] came to power. What analysis have the Macheteros made of the situation of the country today?

The loss of gubernatorial candidate Anibal Acevedo Vila, of the PPD [Popular Democratic Party, pro-Commonwealth] at the hands of the candidate of the PNP Luis Fortuño does not radically change the neoliberal policies of either party. Both speak of peace, justice, and social freedom. Both used demagoguery to come to power. Both awoke enormous feelings of hope in the masses, when the reality is that it does not matter which party wins the elections, both parties respond to the interests of the US bourgeoisie and the local bourgeoisie, within whom are banks, developers, contractors, etc.

Notwithstanding, because Luis Fortuño is a fervent servant of Republican capitalist neo-liberal policies, he has put in motion a strategy geared to shrink the government, privatize everything that interests lenders and capitalists, eliminate everything that keeps alive the Puerto Rican nation and its culture, and, above all, present the capitalists, investors, truly the powerful, as those who are necessary to save Puerto Rico from the catastrophe it is experiencing, which all previous governments are responsible for, including Mr. Luis Fortuño.

Our organization, the Ejercito Popular Boricua – Macheteros, understands that since the swearing in of the current governor the situation has been disastrous, constantly moving towards a privileged class at the detriment of the people. His performance and that of the Legislature and the legislation it approves, has only responded to the Republican vision of those capitalists that promoted Luis Fortuño as candidate for governor when faced with a discredited candidate from the Partido Popular.

What evaluation has been made concerning the main actions taken by Fortuño, his government, the Legislature, and approved legislation?

This colonial legislature is, probable to some degree, worse than its predecessors. It has not demonstrated the capacity to legislate with creativity and sensitivity. The only thing it has in mind is a desire to promote ideology, political and economic, and for this they do not hesitate to sink the people into a situation of poverty. By the same token, we have seen how any opposition – including opposition party legislators, persons, or institutions – is humiliated, devalued, and crushed. The only thing we can add here is that the lack of a strong and rational opposition makes legislators from the PPD accomplices of the violations on the part of the majority party.

The work of Mr. Luis Fortuño, his legislature, the varying pieces of legislation approved without considering the opinions of the union sector, environmentalists, communities, young people, of political movements and the people in general, the designation of the ‘ex FBI employee’ and murderer-yet-to-be-sentenced [as police chief], Jose Figueroa Sancha, who main goal is confrontation, has moved different segments of Puerto Rican society to protest, conduct strikes, takeovers, pickets, marches, natural reactions when faced with the injustice and repression which face them as the people.

What opinion does the organization have concerning the reaction of popular movements – workers, communities, environmentalists, civil society – to these neoliberal policies? How do you evaluate the participation of the independence movement in these situations?

Independence-supporting organizations have failed during this entire situation, because as it stands today we don’t feel that it has developed an offensive plan when faced with the current administration and much less does it have a united vision concerning its potential contributions during this historic time. This is the perfect time, as a united front, to send a clear and precise message to the people indicating that the situation wont be resolved by replacing Luis Fortuño with [PNP pro-statehood Senate Speaker] Thomas Rivera Schatz or any other PNP figure, nor would it be resolved by replacing them with a candidate from the [pro-commonwealth/colony] PPD during the next election. Elections in Puerto Rico have always been manipulated and thus the elected do not represent the people; they represent the interests of the colonial power and the interests of the bankers and business. It is why elections do not resolve the great economic and social problems of our nation. We have only seen much of the same during these months of the Fortuño administration: the rich have benefited while there is oppression and suffering for the people.

The Independence movement has the obligation to stand in the front lines of each protest and demonstration and not allow ourselves to choose to support one group over another. Political cannibalism within the independence movement should be eradicated once and for all. We, the clandestine organizations, are evaluating the current situation and we are implementing unitary policies in order to support the people during the current situation.

There is talk of a General Strike and we ask ourselves if as of today a tactical and strategic plan has been prepared to delineate all that has to be resolved before such a General Strike is called. This consists of everything from the formation of a single chain of command that is charged with substituting leadership in the case of arrests or assassinations which counts with the participation of all affected groups, (this chain of command should take all security precautions to prevent infiltration by informants), the coordination of communication that covers the entire island, the creation of special groups, the clear and precise definition of negotiable demands which do not favor one group over another, being clear that such a General Strike cannot be conducted by one singular group like the unions sector, and that demands include: rejection of privatization, returning to work all unionized and non-unionized workers including those of the private sector, and the firing of the Police Superintendent, the murderer Jose Figueroa Sancha.

What would you say is the current state of the struggle for Puerto Rico’s Independence, given the processes shaping a progressive Latin American today?

Some independence supporters, evaluating the current state of the struggle for independence, come to the conclusion that we are much closer now than before. They argue that as independence supporters we have more access to the media than before, that the victory in Vieques was a manifestation of support for independence, that there is a segment in the PPD that allegedly supports sovereignty (sovereignty without independence??), and that we have achieved a progression with sectors with the PPD in that these sectors take part in certain initiatives. Is it possible in a colony to achieve advances between colonialists and the colonized? How is it possible to talk about conversations and successes with those who have sustained and sustain the colony, when even amongst ourselves there is discord?

