importado (issue v)

8/3/2019 Importado (Issue V)

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EO IMPORTADO ISSUE V 24 NOVEMBER 2008

UNITED WORLD COLLEGE OF COSTA RICA PAGE 1

In this issue:

Yo ya no pertenezco a

ningn ismo

The ANC from Liberator to

ruling party

El verde del dlar oscureceel verde de la naturaleza

The Grumpy Canadian

Golden Oppurtunity

IMPORTANT MES-

SAGE

Democracy = No king?

Un solo Mxico, pero con

dos presidentes

Painful

Political Obstacles and

Solutions

Into Africa

Note from the Editors

The theme this issue is Political Ideology: what is your Political Ideology? How does it affect

you? How do the Political Ideologies (or lack thereof) of the people in charge of you affect

you? How have your Political Ideologies evolved in your time here? Have you even formed a

Political Ideology yet? The response has been varied from explanations of current political

situations to arguments about theories, to reasons for not pertaining to any particular ideol-

ogy. We are hoping that these articles will provoke thought and reflection, hopefully to the

extent that there will be some replies for a Letters To The Editor Page in the next edition.

We leave you to the philosophiess of your fellow community members.


2/21

EOR IMPORTADO ISSUE V 24 NOVEMBER 2008


Hace pocos das, Tom me llamcomunista durante una charla decafetera. Yo me desat deltrmino porque ms all de la

simpata que encuentre conmuchas ideas rojas, no consideroque mi conviccin sea losuficientemente fuerte para hacer

justicia al trmino. Tom mepregunt entonces que qu era yo,socialista? capitalista?

anarquista? Al quedarme sinhabla, me puse a pensar Por qu

es importante tener una ideologa

poltica definida?

La ideologa poltica es muchasveces vista como evidencia de la

preocupacin de un individuo porlas problemticas de su entorno,como el punto de cosmovisin delmismo, como demostracinconcreta de los valores de la

persona.

Yo no concuerdo

con esto.

Las ideologas polticas marcan,indefectiblemente, una lnea de

pensamiento que el individuo eligeadoptar. Sin embargo, ah seoculta una caracterstica inherente

a las mismas: son tericas.Tomando esto en cuenta, se

desatan una serie de dificultades y

limitaciones en la puesta en

prctica, que paradjicamente se producen por las ilimitadasvariables que puede haber de las

mismas teoras.

Muchas interpretaciones deideologas polticas fueron y son

sumamente criticadas por ladistancia que conservan con la

idea original. La URSS, el ejemploms evidente para cualquierestudiante de Historia, se asociadirectamente con el SocialismoReal, siendo que el modelo degobierno all implementado sealej profundamente de las bases

tericas y los ideales delSocialismo. Entonces, si lasideologas no necesariamenteguan de forma fiel el curso de unEstado o sector de la sociedad,Qu rol cumplen dentro de losindividuos particularmente y

dentro de la sociedad como un

todo? Pues no pretendo dar unarespuesta completa a tan amplia

pregunta, pero s expresar mi

opinin al respecto.

Las ideologas adoptadas suelencumplir en el individuo lasfunciones de orientacin y de gua

para conformar y consolidarnociones bsicas como las del bieno el mal. Esto puede considerarse

como positivo a nivel individual,

pues se supera la angustia propiade la desorientacin moral y

poltica. Adems, el individuoadquiere soporte poltico parallevar a cabo acciones que no slole conciernen a l sino a una

mayor porcin de la sociedad, conla conviccin de que las mismasson positivas. Sin embargo, una

moral fuertemente arraigada a unaideologa se contrapone por

definicin a aquello que la exceda,

y esto no est lejos de tratarse deuna dependencia o, en ciertoscasos, adoctrinamiento. Elindividuo consigue una direccin

poltica, pero atarse a ella puederesultar en la parcialidad nocivaque condicione su visin de la

realidad.

Por eso no considero que la falta

de ideologa poltica pueda sertraducida automticamente en la

falta de inters por problemticassociales. No pertenecer a ningnismo no significa no tenerideologa, o no tener inters en lasmismas. Personalmente, pienso

que es ms fcil para un individuoanalizar fenmenos y situaciones

sociales cuando no se tienen preconceptos que condicionendirectamente las conclusiones alrespecto. S creo que las

ideologas ya existentes deben seranalizadas, evaluadas yconsideradas, pero conservar la

capacidad de crtica esfundamental para crear una visin

personal que refleje un anlisisoriginal y autntico sobre algo tandebatible como las tramas

sociales.

Es cierto que las ideologas polticas brindan un sentido de

pertenencia que no siente aquelindividuo que se desliga de lasmismas. Sin embargo, la mera

desorientacin no parece unarazn vlida para ligarse a unaideologa fija. Yo ya no

pertenezco a ningn ismo y esodesorienta, aunque prefiero ver

que tambin abre un puado deoportunidades para la

interpretacin personal de larealidad social. Y quizs eso sea lo

Yo ya no pertenezco a ningn ismo

ismo


3/21



Formed in 1912 as the South Af-

rican National Native Congress(SANNC) with the intention of

representing the rights and needs

of the black population, the ANC

played a major role in resisting

the Apartheid regimes suppres-

sion of South Africas black ma-

jority. This article aims to discuss

the present-day situation in South

Africa and the impact the ANC

has had on South Africas post-

Apartheid history. Negotiations

to end Apartheid began in Febru-

ary 1990 and culminated in South

Africas first democratic and

multi-racial elections in April

1994. The ANC won 62.65% of

votes in 1994, followed by

66,35% in 1999 and 69,69% in

the 2004 general election.1 The

ANC holds enough seats (more

than 66%) in Parliament to uni-

laterally alter the Constitution.

The ANC defines itself as a dis-ciplined force of the left2, with a

socialist and Pan-African ideol-

ogy. Due to its participation in

the Triapartheid Alliance, which

consists of the South African

Communist Party (SACP) and

the Congress of South African

Trade Unions (COSATU), the

ANC comprises of many factions

and has suffered due to deep di-

visions within the party and the

broader alliance. Despite it cap-

turing the majority of votes, theANC faces many challenges

ahead of next years general elec-

tions.

The ANC government has failed

to deal with certain issues, such

as improving service delivery and

eradicating poverty. High unem-

ployment rates, crime and

HIV/AIDS are also pressing is-

sues that still have to be properlydealt with. I am also of the belief

that the ANC government could

have done more regarding ending

Mugabes reign and the accom-

panying suffering of Zimbabwe-

ans. 5.5 million of the popula-

tion3 is said to be living with

HIV/AIDS and 18.17% of adults

between the ages of 15 to 49 are

infected with the disease.4 The

former president of South Africa

and the ANC, Thabo Mbeki, once

stated that the main cause of HIV

was poverty. During his presi-

dency, the government was per-

ceived as an AIDS denialist.

The then Health Minister, Manto-

Tshabala Msimang, advocated a

diet of garlic, olive oil and lemon

in an attempt to fight off the dis-

ease. Even though Dr.Msimang

has been replaced as the Health

Minister, ARVs are still not pro-vided to those who need it.

HIV/AIDS has had an extremely

negative impact on South African

society, as many children have

been left orphaned and there has

been a rapid increase in child-

headed households, especially in

rural areas. The available

workforce has also decreased,

affecting South Africas eco-

nomic prospects negatively.

Along with HIV/AIDS, crime is a

major factor contributing to thediscontent of South Africans.

Even though official statistics

attest to a decrease in crime, the

public feel less safe than ever

before. In September 2007, the

murder rate stood at 18.7%, inde-

cent assault at 8.9% and rape at a

staggering 47.8%.5 It is clear that

something drastic must be done

to act as a deterrent against

criminals. Criminals are not dealt

with decisively, as the judicial

system is overloaded with pend-

ing cases. The South African Po-

lice Service is under-staffed, not

enough funds are allocated for

adequate training and the remu-

neration packages for police offi-

cers are not sufficient to attract or

retain officers. Linked to poverty

and crime is the unemployment

rate. According to official esti-

mates, 24.3% of South Africansare unemployed and 50% of the

population lives below the pov-

erty line. Despite robust eco-

nomic growth since the demise of

Apartheid, South Africa (Africas

largest and strongest economy)

has one of the most unequal in-

come distributions in the world.

In 2000, Statistics South Africa

reported that on average, a white

household earned six times morethan a black household did. Even

though the GDP (PPP) has in-

creased to $ 101876, the gap be-

tween rich and poor is becoming

more evident. Statistics bear

proof to this- the richest 20% re-

ceive 22 times more income than

the poor. The poor receive only

2.9% of the national income.7

Income inequality has lead to

various social problems, such ascrime and the increased spread of

THE ANC- FROM LIBERATOR TO RULING PARTY


4/21

IMPORTADO ISSUE V 24 NOVEMBER 2008


WE WANT YOUR VOICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Any responses that members of the community have for articles or issues

raised in this first edition should be sent to [email protected] because weplan to establish a Letters to The Editor section in the next publication (if we

get any responses this time).

disease. Poor people simply can-

not afford basic health care,

which is sometimes not ade-

quately provided by state hospi-

tals. Many resort to crime as ameans to provide food for their

families. Crime has become the

easy way out for the destitute-

its an almost effortless means of

earning an income and the

chances of being prosecuted are

slim.

