Peru revolt leader to fight polls

[bemildred]

A former army officer who led a brief revolt against Peru's government in 2000 has officially registered to run in presidential elections next year.

Recent opinion polls have shown growing support for Ollanta Humala, who has argued for a nationalist energy policy.

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Correspondents say he is similar to leftist Venezuelan head Hugo Chavez, who also led a failed military coup.

Mr Humala has said he is outraged at the way some of Peru's traditional parties are exploiting a current debate over pardoning military officers blamed for human rights abuses in the fight against Shining Path guerrillas in the 1980s and 1990s.

BBCi

[High Plains]

1. This is the "etnocacerista" movement.

Ollanta Humala and his brother Antauro are a pair of ex-military guys. Ollanta rose up in 2000 against Fujimori and Montesinos in a filed coup attempt for which he was later pardoned. Antauro led an uprising in January 2005 where a few people were killed.

As best as I can tell, the Humala brothers and their etnocacerista movement are into Inca nationalism, legalization of the coca leaf, and nationalizing industry. Many of the people in the movement are current or ex-military.

I've heard talk that important national coca growers' leader Nancy Obregon may be his vice-presidential candidate, but I haven't seen that confirmed. Obregon was arrested on December 16 for failure to appear for sentencing on charges related to disturbances during a coca growers protest last year. As far as I know, she's still in jail. She's quite a gal.

Peru is ripe for something like this. Shit has been festering there for years.

[bemildred]

2. I have been wondering what would happen in Peru.

Someone like Toledo creates a vacuum that other leaders can step into. It would appear that the examples of Chavez and Morales have been observed in Peru.

[High Plains]

3. Military populism again rears its head

I look at guys like things and I am reminded of the Latin American tradition of left-leaning populist military leaders. Guys like Julio Prestes in Brazil in the 1920s, Peron in Argentina, the Peruvian generals under Velasco in the late 1960s, some Guatemalan officers in the early 1960s, Lucio Gutierrez in Ecuador (what a disappointment), and Chavez.

Some people look at guys like Peron and see not left populism but fascism (and in fact, Peronism split into left and right wings in the 1970s). Some of my Peruvian friends feel that way about these guys.

[manic expression]

4. I'm not sure about that

there have been MANY more rightist coups and military juntas (which is, by definition, rightist). Chile and Guatemala both had elected leftist leaders usurped by a coup and replaced by juntas. Nicaragua is another example, while El Salvador suffered under a junta for the longest time, before the reforms of FMLN were won by armed struggle.

If I recall, I think Argentina has mostly been conservative, always having capitalism for different reasons (it actually developed a middle class, for starters).

Furthermore, Chavez and this guy may HAVE BEEN military, but they are now using elections as their route to change.

[High Plains]

6. Yes, of course, most military coups have been rightist.

I don't mean to suggest otherwise. But there is also a tradition of left-populist military officers occasionally rising up in Latin America. That's what I was pointing out. I suggested that the Ollanta brothers could be seen as coming out of that tradition.

[manic expression]

7. OK

Thanks for clarifying.

[bemildred]

5. I think of it more as nationalism.

But you have to see what they do. They all spout
the same rhetoric, left, right, center, it's all the
same bullshit. How's the literacy rate? Poverty rate?
Health care system? Elections? And so on. Those are
the questions that matter, that indicate quality of
governance.

[pinerow]

8. Hate to disagree..Peron was no leftist...let's remember that he

succor and asylum to the worst dregs of humanity...nazi war criminals...!

[Flanker]

9. Peron is difficult to peg

Mostly because he changed with the wind. Both sides may see a negative but Argentinians in general like him.

In a way he is a real populist with few convictions.

[Peace Patriot]

10. Here is an incredible series of articles on the Bolivarian Revolution,

focused mainly on Venezuela:
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/articles.php?sec=bp

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com is a superb source of info on Venezuela in general. I have not found a similar source of independent/alternative news & comment on Peru or So. America in general. But venezuelanalysis.com gives you a good sense of what's going on in So. America.

The Bolivarian Revolution appears to be what's behind this amazing transformation in South America, where virtually the entire map of the subcontinent has gone "blue" over the last several years--with the election of leftist governments in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Venezuela and now Bolivia. Probably the main key to it is honest, transparent elections, heavily monitored by the OAS, EU groups and the Carter Center. (It's amazing what you can do if you have the right to vote!)

