Left has not vanished

Nehal Adil | Published: April 19, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00

Those who forecast that left has vanished in Central America with successful military coup in Honduras will be totally disappointed by the recent elections in El Salvador, Honduras and Costa Rica. Former FMLN guerrilla leader Sanchez, candidate of the FMLN won the El Salvador election on behalf of the Left. His victory is the victory of the social programme undertaken by the previous FMLN Regime. In Honduras the Candidate of the Left Ms Castro, wife of the former President Zedillo who was overthrown by the military was defeated by razor thin majority. But in the newly elected legislature it will play a decisive role. The Liberal Party which played an active role in overthrowing Zedillo came to the third place.
In Costa Rica the left centre Party of President Chinchila won in a hardly contested election. This is in contrast to the victory of the right in Dominican Republic and Panama.
Central America is a continent by itself. It is inhabited by the world's poorest people. Its living standard has gone down even that of South Asia. Though South Asia has achieved food autarky, people in Central America live in malnutrition and hunger. Their only panacea is illegal migration to USA. Obama administration's hardline approach with deportation has stopped that flow. True the Latinos have been disappointed by Obama but Obama has no third term to win. This has strengthened the anti gringo staunch in Central America and strengthened the position of the left.
Obviously Panama has been paraded as the most successful story in the Americas by the Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt. He asked people of the third world to follow Rwanda and Panama, both closely allied with USA. They have scanty population, so little investment has brought greater prosperity.
Central America has predominantly non white population. They are descendants of the indigenous population and the black slaves who were brought from Africa. They are called Mestizoes and Mullatoes.
Under Monroe doctrine Central America was turned into American backyards. Though America paraded democracy, they were ruled by the white Caudillos, the family dynastiesÂ Â the Batistas, the Trujilloes, the Samozas. The Cuban revolution put everything upside down. Revolutionary armies emerged all over Latin America. El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua became the front line battle fields of the cold war. Ronald Reagan with iron hand committed genocide in Central America to eliminate the Left.
Things changed with the advent of Bill Clinton. He ended the genocide and the Left moved to the constitutional path. In fact the left leaders of Central America stand closer to Clinton and Obama than to Lenin and Mao, according to Rajiv Shah a close adviser to Obama and the present Chief of USAID and a possible US presidential candidate.
But Obama is not going to stay in power forever. The poverty stricken Central America remains a hidden volcano. El Salvador based Maras remain the world's deadliest terrorist group. Many say it has even nuclear capability in the heart of USA. Latino drug smugglers even use submersible vessels. Both Clinton and Obama made great achievements in bringing the left under constitutional framework. But as the Ukrainian crisis threatens a new cold war and the rightist extremism raise its head against so called communist threat, the political scenario not only in Europe and the Middle East but in Central America as well could erupt.
El Liberad of Honduras has written that the election in Honduras was stolen. Yet President Fernandez, the newly elected President of Honduras is the first black President of Central America. He grew up among eight children in a poverty stricken remote village. Though rightist and conservative, he is not a typical caudillo.