by Carlos L. Diaz
Recently the world has witnessed many protests, most notably, those in Brazil and Turkey. But there is one which has been sidestepped by the international news media. Last Tuesday, a group of approximately one hundred senior citizens occupied the Nicaraguan Social Security Institute to demand partial pensions which the Sandinista government has refused to pay.
The country’s National Police reacted in a very repressive manner, leading some protesters to compare it to the National Guard that terrorized citizens during the Somoza dynasty. The tactics used by this police force are strikingly similar to that of the most brutal Roman Legions. They shut off the power and water supply to the building and prohibited anyone from bringing food, water or medicine to the protesters. The use of such tactics motivated many younger people, mostly university students, to join the protest and look for innovative ways to get supplies to the elder blockaded protesters–some young demonstrators climbed to the surrounding roofs and tossed food and bottled water to the elderly before the government forces managed to bring them down. The occupiers were forced out of the building on Thursday at 1 a.m.
The source of the protests can be traced to an election strategy used by Daniel Ortega–the country’s totalitarian president, drunkard, pedophile, and well-rounded idiot. Before the last election, Mr. Ortega offered help to many elder voters who were not eligible to receive pension or social security payments because they did not meet the required 750 weeks of payments to the system. Once Ortega was reelected these benefits rapidly vaporized.
This unnecessary use of police force against pacific protests on behalf of reasonable demands–protesters were asking for a $50 a month pension after a lifetime of work–show the latest phase in Daniel Ortega’s plan to remain in power indefinitely, while draining the scarce resources of the second poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. Ortega was never able to overcome his loss in 1990, this explains why, when he came back in 2006, he was determined to exercise total control through violence. In 2011 he was reelected in what was an obvious violation of the Central American nation’s constitution, which clearly states that consecutive terms are not allowed. He overcame this constitutional hurdle by replacing ambivalent supreme court justices with loyal ones. In his efforts to become his country’s Fidel Castro, Ortega has made access to many state-run programs available only to members of his party, in a nation this poor people are willing to do anything to receive any help they can.
Ortega, like Chavez, has decided to add another totalitarian ingredient to his slogan of socialism, Christianity. It is not news to anyone that totalitarian socialism as a political system has been losing its appeal since the demise of the Soviet Union. To make it more appealing to the disenfranchised masses of poor Latin American nations, Chavez and Ortega added a strong religious aspect to the system. This Machiavellian tactic seems to be effective, especially because the poorest people in Latin America also happen to be the most religious ones. The late Venezuelan leader went as far as claiming a sort of divine inspiration or command to justify his authoritarian policies.
The United States has remained oblivious to the situation in Nicaragua. Apparently Washington does not want to intervene for fears that it might remind some of the actions it took throughout the 20th century, when it actively aided the repression of the Nicaraguan people. I can understand this fear, but I feel this is a chance for the United States to show the world that it regrets its past actions and it is willing to help its neighbors reach a stable liberal democracy. I am not proposing any form of military intervention. There are many other tools at the disposal of this nation to aid Nicaragua and other countries before it is too late. The United States can put pressure on many international aid organizations which are currently aiding the Ortega regime. The U.S. is the main provider of funds to the Organization of American States (OAS). The United States can use the power vested in the OAS to pressure the Nicaraguan government to change course.
Eclectic Affinities 