In an attempt to re-distribute in-

come more equitably, the ANC

introduced legislation known asBlack Economic Empowerment,

which aims to make the economy

more representative of the coun-

trys demographics. Due to

Apartheid and its economic poli-

cies, the control of public and

private businesses is largely still

in the hands of white individuals.

BEE applies to Blacks, Col-

oureds (mixed-race), Indians and

Chinese, all of who were ex-

cluded from widespread eco-

nomic participation (e.g. owner-

ship of companies) during

Apartheid. Companies are scored

according to ownership; man-

agement practices, employment

equity, skills development etc

and thus quotas are set for black

ownership of firms. Depending

on the companys turnover and

the sector within it operates, cer-

tain BEE goals have to be met.These goals must be met to allow

firms to tender for lucrative gov-

ernment contracts. In my opin-

ion, the idea behind BEE (redis-

tributing wealth across all racial

lines) is needed, as the majority

of those who are poor and cannot

afford basic services are black.

Yet, the manner in which BEE

has been implemented and theeffects thereof are what I do not

agree with. Many say that BEE

has caused the exodus of skilled

white-professionals to countries

like Australia, the US and the

UK. Thus, many important posi-

tions are filled by incompetent

individuals, who are employed

simply because they are black.

South Africa is reeling from a

skills-shortage. Examples in-

clude teaching and health-care.

Each year, thousands of teachers

leave the profession, but less

than half of that figure is trans-

lated into those entering the pro-

fession. Hospitals are severely

understaffed in certain regions of

the country. Nurses are highly

sought after abroad and by pri-

vate hospitals and government

simply cannot compete with the

wages and working conditionsoffered. BEE deals have created

a clique of extremely rich black

individuals, such as Patrice Mot-

sepe, Africas only black billion-

aire8, Cyril Ramaphosa and To-

kyo Sexwale. A major criticism

is that in general, most of those

who have benefited from BEE

also have ties to the ANC. How-

ever, the average black man on

the street does not benefit fromthese transactions, as he has no

money to participate in BEE

share deals nor does he have the

expertise to work at an executive

level within a large firm. Instead

of focusing on transforming the

existing workforce, the ANC

government should have

placed much more emphasis

on education and training.

Improving the standards ofeducation, the availability

and distribution of educa-

tional resources and higher

salaries for teachers are all

examples of how this issue

could have been addressed. It

should however be noted that

the ANC government inher-

ited a very unequal educa-

tional system from the

Apartheid government,

whereby most blacks re-

ceived an inferior education,

which has contributed to the

present-day skills shortage.

In December 2007, Mbeki

was succeeded as president

of the ANC by Jacob Zuma.

Zuma is widely tipped to be-

come the next president of

South Africa, yet he has been

tried in court for rape, cor-

ruption, racketeering, money

laundering and fraud charges.

Zuma was fired from his po-

sition as Deputy President of

South Africa in March 2005

after his financial advisor,

Schabir Shaik, was sentenced

to 15 years imprisonment on

fraud charges. He was acquit-

ted on the rape charge on 8

May 2006, as the judge be-lieved the accuser was lying

to the court due to the fact

that she had accused other

men before Zuma of rape. On

12 September 2008, the


5/21



charges against Zuma were de-

clared unlawful, as Zuma was

not given a chance to make rep-

resentations before he was

charged. A possible presidentialcandidate so tainted by the media

creates a PR problem for South

Africa internationally. Yet in

South Africa, Zuma is seen as a

man of the people; one who re-

spects and upholds his Zulu cul-

ture. During in rape trial, his

supporters held many night vigils

for him and chanted pro-Zuma

sayings outside court day after

day. Furthermore, at the ANCsNational Conference of Decem-

ber 2007, new members were

elected to its National Executive

Committee. 16% of the new

NEC are either post-apartheid

convicted criminals or suspects

in criminal investigations, many

on counts of fraud.9

This article has painted a grim

outlook of South Africa. Yet, Ifeel there is no better time to be

alive in South Africa. This can

be seen by comparing the life I

have led so far to that of my par-

ents. I could go to any school I

want to, provided that there were

no financial constraints. I have

freedom of speech, religion and

may belong to any political party

I want to. Provided that I was 18,

I could even form my own partyand stand for elections. These are

all things my parents could not

do under Apartheid. The oppor-

tunities available to me are end-

less- all my parents could be-

come were teachers or nurses!

The ANC will always be seen as

the organization that had the

greatest share in bringing down

the Apartheid regime and its rac-

ist policies. Millions of SouthAfricans (including myself) will

always be grateful to the ANC

and freedom fighters from vari-

ous other movements, such as

the UDF and PAC, for what they

have done. 1994 hailed the be-ginning of a multicultural and

multiracial democratic South Af-

rica.

I feel the ANC gov-

ernment could have

done much more in

their 14 years in

government.

Their policies have been short-

sighted and corruption has pre-

vented public development. Mil-

lions of South Africans (espe-

cially black) continue to live in

poverty, while politicians be-

come richer and are more fre-

quently linked to fraudulent

business activities. Wealth hasnot been properly re-distributed

and the government has failed to

tackle urgent social issues.

The elections of 2009 will be a

defining moment in South Af-

ricas post-Apartheid history.

Many blacks simply voted for

the ANC, as it is seen as a

black party. The official oppo-

sition, the Democratic Alliance,

who received 12% of the vote in

the last elections, is still seen as

too white. However, on the 1st

of November 2008, a new black

alternative party was formed,

known as Congress of the People

(COPE). COPE comprises of ex-

ANC members, unhappy with

the present ANC leader Jacob

Zuma, his links to corruption

allegations and the manner in

which Thabo Mbeki was forced

to resign. This division in the

ANC and the subsequent

breakaway faction has also cre-

ated an opportunity for the De-

mocratic Alliance to increase

their voter base, as more andmore people have become fed-up

with the ANC and its antics. Nel-

son Mandela, the father of a de-

mocratic and free South Africa

once said: We must use time

wisely and forever realize that

the time is always ripe to do

right. I hope all South Africans

use their democratic right and

exercise their power to vote. One

vote has never had so muchpower! YOUR X, YOUR FU-

TURE! My only regret isI am

too young to exercise mine!

Chad Sonn

1VOTER TURNOUT: 1994:

19533498; 1999: 15977142; 2004:15612671, according to the IEC

2www.anc.org.za (Declaration at the

51st

National Conference- Stellen-bosch 2002)

3Total population estimate: 47.9 mil-

lion

4UNAIDS official statistics

5INCIDENCE PER 100,000 PEO-

PLE. Statistics according to

www.nationmaster.com and

http://www.info.gov.za/issues/crime/crime_aprsept_ppt.pdf(April to Sep-

tember 01-07)

62008 estimate- IMF

7www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0908770.

html

8http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7

281637.stm

9Mail and Guardian: ANCs rogue

gallery- 17 January 2008(www.mg.co.za)


6/21



Existen por lo menos tres interpretaciones de la

crisis ambiental2: a) La tecnocentrista, queidentifica la causa de la crisis con tecnologas y

procesos depredadores, pero cree que es posible

cambiar hacia tecnologas limpias y energas

sustentables. Esta posicin no modifica la

tendencia a expoliar el suelo ms all de sus

posibilidades de recuperacin mientras rinda

ganancia econmica; b) La ecocentrista, que

identifica a la sociedad como consumidora de

productos, usufructuando espacios naturales. No

confa tanto en la tecnologa como solucin sino

en el convencimiento individual y en el cambiode actitudes como instrumentos para transformar

la sociedad. Es ingenua y voluntarista al

privilegiar la actitud individual por sobre las

relaciones econmicas materiales que conducen

al comportamiento depredador y contaminante;

c) La humanista, que considera que el

comportamiento de la sociedad con la naturaleza

depende del tipo de relaciones que se establecen

al interior de la sociedad. A diferencia de las

anteriores, sta entiende que la sociedad est

dividida en grupos y clases con interesesencontrados; y que son esas contradicciones las

que explican el comportamiento con la

naturaleza. Adjudican responsabilidades

diferentes a las distintas clases. Los dueos de

los principales medios de produccin, por

ejemplo, en su afn de crecer econmicamente,

disponen la forma en que se produce, el tipo de

energa y los recursos que se utilizan; sobre ellos

recae, la mayor responsabilidad de los problemas

ambientales. Los trabajadores no pueden ser

responsables de la tecnologa que se usa ni del

desperdicio producido.

