As Self Organisation of the Masses Continues Nicaraguan Capitalists Ane

If the eighteen months since the overthrow of US backed dictator Anastasio Somoza from his comfortable perch in Nicaraguan capital, Managua, have seen major gains for Nicaraguan working people and peasants, then it's clear that these gains have not been to the liking of a certain sector of the Nicaraguan population - the rich = the bourgeoisie, at whose expense these gains have been made, Accordingly the native capitalists, having found themselves in conflict with the Sandinista National Liberation Front, who lead the fight against the Somozoist tyranny and who are supported by the vast majority of the workers and peasants, have moved into outright opposition to the FSLN, the F SLN led Government of National Reconciliation, and especially the mass organisations of workers, peasants, women and youth, Those sectors of the bourgeoisie which opposed Somoza tended to use plots and attempted coups asa means of struggle, some of them try to oppose the F SLWN by the same methods in collusion with members of Somoza!s old National Guard in exile in Honduras, Already there have been several murders of young Sandinistas who were involved in the recently completed literacy campaign, carried out by infiltrators from Honduras, The anti-Somoza capitalists are organised politically in the Nicaraguan Democratic Movement (MDN) led by Alfonso Robelo; their business interests are represented by the superior council of private enterprise (COSEP) and both of these bodies are represented on Council of State, a body which serves in advisory capacity to the Government of National Recons-— truction. The MON, COSEP and two trade union groups associated with them are in a minority on the council, and have even less support in the country at large.

On Noverper 9 and 12 these organAn open letter to the editor of the Irish News, Belfast.

Dear editor, On Tuesday the 2nd of December we submitted into your paper an advert announcing the opening of a ''Dump Fitt" campaign, with the aim of forcing Fitt's resignation and repudiating his attack on the Republican prisoners. The advert did not appear and we were later informed that you were refusing to print it following legal advice about the possible libellous nature of part of the advert (including the words 'Dump Fitt!).

On Monday the 8th December we submitted a further advert. In order to ensure its publication we removed anything that might have offended your sensibilities, leaving simply a petition calling on Fitt to resign. You again refused to publish it and and you again refferred to legal advice. However, you were not able to refer to any specific wording - it was the simp-— le fact of the resignation call itself that you objected to, You were able to look into the future and assure us that "legal advice" sisations launched what was virtually a declaration of war on the F SLN, the FSLWN led government and the mass organisations of workers and peasants, The MDWN had planned to stage a Lig rally at Nandaime, a town about thirty miles south of Managua, The reactionary newspaper "La Prensa" had built up publicity for the rally, billing it as a start of a big political drive against the FSLN, In the meantime, Sandinista security forces found out that counter-revolutionary attacks had been planned to coincide with the rally. The FGU_N asked MON leader Robelo to cal! off the rally, but when he refused, they had no choice but to ban the rally. On November 9 as It turned out, at least one of the expected attacks did take place on the border with Honduras. An attacker and a member of the Sandinista Peoples Army (EPS) were killed in a shoot-out, Theattacker was wearing the type of uniform worn by Somoza!s National Guard and presently by the Honduran Army.

A week later (November 17) the vice-president of COSEP and owner of a big coffee plantation, Jorge Salazar was killed in a qun battle with state security forces who were coming to arrest him after one of his party had opened fire. Salazar was suspected of plotting with ex-members of Somoza!'s National Guard and had been found to have spent about 50,000 dollars in the course of such plots, Six M-16 rifles were found In Salazar's cars with two magazines for each rifle.

These events were answered by a huge rally that took place on November 19 in Managua attended by 100,000 people who came to show support for the - SLN. The workers and peasants have consistently replied to the capitalists through mass mobilisations like this one and this has been central to their success so far. Ever since the overthrow of Somoza on July 19, 1979, the Sandinista Defence Committees (CDS's) which grew up during the fight against Somoza, have been consistently strengthened, They have increasingly taken on governmental responsibilities, particularly in the fields of municipal lrish News Stance Re would prevent you from publishing any advertisment associated with this campaign. I'm afraid therefore that we have no option but to reject your excuses about legal advice and give the proper name to your actions — the political censorship of our campaign, Its on this ground that we have decided lodge a complaint against your paper with the press council.

