THURSDAY, JULY 31, 2008
Public Letter to the President of the MRS
July 31, 2008Mr. Enrique Saenz
President, Sandinista Renovation Movement
Managua, Nicaragua
Esteemed Mr. Saenz,
For nearly 30 years the Nicaragua Network in the United States and the Italy Nicaragua Association have stood in solidarity with the people's struggle in Nicaragua against the Somoza dictatorship, the US government-backed contra war, and 17 years of right-wing neoliberal governments.
We are writing to you today both outraged and saddened that the Sandinista Renovation Movement is apparently calling for the assassination of Nicaragua's democratically elected President Daniel Ortega.
As you may know, the Nicaragua Network and the Italy-Nicaragua Association remained neutral between the two parties of Sandinismo during the 2006 presidential election and have tried to maintain that neutrality during this first year and a half of the administration of President Daniel Ortega. We have expressed support for the good policies we have seen and criticized the bad ones while considering most political discussions the internal affairs of Nicaragua and for Nicaraguans to work out themselves.
However, in June we received an email from the office of Edmundo Jarquin with an attached poster showing Anastasio Somoza Debayle appearing to be raising the arm of Daniel Ortega with the words “Ortega and Somoza: The Same Thing.” Their picture appears to be spattered in blood and the poster bears the name, Rigoberto Lopez P, who we all know brought Anastasio Somoza Garcia to justice.
This apparent call for the assassination of a democratically elected president has no place in political discourse and exceeds the bounds of legitimate political speech and therefore must be condemned. We thought it was sent out by misguided individuals. Therefore we wrote to you on June 24, 2008, asking that the MRS disavow the poster and expel its author and distributors. We received no response.
We were shocked and deeply disappointed to see in official MRS photographs of your 29th anniversary celebration in Leon that a banner with the same artwork was hanging above the stage. Is it possible that the MRS has abandoned the democratic values that were won with the blood of so many heroes and martyrs and instead want to return to the days when political power in Nicaragua only changed hands through violence?
The Nicaragua Network and the Italy-Nicaragua Association will continue, as we have for nearly thirty years to walk in solidarity with the people of Nicaragua and their aspirations for peace, justice and prosperity. However, we believe that a political party that has taken the actions that the MRS has recently taken, if they are not rescinded, cannot claim a common heritage with Sandino, the general of free men, nor with the triumph of the Sandinista Revolution celebrated on July 19.
In continued solidarity with the people of Nicaragua,
The Nicaragua Network in the United States
The Italy-Nicaragua Association in Italy
Labels: Archives