Esta tercera interpretacin refiere a desarrollo

como crecimiento econmico. Es la economa

dominante que obedece la frrea lgica de la

maximizacin de los beneficios, la minimaliza-

cin de los costes y la reduccin del tiempo em-

pleado. En funcin de ellos se agilizan todas las

fuerzas productivas para extraer de la Tierra todo

lo que es consumible y apropiarse de ello.

Cunta responsabilidad tienen las economas

centrales en el dao ambiental comparado con laseconomas perifricas? Estados Unidos con el 5%

de la poblacin mundial, consume el 25% de la

produccin. Ellos mismo han calculado que un

nio estadounidense representa un dao ambien-

tal igual a 2 nios suecos, 13 brasileos, 35 indios

y 280 chadianos (sobran los comentarios). La

asimetra entre sociedades centrales y sociedades

perifricas no es slo de poder sino tambin de

destructividad y derroche. Lo que est en crisis es

el modelo econmico capitalista, que sostiene que

los recursos son infinitos

3

.

Pero la conciencia de crisis reconoce que los re-

cursos tienen lmites ya que no todos son renova-

bles (es mejor no producir residuos que resolver

qu hacer con ellos). Este modelo no puede uni-

versalizarse. Por ejemplo si China, con el 21.6%

(1.200.000 millones de habitantes) consumieran

como los norteamericanos, el planeta se acabara

en una semana. Razn tuvo Gandhi cuando des-

pus que India consigui su independencia le

preguntaron: Ahora, qu ambiciones tiene us-

ted para la India? Sin duda desear que la India

adquiera el mismo nivel de vida que Gran Breta-

a? Y Gandhi contest: Le tom a Gran Bretaa

utilizar la mitad de todos los recursos de la tierra

para llegar a ser lo que es en este momento.

Cuntas planetas necesitar India para llegar al

mismo nivel?4. (Otra dimensin de la paz).

Una ltima observacin. Hoy la humanidad mo-

derna opulenta (empastillada, destructiva, despil-

farradora y desesperanzada), se apodera del 40%

de lo que los eclogos llaman Produccin Prima-

El verde del dlar oscurece el verde de la naturaleza1


7/21



Fria Global Neta. Solo una especie, se apodera del

40% de la energa disponible para todos los seres

vivos. La economista norteamericana Joy Bart-

holomew dice que, de mantenerse esta tendencia,hacia el 2050 podran haber desaparecido la mi-

tad de las especies5. (Y nosotros tan buenos, pre-

ocupndonos de salvar las lapas, de organizar la

basura y de reciclar).

Desde la sostenibilidad de la vida sobre la Tierra,

este modelo es inviable; la industrializacin de

China e India (por citar pases con gran pobla-

cin), no debera imitar el modelo de los pases

centrales. Pero esos pases centrales deberan,

asimismo, introducir reformas radicales a su mo-

delo de existencia. (No piensen que no quiero

que chinos e indios tengan sus VMW).

Los entendidos dicen que apostar por el desarro-

llo sostenible es una contradiccin; desarrollo

(como vimos), significa degradacin y dilapida-

cin de los recursos naturales; sostenible, re-

presenta la tendencia de los ecosistemas al equi-

librio dinmico, la cooperacin y la co-

evolucin. Son dos lgicas que se auto-niegan:

una privilegia al individuo; la otra, a la colectivi-

dad. Una subraya la competitividad; la otra la

cooperacin.

Este modelo depredador no es eficiente. Cmo

puede ser eficiente un modelo econmico desen-

frenado que destruye las fuentes de la riqueza?

Acierta Hinkelammert al decir que La eficiencia

se transforma en una competencia de individuos

que cortan la rama sobre la cual estn sentados,

se incitan mutuamente, y que celebran finalmen-

te como el ms eficiente a aqul que primero lle-

ga al final, y cae6. Hay que dudar de la eficien-

cia de la produccin de riqueza, si ella destruye

las mismas fuentes de esa riqueza producida. A

esto Max Weber llama la irracionalidad de lo

racionalizado.

Una produccin es eficiente, slo si reproduce

las fuentes de la riqueza producida; el modelo

econmico actual no lo reproduce. Pero lo que

no tiene lmites es la tozudez; hace pocos das el

G-20 reunido en Washington plante la defensa

del actual sistema como cuestin de fe. Visto as,

seguir imperando el verde del dlar sobre el

verde de la naturaleza.

Abner

1Debo esta imagen a Franz Hinkelammert. La idea de

este artculo es generar discusin sobre interpretaciones

de la crisis ambiental. A falta de espacio ser breve, de-jando algunas ideas sin desarrollar.

2Cf. las ideas del antroplogo y economista Guillermo

Foladori: El pensamiento ambientalista

3 Vase lo sealado por el filsofo Helio Gallardo en:Capitalismo y desarrollo sostenible.

4Citado por el telogo Leonardo Boff en:Florecer en el

Yermo.

5VaseDesarrollo sostenible y polticas econmicas en

Amrica Latina

6Franz Hinkelammert, economista y filsofo alemn en:

Capitalismo sin alternativas? Sobre la sociedad que

sostiene que no hay alternativa para ella.

El tema de la siguiente publicacin de importado ser la religin.Interpreta el tema como desees, sea como discusin de una religin en

particular, un artculo sobre la religin como concepto o una

anticipacin de las festividades que se aproximan. Los artculos debernentregarse antes de la ltima semana del semestre.


8/21



Sympathy and trust

abounding

No more falsehoods orderisions

Golden living dreams

of visions

Mystic crystal revela-

tion

And the mind's true

liberation

Aquarius! Aquarius!

Aquarius, Aquarius we cried,my sisters and I. Truthfully, I

simply cried, I was two years oldand suffering the tyranny of three

hostile older sisters, undiagnosedasthma, eczema and acute allergiesto all of fur- and feather-bearingcreation. Or maybe I was channel-ing the pathos of my generation-

to-be? The sixties had been, in thejargon of the day, A bummer,

man, what with the Russiansbeating the Americans to orbitinga satellite about the earth andmanned space travel, the CubanMissile Crisis and such a grimstring of assassinations that youreally need to remind yourself that

all these men died withinfiveyears of one another: John F. Ken-nedy, Malcolm X, Martin Luther

King Jr. and Robert Kennedy.And then, just as it seemed that

North American civilization coulddeteriorate no further, Richard

Nixon was elected president twice defeating such Demor-

cratic luminaries as Hubert Hum-phrey and George McGovern.Those were dark times. It wasntuntil July 20, 1969, when NeilArmstrong put the first footprint

on either the moon or a Holly-

The Grumpy

Canadian

When I was a boy, my parents

would listen to the Fifth Dimen-sion on our Califone, portable LP

stereo player (LP standing forlong playing vinyl disc). Theywere a groovy five-piece, free-loving, hippy group, the Fifth Di-mension that is, that hit big in1969 with Aquarius/Let the Sun-shine In. On the other hand, my

parents were recent immigrants tothe utopic bliss of Vancouver,British Columbia, Canada. They

were only a couple and, for therecord, neither groovy nor free-loving. My parents were respon-sible, hard-working folk, who in-

stilled in me a deep sense of dis-trust for the coming liberal mind-edness that Aquarius/Let the

Sunshine In prophesied.

Harmony and under-

standing

wood soundstage that there was alittle something to bring us cheer.We didnt care if it the lunar land-

ing was a ruse, we were so primedfor a feel-good story, we wouldhave believed that the man in the

moon had WMDs and Neil andBuzz had gone up there to bringsome six-gun justice to the cos-mos. Besides, back then, withoutthe internet or the world wide webto inform us, conspiracy theories

propagated with the speed of plate

tectonics. Sure, the NASA moonproject budget could have fi-

nanced the ends of hunger, illiter-acy and inadequate healthcare,world-wide, built wind turbinesand solar collectors to re-introducethe ice-age to Scottsdale, Arizona.

But back in those days our neigh-bor to the south was still fighting

wars againstpeople, namely Viet-namese, Cambodians, Laotians,and homegrown, democ-racy/activist movements in theform of unarmed, hippie college

students at Kent State. It wasntuntil the new millennium that bat-

tles would be waged againstnouns. So, as I had been sayingearlier, finally, we had an histori-

cal event we could celebrate in-stead of mourn, and we had the

soundtrack for the happy daysahead. We could at last bid a veryfond farewell to that horrible Age

of Pisces and usher in the prom-ise of a new Orb of Influence:

Aquarius. Just say it; Aquarius.For starters, it was inclusive, wel-coming. Say it again, but this timesavor the last syllable. Us, us, us.It felt good in the mouth. On the

other hand, stand in front of a mir-ror and repeat Pisces. Your face

winds up in a sneer, or at least youend up with an expression worthyof Santa Ana bus driver. We werefinally going to get our act to-


9/21



Queremos or tu voz!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cualquier respuesta o comentario para los artculos de la primera

edicin debern de ser enviados al correo [email protected]

porque planeamos establecer una seccin de Cartas al editor en la

siguiente publicacin.

gether in the seventies, just assoon as Nixon was put behind

bars, and Aquarius/Let the Sun-

shine In affirmed our convictionsthrough constant AM radio rota-tion. Sure, the United States ofAmerica threw a crook out of thePresidency and replaced him witha boob (President Gerald Ford),

who actually stated in a live, tele-vised TV debate with then Gover-nor of Georgia/Trilateral Commis-sion candidate, Jimmy Carter, thatthe Breshnev-led USSR held nosway over Poland in 1976!!!

