Evidence from Peru

["Chris, London" <100423.2040@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I was actually glad to have another opportunity to read on this list
a direct statement from an organisation apparently closely linked with
the Peruvian Communist Party, to be able to form my own opinion of
their strategy and tactics, rather than being asked by MIM to support
them as a touchstone of revolutionary faith.

I cannot agree with Carlos they are psychotic. That is a term of abuse
designed so as not to think about them. Clearly they are not psychotic, to
be able to organise as effectively as they do. I would rather understand
what are the material conditions that have given rise to this and other
Peruvian movements.

The reasons for armed struggle and the problems associated with it, cannot
be excluded from marxist analysis on this list. I wonder if subscribers from
Latin America consider that the last few decades have shown there is no room
for armed struggle under *any* circumstances.

>From internal evidence of the statement forwarded by Louis Godenas, this could
be consistent with threats including death threats to those who take up public
positions in favour of marches for peace. On 12th September Louis
Proyect posted an extract from

(From "A Dwarf Star" by Carlos Ivan Degregori in "Report on the
Americas", Dec./Jan. 1990/1991. Anthropologist Carlos Ivan
Degregori is a researcher at the Lima-based Instituto de Estudios
Peruanos. He has written two books on Sendero Luminoso.)

which gave evidence of up to 50 murders by SL of prominent political figures
who might be seen as left wing.

On this list MIM claimed that at least one of
their organisations had gone into alliance with the government in Parliament.

MIM then was surprised to read the suggestion that perhaps the conduct of
the PCP had contributed to this. On the one very specific report of a
summary execution of a mayor without even a people's trial, MIM agreed
this sounded bad and said that the PCP spray posted self-criticisms in Lima
at times if people were wongly executed. A long statement by New Flag included a
specific denial of this incident and denounced Degregori as a
"senderologist", but did not deny executions of those they regard
as collaborating with the regime.

Marc posted a claim that Sendero Luminoso had been involved in attacking
a Trotskyist guerilla organisation in the hills in the 70's and may
have received government money for this. Matt D
gave more evidence of the MRTA, saying it was similar in some ways to
the FSLN. MIM gave evidence that the MRTA not the PCP had shot 7 gays
which rather suggested the self appointed administration of popular
justice might not be the prerogative of the PCP/SL alone. No one came
back on the highly specific claim of this report, and the Peru thread
died out for until I believe yesterday.

The previous posts gave evidence of urban militancy and rural militancy, of 
class
conflict and ethnic oppression, which may not be well integrated in an
overall political campaign. None I recall referred to the importance of
the large tin-mines both for their trade-union based militancy and the
interface with international capitalism.

The statement just forwarded by Louis Godenas gives no evidence of a political
united front that would take advantage of contradictions within the bourgeoisie,
for example those manifested in the public contradiction between Mr and
Mrs Fujimoro. From what has been posted to this list, quite a number of
left wing organisations have taken up a position of compromise with some
sections of the Peruvian national bourgeoisie. I would be interested to
know whether Carlos rules that out as a matter of principle.

There were several posts all told between 11th September and 18th September
on Peru. Apologies to all who have been misrepresented but I found them
interesting again and I do not think we should start again at square one.
Out of them all, I thought it was worth copying again the one below,
because even if on some points no doubt highly contestable,
it had elements of a class-based and concrete analysis.

At the same time if the PCP continues to exist it too continues to need
analysis, and the contradictions that give rise to it.

Chris B
London.

________________________________________________________


From: "Gonzalez, Francisco" <GONZALEZ@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 11 Sep 1995 15:47:28 -0400
Subject: Re: Shining Path and Ridgway

I just have one question regarding the MIM; WHO ARE these guys, and how
can they even begin to justify the murdering practices of the
Senderistas? I have followed the events in Peru for the last 10 years,
both thorough mainstream and "alternative" media from the US and Latin
American, besides personal contacts with Peruvians of all political
points of view. To state that the assassinations like the one described
by Louis where isolated event is nonsense. Sendero Luminoso carried out
thousands of similar assassinations across Peru, I guess as a way to
intimidate the campesinos and the Aymara and Quechua Indians into
supporting their "revolution". The Indians, who are devoutly Christian,
and  lack a strong "class" (as opposed to ethnic) consciousness, resented
the heavy handed "reeducation" tactics of the Senderistas (who, as hinted
in Louis posting, were mostly non-Indian mestizos from the cities,
ignorant of the languages and ways of the highland peoples). Sendero also
carried out terrorist attacks in Lima, detonating car bombs in crowded
shopping districts as well as on the wealthy neighborhoods of the city.
This campaign of terror gave Fujimori the perfect excuse for his coup,
also allowing him the opportunity to blame Sendero Luminoso the economic
problems of the country (caused in reality by the corruption and
incompetence of Fujimori's and Alan Garcia's administrations). As a foot
note, I want to remember the readers that the military junta that ruled
Peru during the 1970's had strong leftist tendencies (the USSR provided
advanced military equipment , Soviets and Cubans served as technicians
and trainers of the Peruvian military; also civilians from Cuba and USSR
served as engineers, teachers, doctors, etc.). The military is an
inefficient (was badly defeated early this year by the smaller,
ill-equipped Ecuadorians), corrupt (due to bribes from cocaine lords) and
ideologically bankrupt organization, whose brutality in repressing the
Sendero Luminoso undoubtedly cased the deaths of thousands of innocents
but is not the driving force behind the current regime. It can maintain
Fujimori in power because there is no effective political opposition,
specially from the Left, thanks to the ideologically driven murders of
Sendero. Since the capture of Abimael Guzman, Sendero Luminoso is less of
a threat, but I think that the damage done to the progressive forces in
Peru limits their ability to mobilize against Fujimori. It is the
"neoliberal" right (led by writer Mario Vargas Llosa and former UN
secretary general Javier Perez de Cuellar) that is the main opposition
force to Fujimori.

Francisco J. Gonzalez

gonzalez@xxxxxxxxxxxx








     --- from list marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ---

     ------------------