Schedule of Preparatory Meetings for the Other Campaign
Originally published in
Spanish by the EZLN
*************************************
Translated by irlandesa
Zapatista Army of National
Liberation
Mexico
July 13, 2005:
To those individuals, organizations, collectives,
groups and associations of the left who support what has been proposed in the
Sixth Declaration of the Selva Lacandona:
Compañeros and compañeras:
Greetings from all the men, women, children and old
ones of the EZLN. I am writing in order to tell you a little of how we've been
thinking we might move forward in the work for the National Campaign with
Another Politics, for a National Program of Struggle of the Left and for a New
Constitution.
Hmm...Perhaps we'd move forward a little if we began by changing
the name, because it's so long that once you've reached the end, you've already
forgotten how it started. Fine, but we'll see about that once we're all working
together, we will reach agreement on that and other things. For the moment, in
order to abbreviate and synthesize, we'll call it "The Other
Campaign."
Fine, then I'll tell you first about how we organized
the EZLN for this work. We agreed to divide up the tasks and, as is our way, to
form committees. The committees are groups of compañeros and compañeras who
are in charge of a work and who inform everyone how that work is going. And
they don't just do whatever they feel like, but rather according to how they
are told. Then the Zapatista leadership divided up the tasks:
One part, the majority, will be in charge of the Zapatista
towns, of defending them, of helping them in their autonomía and in giving them
guidance in the struggle. This group is, in fact, the CCRI-CG of the EZLN.
Another part of the CCRI-CG, a small one, will be in
charge of the international efforts proposed in the Sixth Declaration of the Selva Lacandona. We are calling
this group the "Intergalactic Committee of the EZLN," or, simply, the
"Intergalactic Committee."
And another part of the CCRI-CG, also small, will be
in charge of the national arena, concerning the national campaign, etcetera, or
"The Other Campaign." We called this group the "Sixth Committee
of the EZLN," or, simply, the "Sixth Committee."
Fine, right now I'm going to talk to you about the
"Sixth Committee," and then another time I'll tell you about the
"Intergalactic Committee."
The "Sixth Committee" is the one which,
firstly, is going to meet with all those of the left who are in agreement with
"The Other Campaign" and who are not people or organizations who
participate in elections. Then, with everyone, it is going to make a plan for
traveling all over
This "Sixth Committee" has already reached
agreement with the compañeros
and compañeras
of Revista Rebeldía,
and, on August 1 of this year, the Rebeldías are going to send us a list of all those organizations
and persons who noted that they are in agreement with the Sixth and with
working in "The Other Campaign" (remember that the email address is conlasexta@revistarebeldia.org
). Of course, there might be some organizations which have not finished
reaching agreement on the Sixth, or which are waiting to see if López Obrador announces his
candidacy, or to see if Cárdenas leaves the PRD or runs as a candidate for
another party. Or it might be that some people are still reading it or are
waiting to receive it, and then they won't manage to send their word prior to
July 31. Don't worry, you can come in at any time and join the work at whatever
stage we're at.
Fine, but as for those who let us know no later than
July 31 that they're ready and willing, we're going to meet with them first in
order to begin reaching agreements on "The Other Campaign" plan.
These meetings will be in the month of August and part of September, because
we're not all going to meet en masse, rather first some, then others, and then
everyone. This will be in
- Political organizations of the Left: Arrival on
Friday, August 5; Meeting on Saturday, August 6, and Departure on Sunday,
August 7.
- Indigenous Organizations and Organizations of the
Indian Peoples of
- Social organizations of the Left: Arrival on
Friday, August 19; Meeting on Saturday, August 20, and Departure on Sunday,
August 21.
- Non-Governmental, artistic, cultural organizations,
groups, collectives, etcetera: Arrival on Friday, August 26; Meeting on
Saturday, August 27, and Departure on Sunday, August 28.
- Women, men, old ones, ***** and girls, as
individuals, as families, from communities, streets, barrios or neighborhoods:
Arrival on Friday, September 2; Meeting on Saturday, September 3, and Departure
on Sunday, September 4.
- Others (those who were unable to attend any of the
previous dates): Arrival on Friday, September 9; Meeting on Saturday, September
10, and Departure on Sunday, September 11.
We think that, with the wind in our favor, we will be
able to make a joint public statement (not just by the EZLN, but by everyone
who has reached agreement) on September 16. With this public statement, and
then with a committee of all of those who are going to engage in the work, we
will continue meeting with groups and persons as they join in with this
initiative.
Fine, we're letting you know early on so you can see
to how you'll be going about naming delegates or representatives, paying for
the trip, lunch, blankets, nylon (it's raining a lot, and it's going to be
raining more), flashlights, batteries, boots for the mud, documents, notebooks
and pencils for taking notes and thus fully informing others, etcetera.
We're asking you to please bring some food you can
prepare for yourself, so that we don't add to the burden of the communities
who, generous as always, will be welcoming us.
And to the organizations, groups and collectives,
we're asking that you not come en masse, but rather name some individuals for
this work, so that we can discuss and reach agreement. If there are a lot of
us, then it will be bedlam, and we'll spend our whole lives discussing, and the
politicians will end up doing away with our country before we end up reaching
agreement in order to prevent it.
And, to everyone, we're asking you to really put a
lot into it, because we do indeed have something to lose: the Patria.
Vale. Salud, and may the heart beat where it, in fact, does, that is, on the
left.
From the mountains of the Mexican
Southeast.
By the Sixth Committee of the
Clandestine Revolutionary Indigenous Committee - General Command of the
Zapatista Army of National Liberation.
Subcomandante Insurgente Marcos.