Give me a second to compose my-self after that fit of laughter Sowhy does an avuncular nincom-

poop matter to American political

history? Dear President Ford, anavowed Eagle Scout, introducedtwo powerful neo-con sociopathsto the Oval office in the person-

ages of Secretary of Defense Don-ald Rumsfeld and Senate majorityleader Dick Cheney, back before

they were called neo-cons and the

public was cynical enough to psy-chologically profile its leaders.For his efforts, for holding the of-fice of the Presidency for feweryears than any other President wholived to exit office, for denying the

Soviets held an iron grip over theWarsaw Pact states, for pardoning

Richard Nixons crimes and forchairing the Warren Commission(that concluded that J.F.K. wasmurdered by a lone crack-pot

patsy who miraculously was able

to fire bullets in Daly Square fromtwo different locations,simultane-ously) this same man was given astate funeral, the only President togain office via the 25

thConstitu-

tional Amendment. Like thedogmatist who can cite verse and

line, few fanatical democrats have

actually read or can name the mostvenerated of republican tomes.

So, lets stop to breathe and take

stock of what we have covered sofar: we were in the late sixties, theAge of Aquarius was supposed tobe dawning, ushering in a time orharmony and understanding.

Lets stick with that lyric as itsounds the least un-American. In

a blink of an eye, hope was gutted

from our horizon and reactionariesstormed the Whitehouse. Mindyou, democracy was still function-ing: the checks and balances put in

place by the founding fatherskicked in, and irresponsible Re-

publican thuggery was replaced byresponsible Republican dema-goguery, with a brief respite ofsouthern Democratic backlash.Im referring to Presidents Nixon,Ford and Carter, not Reagan/Bushthe elder, Clinton and Bush the

younger. Im referring to Water-gate, not the Iran-Contra Affair,nor the first Gulf War or the Oc-cupation of Iraq. Forgive yourselffor getting confused, the puppetshave changed, but the puppet mas-ters have not. If the sixties were

a bummer man then the seven-ties were more of the same badtrip, which rapidly devolved into a

thirty-year psychotic episode. Thepast 40 years have been filled nei-ther with harmony nor understand-ing, but instead with dissonance

and ignorance.

Finally, a question: why should we

study history? Let me quote theeditors introduction from my

ragged,Penguin edition, paper-

back copy of Aristotles The Poli-tics, a book I purchased last sum-mer because a Marxist, El Salva-doran journalist told me I should,

so I did:

The society that loses

its grip on the past is in

danger, for it produces

men who know noth-

ing but the present,and who are not aware

that life has been, and

could be, different

from what it is. Such

men bear tyranny eas-

ily

We live in a time of ignorance; adystopic Age of dissonance, an-tipathy andNoble Lies in which

the past is irrelevant and unworthyof scrutiny. And through thecrackling and popping, The Age ofAquarius still beckons.

Ken Hoffman

AKA fomer chemistry/tok/current

affairs/music teacher/cynic andsage on life.


10/21



Africans, in and out of thedisapora--whether they had left300 years or 2 days earlier, stoodtall on the 4th of November 2008,when the Cable News Network

declared Senator Barack Obama,the projected winner of the USPresidential Elections. I believe

every Black man that was rootingfor Mr. Obamas victory wouldhave loved to savour theirimmediate feelings, tears, shrieks

of joy, into a glass bottle and placeit up onto their pedestals. Thiswould serve as a daily reminder

that a once oppressed (definitelynot the only) race, would forever

be elevated from the hierarchicalranks of the Race Tier. Havingsaid that, this Race Tier has beenself-destructed, because thefundamentals on which it was

constructed upon, have beenproven wrong. Even though this

election is not the only incidentthat has managed this, it is thefinal push of a joint effort of not

just one race, but all. As SenatorObama said: Its been a long time

coming.

The United States has been a

steadfast aide when it comes tofinancing the numerous health,education, housing and economic

developmental projects thatsustain the needs of the African

people. One of President GeorgeW. Bushs positive impacts on theglobal community and specificallythe African continent, is the

establishment of the African

Growth and OpportunitiesAct(AGOA), during his first term

as president. AGOA has openeddoors for millions of Africans:

employment opportunities through

the emergency of sponsored small-scale industries that promote theexportation of African crafts, andother consumer goods made in

Africa. Will Senator Obamacontinue this campaign? Or is the

on-going financial and economiccrisis in the USA a harbinger thatAfrica is to be fnally subjected toreduced funds? This could kick-start an urgency for the continent

to initiate independent and

creative ways to improve ourdesperate situation-the African

way. But, is there an African waythat doesnt include begging for

capital, then siphoning money intoa tank solely for the development

of the persons whose surnameshave a connection to the leaders ofthe country?

I often wonder whether someor most African leaders, are

probably assuming that a Blackman as Commander-in-Chief of

the United States, automaticallymeans more leniency with foreignloans and subsequently, more bail-outs or pardons on these foreignallowances. However, these

leaders that claim to honestlyguide the African continent,mustn't forget that Mr. Obamas

administration is going to be runon a cutthroat preciseness in

helping the United States recoverfrom the prevailing credit

crunch. Yes, there will be aid, butaid that will require regularfollow-ups to ensure its being

utilized in the right ventures, notthe wrong stomachs. Maybe Mr.

Obama and his team can insteadprovide for the ailing and needyAfrican states that require Anti-Retro Viral (ARV) drugs forHIV/AIDS, advanced equipment

essential for the clean and efficientmanufacture of drugs. This way,

there is no way funds will be re-directed to another pressing

project, for example; buying new

Mercedes Benz cars for Stateministers. Hooray! Corruptiondefinitely will not go undetected. Ithink. Even though Obama does

promise to increase aid to theprogression of African countries, it

will not be by a large margin forthe US has its own fires to put out.

What the people of Africa can

genuinely learn from Sen.Obamas victory, is inspiration.For me, inspiration targeted for theyouth. To realize that indeed:Yes, we can throw out (not

physically), those incompetent,ruthless, greedy, amoral and

corrupt sons and daughters of themotherland we call our Presidents,Prime Ministers, Overseers oreven Generals. We are going tocry some more, and lose a fewmore lives in this fight for trueindependence. Not from a

colonial/foreigner master, butfrom fellow citizens who feel they

have the right to be super-glued tothe seats with ultimate power.

In retrospect, many have

professed that throughout this 20+months election period, that it tooka bad president: Mr. G.W. Bush,for the emergence of individualslike Mr. Obama: the hopefullygood president, for change tofinally come.

Optimistically, the millions ofAfricans exasperated with their

countrys government, can, andshould borrow a leaf.

Yes, anything is possible. Yes,

we can do it.

Nicole Magabo

What I think P

What I think President-

ElectObamas victory mean for

Africa

Golden

Opportunity


11/21



IMPORTANTMESSAGE:Messagefromtheheadofthe

state:Dearmembersofour

community,

Asyouallmaybeaware,

therehavebeenaseriesofevents

thathavegeneratedwidespread

concernamongstusand

thatshouldleadusintoadeepre

flection.

Thisisoutsideofthenormalweekly

addresstothecommunity;many

communitymemberscontinueread

ingoutofcuriosityfortheabnormalprocedures.Astheycontinueread

inganotherpassagestrikesthem:

Inordertomakethere

flectionprocessmoreeffectivewe

wouldliketoasktherespective

Tutor

Groupstomeetthisweek

(Friday,thelatest)todiscussand

thinkaboutthissituation.Onthe

meantime,alongwiththe

PeacepillarandtheStudentCouncil

Mediators,weareorganizinga

reflectionprocessfor

whichwewillsendyouaseriesof

guidequestionstobeaddressedin

the

TutorGroupsaccordingly.

Thistrulyisanemergencymatter

forallnormalproceduresarebeing

brokenandanewseriesofprotocol

takingplace.Communitymembers

notethechangeintheirschedule

andthosepartsofthebodiesofgovernment(PeacePillar,student

council,mediationteam)named

wonderwhentheywillbegintoad

dressthisissueconsideringtheir

currentlyfilledcalendars.

