EL SALVADOR—For the presidential election coming in February 2019, people are confronting two visions about the future of the country. One is the supposed “no ideology” vision “neither left nor right” led by Nayib Bukele and the electoral political group New Ideas. They propose a “new way of doing politics,” to reduce the problems of capitalist society by fighting corruption and making public spending more efficient.
On the other hand, there are the “renewing” currents of the Farabundo Martí Front for National Liberation (FMLN) and Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA), parties that have traditionally been in power during the last three decades. These political parties mutate into renewed or “new” versions of themselves to continue being useful to capitalism.
Both roads promote the illusion that elections in bourgeois democracy can help the workers. The four candidates respond to the interests of different business groups: such as the Poma group, the Siman family, the Bukele, Alba Group, José Luis Merino, interests allied with the US, the Communist Party of China, etc.
Under no circumstances should we believe that any government that emerges from the election of Nayib Bukele, Carlos Calleja (ARENA) or Hugo Martinez (FMLN) will represent the interests of the working class. History shows us that no election or government that emerges from it has solved the “problems of the Salvadoran working class.”
Are elections the solution to the problems of the working class?
No. The electoral process is financed by the same bourgeoisie that presents the new list of candidates from which the working class is forced to choose the next administrators of the State, a state in the service of the interests of big capital.
It is vital that the communists in the International Communist Workers’ Party (ICWP) be part of the discussions that take place daily in the factories, at home, in the university, at the store with the neighbors, wherever there arise discussions about the “electoral problem.”
Those are the opportunities to unmask the traitors to the working class who disguise themselves as saviors, but who are nothing more than pawns of different business groups confronting each other.
Communist revolution needs the daily commitment of the ICWP members because every day the working class is attacked by the propaganda and opinion programs of the bourgeoisie.
We need to distribute Red Flag to generate discussion of the current political and economic situation, both locally and globally.
These elections are occurring against the backdrop of the confrontation between the Chinese economy that seeks to enter fully into Latin America and the economic interests of the US capitalists (through free trade agreements) that are being weakened by strong Chinese investment.
But a maquila is a concentration camp whether the owner is a boss from the United States or a boss who comes anointed by the Communist Party of China!
Forward towards authentic transformations through a workers’ communist revolution!