Another element is the coming to power of Latin America's vast poor population, mostly indigenous, who have for so long been cruelly exploited by their own rich elites in collusion with US-based global corporate predators and others. In Bolivia, for instance, the electoral revolution (election of Evo Morales) was driven by a peoples' revolt against Bechtel, which had somehow gained control over Bolivia's water supply and then started charging peasants for collecting RAINWATER. Bechtel was thrown out of Bolivia! And in the recent election (Dec '05) Bolivians overwhelmingly elected as president a man--Evo Morales--who campaigned with a wreath of pure coca leaves around his neck, vowed to end the murderous US-backed "war on drugs," and stated that, "I am the United States' worst nightmare." Evo is peasant stock himself, raised in the mountains by coca leaf growers, and has an 8th grade education, but at the same time is extremely intelligent and sophisticated, like Hugo Chavez.

A rejection of US corporate mono-culture; emphasis on local indigenous music and art, and developing it as a MARKET, empowerment of local communities; it is nationalist to some extent (pride in country) but not in the sense of rivaling other So. American countries--the So. American countries are instead BANDING TOGETHER in regional political and economic alliances. They have been very influential at the WTO in 3rd world solidarity against the big economic powers. and it's all based on empowerment of the poor at the local level.

A mix of business/trade, economic smarts and socialism--use of the country's resources to help the poor, never before served by government. In Venezuela, for instance, use of some of the oil revenues for schools, medical clinics, community centers and startup money for small businesses (with the view to diversification--the oil can't last forever). Also land reform. PEACEFUL, DEMOCRATIC reforms aimed at equity and fairness--not confiscation or "a war on the rich."

Casting off US/Euro domination, exploitation and colonial oppression, once and for all. No more "banana republics." The irony is that the US is now the "banana republic" with the people of the US greatly oppressed by the US-based corporations and war profiteers spawned on our shores, based on our resources, labor and ingenuity, and for so long oppressing the people in other countries. Now they are draining US dry, looting our economy gouging us on energy, writing our laws, deregulating themselves, rigging our elections, manufacturing boondoggle wars, monopolizing our public airwaves, and on and on. This is why Hugo Chavez, for instance, has arranged to supply cheap heating oil to the US poor this winter. He understands that WE are the oppressed.

I don't know how Ollanta Humala/Peru fits into this picture. I'm ignorant of Peruvian politics. It's true that Chavez in Venezuela is former military. But he turned against any coup efforts, and became passionately committed to democracy and to Venezuela's new constitution. He has been elected president by big majorities in heavily monitored elections--all the monitoring groups judged the elections to be transparent and aboveboard.

It seems likely that Peru will be following this trend--toward popular electoral revolution. It's hard to guess from this OP where Humala/Peru is headed, but there is a leftist revolution happening all around them in So. America, very beneficial to the countries involved. Sounds like Peru may want to join in.

I want to say something about Hugo Chavez's and Evo Morales faces. Yes, their faces. Because I find this so impressive. Big, brown peasant faces, with some kind of light in them. In their eyes. These are happy men. Interesting men. Men with a sense of humor, and much self-confidence. Open smiles. Honest. Not closed off from ordinary people and living in elite circles, like so many of our US politicians. And not self-centered and egocentric and overly pampered. Not full of themselves, as are so many leaders on the world stage. Not corrupt. And the big brown peasantness of their faces--the indigenous roots--points to the heart of this revolution: the So. American majority coming into its own at last. Brown faces leading So. America. Amazing . Wonderful. And so-o-o-o-o-o right on.

Now if we can just get transparent elections in the US.

[NuttyFluffers]

11. i honestly have no idea how i feel about this

peru has always been a very fascinating land where it's best to expect the unexpected. i'm wondering what the hell toledo has been doing there; seems to have just been sitting on his ass. but into this leadership vacuum i have no idea what's gonna fill it in peru. all i know is that the indios are getting very, very tired of incompetency in gov't at all levels. gonna be an interesting thing to watch.

well, at least it's so far a non-violent approach to change in peru... maybe decriminalization in bolivia and peru might gut our war on drugs effort, which would be a good thing all around. in only we could get rid of the harrison act and the rest of the war on drugs stupidity that we still carry on about. too many bad guys profiting on both sides of the drug war.