Wemustobservethis

situation,amongstothers,carefully

totrulyfindthepoliticalnatureof

ourcollege.Theabovepassageis

anexaggeration(orevenanad

justedpointofview)ofaneventon

campus,yetitistoshowhowour

campuscanbecomparedtoagov

ernmentthatcouldexistintodays

world.Insteadofaheadofstate

wehaveaheadmaster,insteadof

governmentagencieswehavepillars,insteadofacongressorpar

liamentwehaveastudentcouncil

andstaffmeetingsandsoonandso

forth.Nowbeforewegoontrying

toanalyzethepoliticalnatureof

ourcollegewemustdefinepolitics:

Theartorscienceofgov

ernmentorgoverning,es

peciallythegoverningofa

politicalentity,suchasa

nation,andtheadministra

tionandcontrolofitsinternalandexternalaf

fairs.1

Usingthisdefinitionwemust

evaluatewhetherweareapolitical

entity.Wecanlikenourselvestoa

nationorstate:wehaveborders,

wehavebothinternalandexternal

affairs,wehavemembersofthe

community(otherwisereferredto

ascitizensorresidentsinnations),

andwehaverules(otherwisereferredtoaslawsinnations).As

sumingthatweareapoliticalentity

thenwhatpoliticsdowefollow,or,

asisthethemeofthisissue,what

politicalideologydowefollow?

Beforeansweringwemustdefine

ideology:

Thebodyofdoctrine,

myth,belief,etc.,that

guidesanindividual,social

movement,institution,

class,orlargegroup."2

Usingthesedefinitionswecancre

ateasimpledefinitionofthepoliti

calideology:

Thebeliefsthatguidethe

wayagroupofpeopleisgoverned.

Wemustexaminethewaywhich

wearegovernedasanentitybefore

goingontolookintothebeliefsour

communityhaswhichsupportthat

typeofgovernment.Soletusexam

inethestructureswehaveinour

communityandlikenthemtodiffer

entgovernmentsinordertothen

questiontheideologybehindit.

Firstletusdefineourbor

ders:ThemajorityofUWCCRs

communitylieswithinthefencesandgatecreatingourborderwith

theoutsideworldandneighboring

communities;thosetravelinginto

andoutofUWCCRmustdoso

throughourguardedgatefollowing

standardimmigrationprotocol

(guardmustconfirmyouarea

memberofUWCCRorhavepermis

siontoenter,thenmustinspectyour

bagsand/orcartrunk).Itisthrough

thisgatethatallmaylegallytravel.

Havingdefinedourbordersandimmigrationpoliciesletusexamine

howthepeopleinsidetheseborders

aregoverned:

Hierarchy:Therearethree

typesofcommunitymembers:ad

ministrators,staffandstudents.We

canrefertoallcommunitymembers

ascitizens.Foreachtypeofcitizen

differentlaws(rules)apply,butall

arecreatedbytheadministrators

consideringtheyarethenationalofficials.Underneaththemthelaws

forstaffareboundbyacontractand

thecountry(UWCCR)isobligatedto

paythemsincetheyarethework

force.Lastlythelawsforthestu

dentsareplacedbyadministration

butboththeadministrationand

staffarepartofthejudicialsystem

(disciplinarycommittee).Fromthis

pointofviewwecanconsider

UWCCRanoligarchy:

aformofgovernmentinwhichthesupremepoweris

placedinthehandsofafew

persons;also,thosewho

formtherulingfew.3

Republic:Studentsarerep

resentedbytheStudentCouncil,a

nationalcouncilof3rd

typecitizens

(students)electedby3rd

typeciti

zens.Thiscouncilplaysavitalrolein

theprocessofthenation,forthey

discussandvoteonvariousissuesto

Kevin Ferreira


12/21



bringuptothenationaladministra

tion.Thenationaladministrationis

madeupofthe1sttypecitizens,

andtheyhavebeengiventhisposi

tionbecause2ndand3rdtypecitizenshaveallowedthemtobysim

plybecomingpartofthenation.

Staffcitizensalsohaveelected

groupsthatmanagedifferentparts

ofthenationwhichgivesthemrep

resentation.Alldecisionsmadeby

thenationaladministrationgo

throughthedifferentcouncilsand

thosecouncilsareallowedmodify

andhelpwiththesedecisions.Con

sideringthecouncilsmentioned

andtheamountofpowerthatlies

withinthesecouncilswecancon

siderUWCCRarepublic:

Astateinwhichthesu

premepowerrestsinthe

bodyofcitizensentitledto

voteandisexercisedby

representativeschosendi

rectlyorindirectlyby

them.4

Authoritarian State:

The nation of UWCCR is run bythe 1st type citizens (administra-tors). Despite all the councils cre-ated to represent the differenttypes of citizens that national ad-ministrators make the final deci-sion on all laws. If the nationaladministrators feel that a citizen isnot following the law and hascommitted a serious crime thenthey will deport and extradite thecitizen. Administrators have cre-ated laws creating curfews, enforc-ing activities and limiting travel inand out of the country. Becauseadministrators are not bound bythe laws they create and thus can-not be judged on any laws theycreate, they have total control. Inthis way the nation of UWCCRcan be considered to followauthoritarianism:

of or pertaining to a gov-ernmental or political sys-tem, principle, or practicein which individual free-dom is held as completelysubordinate to the poweror authority of the state,

centered either in oneperson or a small groupthat is not constitutionally

accountable to the peo-ple.5Religious Fundamen-

talist State: Above all things andcitizens the nation of UWCCR

are at the will of their religion.They strictly follow the code ofUnited World College and striveto make education a force to unitepeople, nations and cultures forpeace and a sustainable future.

This code has been created by aGod of two parts, first a God

whose name cannot be spokenwho is believed to live on an islandin the middle of the Great Ocean,and second is the God called IB, aspawn of the first part. This Godis supported by a the Holy Trinity

of Peace, Environmentalism, andMulticulturalism. Each part of theTrinity has a high priest: HighPriest Yaya of Peace, High PriestBeatriz of Multiculturalism andHigh Priest Tim of Environmen-talism. The moral code and lawshave been created under the relig-ion of UWC. All citizens gather

weekly in the Hall of Paz for theceremony of community. If a citi-zen goes against the morals ofUWC they are thrown out of thenation and subject to the Gods.

Through this we can considerUWCCR a Religious Fundamen-talist State.

Anarchy: All citizenshave in fact become citizens ofUWCCR by will and thus are sub-ject to their own decisions. Alllaws created truly have no mean-ing considering they are brokendaily and any citizen can argue it

was their decision to come toUWCCR and thus can leave whenthey would like. In doing so eachcitizen creates his or her own

moral code and follows them.Considering the rate at which newcitizens enter and other citizensdenounce citizenship we can seethere is no power controllingthem. Thus we can consider thenation of UWCCR under anarchy:

Absence of any form ofpolitical authority.6

Afterobservingdifferenttypesof

governmentsandourowncommu

nitywecanbegintocompareand

contrast.IrealizethatUWCCRinfactisnotanationbutaninstitu

tionbutbylikeningittoanationwe

cantrytodeterminethepolitical

poweronthiscampus.Inowask

younottoconcentrateonhowwe

governourcommunity,butthe

ideologiesbehindthewaywehavecreatedourvaluesasacommunity.

Aretherulesandcodesweliveby

trulytheoneswewishtofollow?

Dowereallyhaveacommunity

whereallmembersareequaland

takenintoconsideration?Iaskyou

toreallystopandthinkaboutour

ideology.

Whattrulyguidesourcommunity?

JackFrost

1 "politics." The American Heritage Dic-tionary of the English Language, Fourth

Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company,2004. 18 Nov. 2008. .2 "ideology."Dictionary.com Unabridged(v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 18 Nov.2008. .3

"oligarchy." Webster's Revised Un-

abridged Dictionary. MICRA, Inc. 19Nov. 2008. .4"republic."Dictionary.com Un-abridged(v 1.1). Random House, Inc.19 Nov. 2008. .5"authoritarianism."Dictionary.comUnabridged(v 1.1). Random House,Inc. 19 Nov. 2008. .

6"anarchy." The American HeritageDictionary of the English Language,Fourth Edition. Houghton MifflinCompany, 2004. 19 Nov. 2008..


13/21



most people know about my

country . Another is that Swazi-

land is the only remaining abso-

lute monarchy in Africa.

Absolute monarchy simply

means that the King and/or

Queen have absolute power over

everything including the army,

the police force, the judicial sys-

tem and the legislature. It is then

surprising to learn that when

Swaziland gained independence

from being a British protectorate

in 1968, it was a constitutional

monarchy. However the king

then, Sobhuza II, soon suspended

the constitution and in 1973,

banned all forms of political par-

ties- effectively disenabling the

forces of opposition against the

monarchy that were gaining

momentum at the time. This was

an act of defiance towards the

Westminster style of governance

which had been imposed on him

before the country gained inde-pendence, which he believed was

not suited for his country. Tradi-

tionalism also aided in the abol-

ishment of political parties be-

cause of the belief that they were

tearing the country apart and

were deviating from the values

and standards set by the ances-

tors. The king plays a central role

in the Swazi culture and part of

that role is having absolutepower, which is what Sobhuza II

achieved in 1973.

So, we have a situation where

power is being centralized in the

Democracy = No king?

