Date: Tue, 16 Jul 96 12:08:43 PDT
From: LCMRCI <global-AT-uk.pi.net>
Subject: On the defeated coup in Paraguay




THE MASSES DEFEATED A COUP D'ETAT IN PARAGUAY
Paraguay is one of the centers of the mass resistance in Latin
America. Few days before the 48 hour general strike convine by
the three national unions for the 2 and 3 of May, the chieff of
the army, general Lino Oviedo, launched a coup d'etat on April
22.
Juan Carlos Wasmosy, the first civic president of Paraguay in
decades, decided to ask for his resignation from the chieff of
the army. In response Oviedo made a putch. Thousands occupied 
the
streets to fight against the coup. Neverthelss, Wasmosy made an
increadible deal. He put general Oviedo as his defence minister.
The new chieff of the army, general Oscar Diaz Dalmas, declared
that he is a follower of Oviedo and that he accept the agreement.
This provoke a crisis in his cabinet and demonstrations of great
repulse in the population. Nearly all the cabinet, except the
chancellor Luis Mari's Rami'rez Boettner, didn't participated in
the posesion of Oviedo as defence minister.
The big mass demonstrations pressure the government. Oviedo and
Rami'rez had to resign. After this victory the workers have to
be confident in their struggle and to have a class independence.
They have to create a pole of attraction as a class to the
peasants and poor people. All the union and peasant organisation
have to create a Struggle National Committee with rank and file
delegates. They should demand not only the resignation of Oviedo
but the abolition of the officer corps, the cancellation of the
external debt and the expropiation of the capitalists. For that
reason the workers and peasant organisation have to break with
the bourgeoisie and organise popular assemblies, militias and
soliders union and fight for the power. 
Wasmosy and Oviedo are members of the same official party (the
Colorados - Colorured) that ruled Paraguay since the time of the
terrible and Nazi-protector dictator Stroessner. The main opponet
of Wasmosy, Luis Mar'ia Arga=A4a, decided to have a complete
silence during the coup. General Oviedo now is launching an
electoral campaign for the presidential elections of 1998 and he
is being supported by the "Democratic" faction of the Coloured
party. Vice-president Roberto Seifart, criticised the Wasmosy-
Oviedo deal and now is trying to capitalise the anti-militarist
opposition. The toilers should not have to trust in any of this
wings of the ruling party. They have to create their own and
revolutionary party. 

28 April,
Ramon Aguilera (member of Poder Obrero and
of the Liaison Committee of dissident members of the LRCI)

FOR THE COORDINATION OF THE GENERAL STRIKE OF BOLIVIA AND
PARAGUAY
Resolution of Poder Obrero (Bolivia) and Socialist Labour Party
(Paraguay)

The indefinite general strike that is happening in Bolivia and
the 48 hours general strike convine for 2 and 3 of May in
Paraguay had the same enemy: the IMF and its plans of
privatisations and adjustments.
The Socialist Labour Party of Paraguay and Workers Power of
Bolivia decided to launch a combine campaign for the defence and
coordination of both fights. Our organisations assume the
compromise to propaganidise both actios and to build solidarity
relations between Bolivian and Paraguayan unions.
This paralisations are the vanguard of mass resistance in the
continent. We have to fight for its victory and to stop the
meassures of repression (including a probable state of siege or
coup) and the conciliation of labour bureaucracies.
We fight under the aim that this struggles should have to be led
by strike committees with rank and file elected and recallable
leaders and that it have to be create popular assemblies, self-
defence pickets and the peasant-worker alliance.
We call the unions in Boloivia and Paraguay to meet, coordinate
and to convine the rest of the continetla union organisations
with the task of launching a continental fight action/
Cancellation of the foreign debt and rupture with the IMF!
For the defence of the public companies and the re-
nationalisation of the privatised companies under workers'
control!
Socialist Labour Party (Paraguay)
Poder Obrero (Workers Power) Bolivia
Mid-April 1996




     --- from list marxism-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---