How is it possible that after the assassination of the Secretary General of the Ejercito Popular Boricua Macheteros, Comandante Filiberto Ojeda Rios, reference is made about the call for unity that he made practically before his assassination, and today, each organization does its own thing without coming to unifying agreements geared toward conducting joint actions towards the achievement of a truly free and sovereign Republic?

We cannot solely depend on the international support of those countries who show us solidarity, like Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, or much less think that the process taking place in Latin America will be inclusive if we do not demonstrate to these Latin American compañeros to what point we are willing to go in order to achieve independence.

How is the organization? What role does it plan on playing in the strengthening of the independence movement and overall struggle?

Our organization has not changed its military-political vision of struggle, which was established by the compañero Comandante Filiberto Ojeda Rios and the leadership at that time. Our organization and its members have always had an elevated ideological conviction which is accompanied by a spirit of valor and sacrifice, as was demonstrated by our Secretary General Comandante Filiberto Ojeda Rios in the most glorious moment of his life, in sacrificing it for the homeland, for his people, in confronting the invading enemy, the assassins for hire. Within guerilla movements there is the expectation that each guerrilla fighter dominate his weapon. Filiberto learned a long time ago how to dominate his. We expect all of us to do the same.

We will continue to participate in all those trenches of struggle, physically and with our actions of armed propaganda, above all, within those that place us on the road to class struggle. We have always and will continue to avoid falling into the vicious cycle of reformist struggle that is individualistic and without ideology. We do not support the electoral process, plebiscite, or a constituent assembly that is not for the purpose of redacting a new Constitution for the Republic of Puerto Rico. It has not been one but various organizations that have been converted to focusing on elections and have not achieved absolutely anything, except conform itself to what is dictated by the empire. Some have survived only months after an election and like cannibals have eaten each other alive like animals. During election time, the system, from its capitalist throne, laughs and makes fun, seeing how the left divides itself into those who participate and those who don’t participate in the farcical electoral process.

We plead for a peace, a convergence, and truce within the independence movement: a democratic and concrete peace, differentiated from an abstract general peace; conversations within the framework of participatory democracy with the goal of achieving the free, sovereign, and democratic Republic. The unity of the Left has to be the principle nucleus of this convergence of forces that needs the participation, support, and direction of all of the strands within the progressive left. This should not be so difficult to achieve since we already have two examples of unity and participatory democracy: the unity in action between the Partido Revolucionario de los Trabajadores Puertorriqueños (Puerto Rican Revolutionary Workers Party; PRTP) and our organization, the Ejercito Popular Boricua (Boricua Popular Army; EPB) and the unity that is witnessed during the activities organized the 23rd of every month that are hosted by the Coordinadora Nacional de la Vigilias por la Dignidad Filiberto Ojeda Rios (National Coordinator of the Vigils for the Dignity of Filiberto Ojeda Rios), which are organized by and attended by numerous sectors of the independence movement and the public at large. We have attended many and have witnessed the environment of camaraderie between sectors that is hopeful. We take advantage of this medium to appreciate the work of the Coordinadora de la Vigilias. Pa’lante, as the Comandante said.

What do you think about the election of Barak Obama as President of the United States?

The election of Barak Obama as President of the United States was not a surprise. The military-industrial complex that really runs that country needed a charismatic and apparently-liberal figure to replace Bush, who had upset the people and left the economy in ruins and risked the entire political-military imperialist system. This manipulation has been witnessed markedly during the second half of the 20th century: first a heavy-handed hawkish Republican and then a Democrat that is not less hawkish but who implements social policy that is less antagonistic and speaks a language that is more conciliatory. As an example, suffice it remember that Clinton was successor to Bush father. That he is black does not mean that his ideas are very different from those of his white predecessors. The only way to reach the Presidency of the United States is to be in communion with the group think of big business, the military, and to be willing to implement the interventionist and capitalist policies of the empire.

What kind of relationship do you consider will be established between the Obama administration and the progressive and revolutionary governments of Latin America? How would you characterize the perspectives calling for reestablishing relations between Cuba and the US?

We should take into account that the nature of the US as a nation was founded during the 20th Century as that of a powerful empire. This empire has sacked the entire world and has manipulated, with its military might and propaganda, all of Latin America to the point that many of these countries surrendered their sovereignty and permitted the US government to exploit their natural resources with little benefit to their own people. Like with all empires, changing in this regard will be very difficult.

We do not see a radical change in the politics of Obama toward Latin America. On the contrary, judging from the situation in Honduras, the threats against the Bolivarian government of Venezuela, and the bases in Colombia, the interventionist policy and the support for coup détat have continued and will continue.

With regards to Cuba, we do not see any movement that would indicate the removal of the blockade, which is what most of Latin American governments have requested.

In our opinión, Obama will continue to speak in a more concilatory tone, but there will be few changes in the foreign policy of the empire. This is as such because it is known that foreign and domestic foreign policy is dictated by powerful military and business interests, who are who actually govern and determine his remaining in the Presidency. As Comandante Fidel Castro has stated, ‘it is more of the same’.

Long Live our Secretary General, Comandante Filiberto Ojeda Rios!