The theme for the next publication of Importado will be Religion. Interpret thetitle how you wish, be it a discussion about a particular religion or an article about

religion as a concept, or something in anticipation of the coming festivities, to besubmitted to either Tom or Helen or sent to [email protected] the endof the semester

What the hell?! That is the re-action I normally receive when I

tell people about my king,

Mswati III, and how he has thir-

teen wives and twenty three chil-

dren. You should see the looks

on their faces when I proceed to

tell them that his father, King

Sobhuza II, had seventy wives

and over a thousand children. Its

simply priceless. Anyway, if you

know your geography or historyor whatever, you have probably

guessed that I am talking about

the king of Swaziland. Yep,

Swaziland is my motherland, a

landlocked country almost com-

pletely surrounded by South Af-

rica with Mozambique bordering

the north eastern part and home

to 1.1 million people. Besides the

Kings many wives: there are a

number of things that make my

country peculiar besides the

kings many wives, the stupefy-

ing amounts of HIV/AIDS, the

mind boggling levels of poverty

and unemployment, which unfor-

tunately are the only facts that

hands of the king and the ordi-

nary people have less of a say in

who governs them. What hap-

pens next? Well, Sobhuza II,even though a traditionalist, still

wanted democracy in his coun-

try, or at least some form of it.

So, in 1978 he established a bi-

cameral Parliament and the

Tinkhundla system of govern-

ance, which were designed to

combine western democracy

with the countrys already exist-

ing traditional structures. Mem-

bers of Parliament could beelected by the Tinkhundla (yes,

yes, I know its difficult to pro-

nounce but it means meeting

place/rural centers of administra-

tion/constituencies, take your

pick), or more accurately, could

be suggested by the Tinkhundla

because the king had to then ap-

prove or reflect those nominated.

It is clear that the Parliament or

more specifically, the people,had very little power during

Sobhuzas reign but in spite of

this, he was and still is one of the

most respected and revered fig-

ures in Swaziland. He is one of

the reasons why Swaziland can

be proud of the preservation of

its culture in a sub-Saharan Af-

rica that is progressively losing

its traditions.

The present king, Mswati III,

made an effort to move away

from the much criticized abso-

lute monarchy which he inher-

ited from his father Sobhuza. In


14/21



1992, he changed the electoral

processes and made the system a

little bit more democratic in the

sense that the Tinkhundla hadmore influence on who would

represent them in Parliament.

But despite this, there was still

very little democracy and some

human rights were being sup-

pressed, especially for women.

I support the

monarchyRecently in 2005, the king rein-

stituted a Constitution which

gave more power to the Parlia-

ment. It has ceased to be a sym-

bolic Parliament with no power

and can now make amendments

to the Constitution. But still, the

king seems to have a lot of

power, and I mean a lot. He can

dissolve Parliament if and whenhe decides to, he has full control

of all the security forces and any

bills that the House of Assembly

wishes to pass have to be ap-

proved by him. This does not go

well with people who want de-

mocracy in this largely tradi-

tional country, especially those

in favor of political parties. The

new Constitution allows political

parties to exist but does not al-low them to participate in the

election processes. Only individ-

ual candidates can be involved in

elections, not political parties.

The ban that was imposed on

them by the previous king has

not been lifted by the new Con-

stitution and recent statements by

Mswati III show that he has nointention of ever allowing them

to enjoy the privilege of running

for seats in the House of Assem-

bly.

Some of the Political parties that

have come into existence in

Swaziland have suggested reduc-

ing the king to a symbolic figure

and creating a democratic system

of governance for the people.They argue that the current sys-

tem is a dictatorship and that the

king and the royal family live

lavish lifestyles while the rest of

the country is stewing in poverty.

They believe that for the country

to develop the people should

have their freedom, and that in-

cludes the freedom to elect who

they want to be governed by. But

on the flip side, traditionalistsargue that Swaziland is a peace-

ful country because of the mon-

archy, which unifies all people

and all clans. They believe that

the monarchy is the pivotal point

of the Swazi culture, and strip-

ping the kings power from him

effectively turning him into a

puppet - I mean lets face it,a

symbolic king is nothing but a

puppet, a shadow of what once

was - would essentially be losing

the cultural identity that makes

Swazis what they are.

Ok, after this very brief run

through of the political scenario

in my country, maybe you would

like to know what I think about

all of this. I will be honest aboutthis one. I support the monarchy.

The monarchy is one of the

things that make my country so

unique. I believe that it is the

reason why Swaziland is very

peaceful and I would not like to

see the king turned into a shadow

or a puppet. However, I realize

that there is a need for a more

democratic system and a fairer

distribution of wealth. I believethat the monarchy can be fash-

ioned in such a way that will not

suppress the rights of the people

and will allow the development

of the country without any hin-

drances and without stripping the

king of his position. Some peo-

ple associate democracy with

letting go of all cultural systems

and ways of governance but I

strongly disagree with that view.

Having a powerless king or a

president is not the only way

democracy can be achieved. As

for the king and his many wives,

well, one explanation is that the

king has to marry a woman from

every clan to strengthen relations

with all parts of the country. But

then you have to wonder why

Sobhuza had seventy wives be-

cause there are not even half as

many clans in Swaziland.

Collin Tatenda Chideme

Los editores quisieran agradecer a todos los participantes de este numero de Importado e

enviar a cualquier miembro de la comunidad inspirado por el tema de la siguiente edicin

a que nos enven sus artculos, anlisis o poesa para publicar antes del Lunes 17 de

Noviembre. Quisiramos agradecer a nuestras traductoras de esta edicin, Eva y Regina.


15/21



Y es que desde que se dice un

solo Mxico ya se miente. Enrealidad no existe un solo

Mxico cuando tienes 65 lenguas

indgenas adems del espaol

como idiomas con la misma

validez dentro del mismo

territorio nacional, alrededor de

50 comidas tpicas diferentes y

casi 70 trajes representativos del

pas; como puede ser el caso de

cualquier otro pas de

Latinoamrica. Sin embargo,cuando la poblacin del pas es

de algo as como de 106 millones

de personas, segn el ltimo

censo del pas, es difcil

conseguir una opinin poltica

que realmente satisfaga a una

mayora, por no decir que a todos

sus habitantes.

En el ao del 2006, despus de

una dictadura democrticapoltica que dur 70 aos por el

partido de centro, Mxico corri

sus ms discutidas elecciones por

la presidencia donde el partido

de derecha, Partido Accin

Nacional (PAN), propuso a

Felipe Caldern Hinojosa

mientras que en la otra esquina

de la contienda la izquierda, el

Partido de la Revolucin

Democrtica (PRD), lanzabadesde la tercer cuerda a Andrs

Manuel Lpez Obrador, tambin

conocido como el Peje.

Durante el verano del 2006, la

propaganda, escndalos

polticos, manifestaciones,

fanatismos polticos casi

religiosos y una atmsfera de

incertidumbre, dominaron a la

ciudad de Mxico, la cual el 2 de

julio fue testigo del proceso

electoral ms participativo de lahistoria del pas. Se dice que

personas que mantenan una

firme posicin de pasividad

electiva salieron de sus casas con

la esperanza de cambiar la

situacin del pas apoyando a su

candidato favorito. La contienda

se centr entre Caldern y Lpez

Obrador, mientras que, tanto el

candidato de centro, Madrazo,

como otros tres fueroncompletamente obviados del

espectro poltico. A las 2300

horas del mismo da, el Instituto

Federal Electoral (IFE)

anunciaba los resultados del

Conteo Rpido por cadena

nacional en los cuales la victoria

perteneca a Caldern la cual fue

ratificada el 5 de julio, da en el

que termin el Conteo

Computarizado Interrumpido delos votos mexicanos. 35.89% de

los votos haban sido para el

PAN y la asombrosa cantidad de

35.31% para el PRD1

La reaccin de Lpez Obrador,

para quien las especulaciones

favorecan, no se hizo esperar.

La plaza de la constitucin de la

Ciudad de Mxico se llen de

militantes y, ms que nada,acarreados del PRD quienes

apoyaron inmediatamente la

propuesta de desconocer a

Caldern como presidente de

Mxico, por ser un espurio

para la nacin, adems de haber

sido causante del fraude electoral

mas grande de la historia

democrtica mexicana. As

pues con el apoyo de la

denominada Convencin

Democrtica Nacional, AndrsManuel Lpez Obrador rindi

protesta como presidente

legtimo el da 20 de noviembre

de 2006 (da del aniversario de la

Revolucin Mexicana).

Por otra parte el presidente electo

Felipe Caldern, o Felipillo en el

mundo de la crtica, esper hasta

el 1 de diciembre del mismo ao

para hacer su protesta como presidente de Mxico en la

Cmara de Diputados y

Senadores, la cual haba sido

tomara por los diputados y

senados perredistas para impedir

el acto. Tres das de

revuelta, insultos y hasta golpes

dentro de la Cmara entre los

perredistas y los otros (ya por nodecir solamente panistas)

culminaron en una toma de

protesta en la cual mientras

Caldern la lea, los aplausos,

chiflidos y gritos no cesaban por

ninguno de ambos bandos.1

Ya casi han pasado dos aos a

partir de la primer protesta y

hasta hace poco fue declarado

oficialmente que la presidenciade Andrs Manuel Lpez

Obrador es un acto ilegal y en

contra de la Patria por lo que los

medios de comunicacin lo han

dejado de llamar Presidente

Legtimo y ahora lo denominan

como uno ms de los

excandidatos a la presidencia de

la Repblica. Si se evalan las

posiciones polticas de Mxico,

se puede empezar a plantear una

Un solo Mxico, pero con dos presidentes.