You did however suggest to us that you might also be protected by editorial perogative, the right to exclude from the paper anything you dislike as editor. Under what circumstances would a paper be justified in banning criticism of a local MSP. ? Obviously only if the paper was a party political paper supporting thatM.,P, This seems to be the case. What Gerry Fitt says openly is what the reactionary clerical and m iddie class elements behind the "Irish News! are saving privately and they are prepared to go to considerable lengths to protect their own. However, many 'irish News! readers are under the impression that its columns are open to all types of anti-unionist opinion as well as the course, education. frankly. opposing views, population, Signed: J, McNulty Democracy government, health care and, of This has also been the way that trade unions have developed. Before July 1979, only 7.5% of the workforce was organised in trade unions, whereas today about 80% of the workforce is organised. The majority (82.2%) of these workers belong to the Sandinista Worker's Federation (CST) and recently the many union federations in Nicaragua have begun to move towards unity = only one union, one of the two pro-MDN Unions has reacted unfavourably to the idea, The new unions have grown up in the struggle to improve the living conditions of the people after the devastation of the country caused by Somoza!'s scorched earth policy during the war. In this situation many capitalists refused to invest at home and instead exported their assets, This decapitalisation was answered by factory occupations and by the workers running the factories themselves. Indeed the tendency to workers! control has been evident especially in nationalised industry, where production councils and committees and assemblies forthe reactivation of the economy have been set up, Outside the nationalised industries, workers are demanding a greater say in running factories. In many cases they have won the right of access to the company's books, to have safety committees etc, This is important because of the catas— trophic state of the economy. For this reason the FSLN have appealed for self-discipline from workers, They have been very frank and stated that economic recovery will not be complete until after 1985, The relationship between trade unions and the FSLN is good and has improved recently. The FSLN and the unions have learned to discuss problems and difficulties Greater organisation has also been evident in the countryside, The rural workers association (ATC) organises agricultural labourers, A big push to extend this organi sation and to establish co-operatives has been made. A rent ceiling on udiated staple diet of British propaganda, You should make it clear that this is not the case and openly publish your support for Fitt's views rather than advance those views through Ireland, censorship and suppression of Wales:

Europe:

All this proves to us the value of the 'Dump Fitt! campaign. We set out to repudiate him and prevent the British: using him as a weapon acainst the prisoners. We are determined to continue with this work although the obstacles you are placing to publicising the campaign means that the campaign will run beyond the December 20th deadline we originally set. Now we have evidence from the Irish News that there are other Gerry Fitt's. At least as a result of our campaign they will no longer be able to work in the shadows but will have to face the light of day, We are sure that your actions in defence of Fitt will earn you the contempt you so richly deserve from the anti-unionist National Committe of Peoples ‘peen instituted and land occupations during the Revolution by poor peas— ant= have been formalised, The National Institute for Agrarian Reform has threatened nationalisation on any landlord who lets tand lie The organisation of youth and women has proceeded apace, The associat-— ion of Nicaraquan Women (AMNLAE)

and the July 19 Sandinista youth (JS-19) grew up during the fight against Somoza, and young people were very prominent during the struggle and insurrection, Recentiy, thousands of members of the JS-19 spent several months in the country-side taking part in the rassive literacy campaign which brought down the illiteracy rate from 50% to 12 %, the second lowest in Latin America, Today a million people from a population of 2.6 million are involved in the literacy Campaign and the education system, including 300,000 graduates of the literacy campaign.

One of the biagest and most necess— ary gains of the revolution has been the establishment of the Sandinista Peoples! Militias. The Sandinista Defence Committees have been important in the establishment of those militias, This development is profoundly democratic and has increased the self-confidence of the people enormously, The part— icipation and control of the mass organisations by the Nicaraguan workers and peasants is one aspect of a profoundly democratic society, It is recognised in Nicaraqua that democracy is more than casting your vote every five years, The mass organisations and the FSLWN - led government's commitment to improving the living standards of the oppressed are what really worry the Nicaraguan Capitalists and that's why people like Jorge Salazar are busy contacting meirbers of Somoza's National Guard They are a!so hoping that the murd— erous military/christian democratic junta in El Salvador will be able to defeat the struggles of the Salvadoran workers and peasants because they Know that victory for the rev— olutionary struggle and the forces, the Revolutionary Democratic Front, {which have the support of the Sandinistas) would immeasurably strengthen the Nicaraguan revolut— ion. Meanwhile Ronald Reagan some of whose advisors advocate a military coup in Nicaragua, waits in the wings....

The courage of the revolutionary fighters in El Salvador and Nicaragua, the gains made by the workers and oppressed in Nicaragua and the unflagging internationalist solidarity of the Cuban workers! state are all an inspiration to all fights against imperialism, capitalism and injustice. In Central America today we can truly say that the spark has become a flame.

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Continued from page 8 during the H-Block/Armagh campaign and NIO authorities for banning the student march on December 3rd in Belfast, A well-attended fringe meeting on the importance of the H-Block/ Armagh campaign atid the support for a student conference on repress-— ion in Trinity College, Dublin for February 14th at the congress showed the potential for building an All-Ireland anti-imperialist student movement. The defeat of the class collaborationist policies and anti-democratic politics of SF-WP has opened up new ground which anti-imperialists can build on.

SEAN MARMION