Movimiento Popular Revolucionario Paraguay Pyahura

The Political Situation

Since the collapse of Stroessner’s dictatorship in 1989 the threat of a coup d’etat has been always latent to date. It appears and disappears, that depends on whether the contradictions within the bourgeois camp are aggravating or not, or in what way popular pressure is increasing.

This situation reached its peak in April, 1996 when General Oviedo, the then army chief, mobilized part of the armed forces with the intention of launching a coup d’etat, specifically on April, 23; this is well known in the country as the "April crisis". He disobeyed the order of the Commander-in-Chief to retire.

This coup d’etat attempt could not be successful due to big mobilization of workers, peasants and left parties, as well as parts of socialdemocrats and the youth.

In a big protest march called on the above mentioned occasion and in which we were the biggest force in terms of agitation and propaganda, the majority of the demonstrators called: "Neither Wasmosy, nor Lino, but peasants and workers". Wasmosy was the president of Paraguay and Lino is the nickname of General Oviedo.

Later, General Oviedo stood as presidential candidate for the Colorado Party that has held power for more than 40 years. It is undeniable that he has a large following; he won the primary elections of the party and was eventually a candidate for the presidency to be reckoned with. In this situation, president Wasmosy appointed a Military Court that put Oviedo on trial and sentenced him to 10 years imprisionment. Oviedo filed an appeal at the Supreme Court which confirmed the sentence.

In this situation Oviedo was legally unqualified for standing as a candidate and was imprisoned. You should imagine how he lived in prison...

National elections were held in the middle of this crisis. The candidate of the movement of the coup general designated for the vice-presidency has become president and the candidate from another movement of the same party became vice-president. Only the followers of imperialism will be able to explain this situation.

On 15 August 1998 power was handed over and General Cubas Grau took office. After three days in office he released the general of the coup from prison on the basis of a law of remission.

However, parliament took a majority decision declaring this procedure unconstitutional and refering it to the jurisdiction. It confirmed the sentence and informed the executive about it which just took notice of it and that was it.

To cut it short: there are big contradictions within the bourgeois camp, therefore the threat of a coup d’etat is increasing.

The Social and economic situation

There are thousands of underemployed persons, thousands of peasants who migrate to the cities building miserable slums there, factories closing down, workers who lose their jobs, illiteracy, children leaving schools etc. We think these conditions will be aggravated by the economic crisis and the effects of the devaluation of the currency in Brazil.

The Popular Revolutionary Movement for a new Paraguay

We are a young party for the masses. Our theoretical, ideological and political foundation is based on Marxism-Leninism. We just held our 1^st. Congress that allowed us to correct errors, confirmed our policies and worked out new ones. It also allowed us to determine the political line of the party as well as its political activities in the anti-imperialist struggle and in the struggle for a democratic, agrarian revolution with the aim of socialism.

I want to emphasize the revolutionary contribution of the comrades of the parties of the neighbouring countries. They have contributed to clarifying issues and attended this conference.

In Paraguay there are impressive masses of peasants who are organized and mobilized and who form the main social and political force. The National Peasants Federation is the main peasants’ organization in the country and many of its leaders on the national and regional level are members of our party.

The masses of peasants share the feelings and needs of the majority of the people and hit the heart of imperialism and its supporters, the big landlords and financial speculation.

The protest marches of the peasants, in which 20.000 to 50.000 people are participating, small producers and peasants without land, are the force that compells the other sectors of society to take a stand. Occupying and working a piece of land means occupying large estates under the slogan of the FNC: "The struggle will continue, we will be victorious", or the slogan of the party: "Fight, win or die".

Through our struggle we have gained several settlements with a booming production and which is divided up into collective parcels of land. The line of the party is having a great impact there: it is analyzed, discussed and implemented.

In other occupied settlements the problems are still unsolved: forced evictions, arrests, murders of occupants and leaders are taking place, but the struggle continues and is still growing.

Since 1989 thirty-eight peasants have been killed during protest marches or ambushes committed by policemen or armed civilians.

The big landlords created their armed section in an assembly which they call "Committee for the Defense of Private Property".

In the face of this situation the FNC (Peasants National Federation) had convened a public congress in order to analyze this issue and we decided to found the "Self-

-defense". I can assure you that there is a one to one ratio in the balance of power between us and the armed civilians.

We have decided to challenge the contradictions within the bourgeois camp to the utmost on 23 March this year. We are preparing a big protest march involving 30.000 peasants going to Asuncion to demand the cancellation of debts for the peasants’ cooperatives. The President has already said that nobody would pay any debts anymore, if they are cancelled.

According to our analysis this struggle will become a very fierce one, because the duration of the occupation of Asuncion will not be limited, that means it will last until our demands are satisfied. The occupation of Asuncion means that the routes of access to the capital will be blocked, that there will be a blockade of the capital carried out by the masses.

I want also mention the militant trade union current that follows the line of class struggle (Corriente Sindical Clasista), a broad front of workers which is under the leadership of our party by the active work of comrades.

Although it is true that the industrial development of Paraguay is on a very low level - and this situation is worsening even more by continuous closures of factories - the work of our party within this current is nevertheless very important, because there already exists a gang of bureaucratic and obedient leaders. We fight against this line within the working class and further a militant line of direct struggle based on class struggle.

Today we have the Workers-and-Peasant Coordination, which regards itself as being democratic, class-conscious and democratic .This has enabled us to review 10 years of trade-union work: its errors and their respective causes. This is a hard nut to crack for the bureaucratic leaders and this situation has made it possible for us to: 1) increase the peasants’ struggle, and 2) implement a correct line of the party for the working class.

Comrades: Our struggle is not easy but very fruitful. Our party has strong and direct ties with the masses, we are associated with them in struggle. We are engaged in a constant, dialectical process of learning which will enable us to grow fast.

But we are unrelenting in our fight against the right wing parties, the revisionists, the opportunists. We uphold that politics must exercise the leadership without giving up principles.

At last I want to express on behalf of my party that you are not alone in your struggle for revolution and neither are we.