16/21



seria divisin de derecha e

izquierda, cada vez es menor la

posicin del centro. Qu tan

bueno puede ser Andrs ManuelLpez Obrador? Sera una

pregunta para los cientos de

personas que por una torta, un

refresco y 50 pesos (5 dlares)

hacen campamentos en las

principales arterias de la Ciudad

de Mxico para apoyarle y

declarar cuando se les pregunta,

que estn ah por que esa es una

forma ms fcil de ganar dinero

que trabajando. Por otro lado,

qu tan bueno ha sido Caldern

para el pas? es un hecho en tela

de juicio cuando, por ejemplo, se

dice que el petrleo del pas se

ha puesto nuevamente en manos

extranjeras con las ltimas

reformas energticas aprobadas

por l.

Mi posicin poltica? Algunos

dicen que de izquierda porapoyar el aborto y la eutanasia,

haber estudiado en la UNAM y

declararme a favor a los grupos

indgenas de mi pas; otros me

tachan de derechista por creer

que la competencia econmica es

parte de la solucin para Mxico

y estar convencida de que la

pensin mensual a las personas

de la tercera edad no debera

existir por que ese dinero podra

invertirse en el sistema de salud

o en el de proteccin civil. Pero

en realidad, creo que soy parte de

ese gran sector de la poblacin

mexicana que no apoya al mejor

candidato, sino, al menos peor.

Elba Gutirrez Castillo

1

Instituto Federal Electoralhttp://www.ife.org.mx/documentos/Estadisticas2006/presidente/g

I come back from a trip, thinkinghow much fun it was, how I stillhave to do some work for school.All these thoughts disappeared

from one second to another whensomeone came to my room andtold me that the infamous Jrg

Haider of my country had justdied. A politician that, as manynews articles write, has been themost xenophobic politician Aus-tria has had since Nazi- Austria.

Absolutely terrible and in no wayacceptable for me were his radical

ideas about many political issueslike immigration policies in Aus-tria. Many of my friends and myfamily associated the devil withhim, and so did I, maybe particu-larly due to the fact that my ownfather was an illegal immigrant

twenty years ago and because Ihave grown up as a Jewish girl ina country like Austria with its his-

tory. If you wanted to see a Nazi

in him, it wasn't difficult.

I remember about two weeks be-fore his death when the two mostrightist parties- including his ex-tremist party- gained 27% of the

votes in the elections. I wasshocked and spoke very badly

about his politics. And I still think

that way.

But his death made me sad. I hadto cry although I know very well

that, for the country this is proba-

bly the best thing that could have

happened after the elections theother day. But why does his death

even touch me? He died in a caraccident because he was speedingwith too much alcohol in his

blood. Wasnt it his own fault dueto his irresponsible behavior ofdriving drunk? Wasnt it better,after the elections and his terrify-

ing policies and opinions? Why doI try to convince myself that in theend he wasnt that bad and that he

just stood for what 30% of thecountry wanted? Why do I feel

sympathy to hear that he died?Why do I read the many articles

on the Internet on different pagesof the Austrian newspapers andwhy does it touch me in such a

way? Why does it touch me at all?Why does it make me completelyuneasy and queasy when I see theonline videos of my country

mourning and hearing their reac-tions? Why? Why does it touchme to hear the hymn of praise on

his political career even though Iknow everything is so exagger-

ated?

I came to the conclusion that Idont need to be rational about myemotions in this case. Everyonehas his or her reasons for doingcertain things and maybe there

were things about him that weregood. Maybe he was a really nice

and caring husband or a lovelyson. I perceived him as a bad poli-tician who had ideas that I totallyoppose. But in the end it comesdown to simple facts that make his

death difficult. A sister has justlost her brother, a wife her hus-

band, and a son his father. A hu-

man being has died and thats sad,

no matter what.

Shany

Painful


17/21



PoliticalObstaclesandSolutions

The world must change. In 2001,

3.6 billion people lived on lessthan $2 a day1. Conversely, elites

of men and women accumulate anincreasing amount of money and

capital power, power which theyare not discouraged from using to

increase their wealth to evengreater extents. Simultaneously,we have a food distribution crisis,

clean water and arable land willnot be able to sustain the world in

the future, and labor rights and

civil liberties around the world areconstantly under attack by corpo-

rate interests and governments.The world needs change, whats to

stop us?

First off, there are certaineconomic mechanisms which pre-vent radical(less conservative)change. Regardless of what Ba-rack Obama wants to do as Presi-

dent, his real options are limited.

He cannot adamantly tax big cor-porations or oil interests and hemay not be able to leave Iraq: IfObama taxes Big Oil sufficiently;Big Oil will move its productionto another country. If Obama

leaves Iraq, companies whichbenefit from an unstable Middle

East (arms dealers, among themany) will threaten to do thesame. As a result, American jobs

will be lost and so will vital work-

ing- and middle-class votes come

next presidential election. Thanks

to a number of free trade agree-ments, this is not a purely Ameri-can phenomenon, but can happenin almost any country. BarackObama or any other politician can

be the greatest and most moralperson on the planet, but capitalinterest is at the moment, more

powerful than public interest.

Another issue which pre-vents change is the fact that thereigning economic ideology in

Western political discourse, thefree market, is based on false

premises. The free market propo-nents seek to eradicate any form of

government intervention in marketaffairs and to privatize key public

services such as education, healthcare, elderly treatment, prisonsand even police, as they believethis is fairer and freer than gov-ernment control. What they fail to

realize is that the free market eco-

nomic model assumes that every-one starts out from the same spot:

that everyone is equal both eco-nomically and socially; that War-

ren Buffet2

and Jan Hogewoningare equal in money and power;that Uganda can compare fiscalmuscles with the USA. A simplegraph detailing the huge, and in-

creasing, income disparity withinboth individual nations and the

global community connotes thecontrary3. Hence, because thislaissez faire system treats every-one as equal, those who are al-ready ahead on the track of eco-

nomic power ultimately beat andacquire everyone else, as is seen

by the increasingly powerfultransnational corporations such as(but not limited to) Dole, Chiquita,

Nestle, Exxon and Shell4. Not onlyare they the new superpowers of

the world; these corporations also

consolidate and expand their

power by buying more and moreproperty and by patenting every-thing they can get their hands on,

including human genome5.

This inequality of wealth andpolitical power and the insatiableaccumulation of the planets re-sources into the hands of a few hasadverse effects on our society. The

people with money can get almostanything done: hiring psycholo-gists to research ways to imprint

values and needs onto children andadults6; deployment of these sub-lime tactics in public, and finallythe recruitment of professional

communicators to distract and dis-tort in case of dissent. The main-

stream popular culture with cars,drinks, pools and half-nakedwomen; the beauty magazines andcosmetic products; the models inthe windows and on television in

short the extreme focus on mate-

rial happiness and outer beauty, isan example of this targeted adver-

tisement. When someone voicestheir opinion, tentatively suggest-

ing a regulation, the public rela-tions agents argue that the free-dom of consumerists to choosewhat they want should not be im-

peded. In addition, these modern

and phantom superpowers hireprofessional lobbyist to convince

our elected representatives of theirviewpoints and fund the cam-

paigns of political candidates thatprotect and uphold their interests.Not only do these companies im-

plant consumerism in us, they alsodetermine the political agenda -

effectively using Socialist diction,numbing us to subservience and anendless spiral of consumption.

Traditionally, socialists mightnot be justified in accusing politi-

cal systems of numbing their fol-


18/21



lowers. Granted, the tyranny of theSoviet Union under Stalin and

subsequent dictators; the Statist

hell in the DDR under ErichHonecker and the mass suggestiontactics employed under almost anycommunist state are undoubt-

edly proof that State Socialism(some would argue State Capital-

ism) is a dangerous ideology. Andthey are correct. The ideas of KarlMarx and Lenin imply a dictator-ship of the proletariat and a cadre

party; concepts which usually leadto a totalitarian state. This shows

just how dangerous any form of

authority can be.

An alternative is Libertarian

Socialism7 anti-authoritariansocialism, a society where the

economic decisions (what to beproduced, how much and forwhom) are taken by local councilsconsisting of all inhabitants in thatarea. There will be higher orders

of councils (regional and national

for example) but the representa-tives sent to these councils may becalled back at any time. Addition-ally, working hours are formallylimited to a few hours a day allow-ing each individual to pursue hisor her interest during his spare-time, for example to read upon a

subject or topic which he or shehas a particular interest in; workfor an NGO or in a daycare center,or just relax at home with family

and friends. Education is free ofcharge, teachers are dedicated andall colloquial activities such as

corporations and companies areundertaken freely and without anyother incentive than for the betterof society8: From each accordingto his ability, to each according hisneed theory of comparative

advantage revised.

As for us at the bottom of

Santa Ana, it is almost impossibleto say how our community wouldlook like with this ideology im-

plemented, mainly because a cen-tral aspect of Libertarian Social-ism is the belief in evolution

through co-operation, not dogma-tism. With that said, our commu-

nity (with all its issues) manifeststhe socialist belief in cooperationand how education can act as aforce to unite people into a moretolerant world. However (I should

be careful here so as not to break adisciplinary rule) in a libertarian

socialist society students wouldpossess much more freedom overthe administration, as LibertarianSocialism opposes what is deemedas coercive and illegitimateauthorities where cooperation isnot really undertaken freely. The

object of Libertarian Socialism istherefore not to impart a utopiaunto society, but to empower soci-ety to figure out what is best forthem and to find that utopia. Weare here to learn and we know,with an educated guess at least,

what is best for our learning proc-ess.

On a global scale, such a soci-ety, or any other society, is possi-

ble if we are willing to work for it.If corporate interests can withdedication and resources turn usinto fully fledged consumerists,society can with a concentratedeffort change itself into a society

based on solidarity or any other

abstraction we would like. If we

can make people from entirelydifferent parts of the world worktogether and live together at age17, so can society as a whole. Thekey to any such effort is education.With education we can pass on

values of co-operation, tolerance,collectivism and a goal of inner

happiness and development. Wecan train our children to be criticalthinkers whom question any formof illegitimate authority includ-

ing our own. We can have a soci-ety where individuals take an ac-

tive part in their own lives, their

local community, and the future ofthe planet.

So, whats to stop us?

yvindJartoEge

1TheWorldBank,2007,Understand

ingPoverty

2

Ill tell you why I like the cigarettebusiness. It costs a penny to make.

Sell it for a dollar. Its addictive. Andtheres fantastic brand loyalty. Warren Buffet 1987

3http://www.treasury.gov.au/docum

ents/580/Images/Poverty_Inequality

19.gif

4SeethedocumentaryTheCorpora

tionformoreinfo.Youmightalso

wanttoreadupontheBananaWars

ofCentralAmerica.

5King,David.TheHumanGenome

GoldRush.

http://www.hgalert.org/topics/lifePat

ents/patent.htm(November9th).

AlsorefertoTheCorporation.

6CBCNews.Adsaimedatkids.

http://www.cbc.ca/consumers/mark

et/files/money/kidsads/(November

9)

7Wikipedia.LibertarianSocialism.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertari

an_socialism(November9)andUn

known.LibertarianSocialism.

http://flag.blackened.net/liberty/libs

oc.html(November9)

8NoamChomsky:Cooperation

withoutrestraint

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p

OK0KYnzWxU


19/21



Into Africa

We voted we perished wasthe famous quote in Kenya dur-ing that turbulent time, the pe-riod immediately after the con-troversial 2007 General Elec-tions. December 27 had beenthe big day when every indi-vidual voted for the one hethought best for the governmentoffices. People had risen earlyto make their wishes come true

not knowing what lay ahead.What followed will always re-main to be told to future gen-erations, in an attempt to createa better society; a society thatrespects democracy, one thatfulfils the needs of the majoritywithout necessarily eliminatingthe minority. Present and futureKenyans will always use this asreference when faced with such

a problem. I hope that fromthis, we learnt the hard facts ofclashes, the pain of living aninsecure life in your own coun-try.

Everyone had scampered awayfrom their homes and made forthe nearest police stations,where security lay in numbers.

In fact they were the safest

places you could find then.Churches, where people had

taken refuge before, had beendiscarded as safe zones follow-ing the live burning of 30 peo-

ple in a church. Such was thesituation; brother against

brother, son against neighbours,me against you. Reason andcause? Leadership. This wasthe deadly bug that bit Kenyansso hard that they attacked eachother with no maternal emo-

tions and brotherly love curtail-ing it. The country was in two

parts: those who claimed elec-tions had rigged and accusedtheir rivals of election malprac-tices, and those whose partyhad been announced winners ofthe general elections and ap-

pealed to their counterparts toaccept defeat and live on.

The campaigns had been in-tense, with the characteristicdirty politics taking centrestage, all in the name of wooingelectorates. Temperatures had

been rising and this was thepoint when the thermometercouldnt hold any more. It burstand sent its deadly hot contentsfar and wide, across Africashaven of wildlife, the worldstop tea producer. Deep seatedemotions and revenge were allcamouflaged in the cry of a sto-len victory and many took thisopportunity to level the playingfield; the brutal way.

Kenyans were sinking deeperinto this man hole of violencewithout realizing it. Be it eco-

nomically, socially or psycho-logically, it was all too much to

take and not many had antici-pated such an ending to an elec-tion that had been tagged the

peoples decision makingtime. Was this the peoplesdecision? The decision tostrike, plunder and kill, kill in-nocent children, women andmen for that matter? No, moth-erland, accept that your chil-dren missed a step in the human

crisis-solving process andcrashed to the floor with a

bang. Accept that greed andopportunism had raided your

people and that power had goneto their heads. Accept that wetook this too far.

For many, it was unbelievable.The peace broker in Somalianeeded a mediator herself. The

peace facilitator in Sudan terri-bly needed to facilitate peacefor her people. For the better

part of two months, the leadersdid not see any sense in askingtheir supporters to stem the vio-lence; they instead called formass action, where police

blasted bullets into their bodies.The political leaders used un-employed and uneducatedyoung men to intimidate theiropponents, used them for dem-onstrations, yet the organizersand financiers of all this sig-nificantly missed from front ofthe demonstrations. If theywere so sure that injustice had

been done, why didnt theyproceed to the law courts toquestion the victory? Had we

degenerated into animals where


20/21



The editors would like to thank all of the contributors to this issue of Importado, and encourageany member of the community inspired by the theme of the next issue to send us their articles,analysis or poetry for publication, before the end of the semester. We would also like to thankour translators for this issue, Eva and Regina.

differences are solved physi-cally? Did we still have human-

ity in us?All hope was not lost, however.The arrival of Koffi Annan andhis mediation group was evi-dence enough that the interna-tional community cared. Justlike before, our politicians

placed greed and self interestfirst, intentionally unconsciousof the millions of lives at stake.

Cat and mouse games becamethe order of the meetings andKenyans waited with anticipa-tion, anxiety and hope. Justwhen it seemed that everythingwas not right, President Kibakiand opposition leader cum

prime minister designate RailaOdinga appeared in the news,vigorously shaking hands, smil-ing. Do not be fooled. Kenyans

did not stop fighting as soon asthe two shook hands. It was notas easy as that. However,Kenyas wounds had started thehealing process.

To say life went back to normalwould be a massive under-statement. The story of the dis-

placed people has been untold,the plight of the evicted people

from their rightful land on basisof ethnicity unmentioned. Thecountry entered a phase of

problem solving, reflection andas president Kibaki put it, a

period of reconciliation. The

blemished jewel was hungryand eager to regain its shine,

desperate to correct its mis-takes. Despite the on-goingpower sharing meetings be-tween the two parties, Kenyans

paid more attention to theirjobs(most of which had beendestroyed), farms and enter-

prises.

Eight months down the line,

life is almost back to normal.Kenya is safe. I admire the abil-ity of Annan; an icon whosename is firmly engraved onKenyas history. The mist isclearing; we look at the futurewith sober minds, having learnta lesson the hard way. How-ever, this is easier written thandone. Many will live with theterrible nightmares of losing

their beloved ones, the psycho-logical pain of seeing your rela-tives perish.

I long for the day when democ-racy will be respected, when Iwill not be beaten up for votingfor a different person. I long forthe day when politicians acceptdefeat and choose to work withtheir rivals for the betterment ofthe country. The day when theaggrieved shall not mobilise themasses and ask for them to pro-test but instead use the correct

judicial system shall be a newday for me. It will be a great

day when my friends are notevicted because of ethnic dif-

ferences. I long for the day ofchange.

It is not far, though. The sun isabout to set on physical politicsand rise to expose a new begin-ning.

For now, beautiful Kenya liesgracefully to the south ofEthiopia, relieved that the

nightmare is gone. She is nowwhat she has always beenknown for: tranquility, beautyand hope. God bless Kenya.

Kihonge M. HarryNumbersfrom

thisissue

. Swaziland gained inde-pendence from being a British

protectorate in 1968

. The ANC holds enough

seats (more than 66%) in Par-liament to unilaterally alter

the Constitution.

. Si China, con el 21.6%

(1.200.000 millones de habi-

tantes) consumieran como los

norteamericanos, el planeta se

acabara en una semana


21/21

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