N.A.C.L.A. DEFENDS MURDERER FUJIMORI

In its July-August publication, the North American Council for Latin America (NACLA) ran a series of articles as part of its "Report on Peru," including a photograph of dictator Alberto Fujimori on its cover page. It was the same kind of re-packaged anti-communist innuendo the magazine runs every year with a more clearly reactionary position on the political events in Peru. Thus, NACLA's subtle support of the dictator in the past, when it used to be the international forum for agents of the Peruvian regime known as senderologists. Today, it openly praises and flatters the "successes" claimed by the reactionary government.

The reality is that NACLA's biased reporting and pro-Fujimori propaganda cannot hide the regime's political and economic failures. Who can deny the chronic misery, exploitation, disease and genocide of the people at the hands of the dictatorship? NACLA's deliberate distortion of the struggle of the working class, peasants and progressives waging a powerful People's War for the last 16 years, serves imperialism (mainly U.S. imperialism) and the native Peruvian big bourgeoisie. Let's analyze NACLA's "Report on Peru":

First, as part of a vain attempt to give credibility to the farce of "Fujimori's success and popularity," NACLA presents a text of Guillermo Rochabrun, a supporter of Fujimori. He initially claims:

"While previous administrations have suffered one policy failure after another in dealing with the country's economic and political crisis, Fujimori had potable 'success' stabilizing the country's erratic economy and defeating the shining path guerrilla insurgency. Finally and perhaps most puzzling, despite the high social costs of his economic model and the authoritarian style that has characterized his government, Fujimori has received consistently high popularity ratings from Peruvians of all social classes." (p.16)

But Rochabrun, in a fog of words quickly contradicts himself in the middle of his article:

"Fujimori -- who had waged an electoral campaign against neoliberal reform -- made an about-face and implemented the very orthodox economic policies he had rejected.... In the short term, these measures aggravated the recession and further jacked up inflation --gasoline prices increased 30 times overnight, while inflation for the month of August alone was 400%. In a country of 22 million inhabitants, the number of people living in poverty jumped from 9 million to 14 million. The administration gradually introduced new measures that virtually eliminated all forms of legal protection for salaried workers. Job security was completely stamped out, and new rules governing contracts were established that reduced employers' obligations to their workers. For example, workers under 24 years of age are now considered 'apprentices', which means they can receive salaries below the minimum wage, and they are not covered by the social security system."(p.17)

He admits the basis of "Fujimori's success": "Paralleling his implementation of an orthodox neoliberal agenda was Fujimori's increasing intolerance for democratic checks and balances...military control over the counterinsurgency war intensified, prompting a further deterioration in the government's human rights record."(p.17)

And he cannot deny the real nature of Fujimori's "high popularity ratings" fabricated by opinion polls controlled by the government: "Fujimori relies on information gathered by the National Intelligence Service (SIN) to maintain his lock on power. Consequently, SIN -- and its defacto head [the drug baron] Vladimiro Montesinos -- has accrued a great deal of power and influence within his administration. It monitors the telephone conversations of key figures, both outside and within the government. This includes the surveillance of members of Peru's Army, Navy, Air Force and police, in order to prevent any organized resistance against the pro-Fujimori High Command [referring to the split within the armed forces]. SIN also tries to mold public opinion in Fujimori's favor. It does so through biased public-opinion polls, hiring sympathetic journalists for Fujimori-controlled media outlets [radio, TV, journals, etc.] and by planting rumors and staging sensationalist events to distract public attention when necessary" The latter obviously refers to the media blackout and censorship during the major guerrilla offensives (e.g., May, July, October and December 1993-1996). And during the outbreak of a cholera epidemic in 1991, for example, a series of images of a weeping virgin 'appeared' throughout Lima. In a highly publicized visit, Fujimori prayed for Peru's future before one of these images.

From the above, it is clear that Fujimori's "success" and "high popularity ratings" are gross manipulations to cover up the exploitative, manipulative, oppressive and corrupted landlord-capitalist dictatorship in Peru in the service of imperialism, mainly Yankee. Actual facts confirm that Fujimori has met not one of his 3 counter-revolutionary tasks: 1) reinvigorate bureaucratic capitalism, 2) re-structure the old State, and 3) annihilate the People's War. The regime is neither successful nor popular but is based on political deception and counterrevolutionary violence in order to maintain his place in power.

As Rochabrun reluctantly admits: "These authoritarian tendencies culminated in Fujimori's coup de main [military coup] on April 5, 1992. He abruptly dissolved Congress and the judiciary, concentrating all the state's powers in his hands [i.e. in the hands of the military and its Yankee advisors]...The coup confirmed one of the most notable characteristics of Fujimori's rule: disdain for legal formalities. Fujimori systematically alters the rules of the game whenever he deems it necessary --either by creating new laws or by modifying old ones to suit his personal interests [imperialist interests.]"

THE PEOPLE OF PERU AGAINST FUJIMORI'S REGIME AND THE ROTTEN OLD STATE

Rochabrun dares to claim "The electorate voted for Fujimori in 1995 because they have felt that he had effectively resolved the country's two central problems: hyperinflation and guerrilla violence"; but there is no mention of what "electorate" voted for Fujimori, and this is so because the tyrant Fujimori has no support among Peru's people. Even the reactionary Rochabrun admits above that Fujimori, through the reactionary army and intelligence services, applies sinister manipulations and criminal repressive violence to maintain his place in power. The people of Peru did not vote for Fujimori, on the contrary, he was repudiated by the vast majority of Peruvians who no longer believe the scam of "western democracy" imposed by the imperialist powers.

According to Peru's official electoral results, the 1995 election did not "legitimize" Fujimori, but rather completely exposed his corrupted regime. The widespread electoral fraud conducted by SIN, the manipulation of ballots, the ridiculous campaign to portray Nisei Fujimori as "Inca Pachacutic", and the accomplice participation of the United Nations, Yankee imperialism, and the OAS, did not prevent the Peruvian people's rejection of Fujimori's tyranny and his counterfeit "democratic" rule. This is clearly confirmed by the election's results (see table).

PERU: 1995 Presidential Election's Results

(Note: Voting is mandatory in Peru. Existing laws penalize with jail and fines those who refuse to vote.)

Source: Peru's National Board of Elections (Jurado Nacional de Elecciones del Peru) as published in Caretas Magazine, Lima, April 20, 1995.

Therefore, it is clear the "electorate" rejected both the farce of "democracy" and Fujimori's regime. Only 18% of the total number of registered voted for Fujimori, and still, with this minority, he was elected "president". Is this democracy? Impossible, it is a scam, a fraud to maintain the U.S. puppet in power. But the US government and the big bankers' world publications (New York Times, Washington Post, The Guardian, Le Monde, El Pais, etc.) portray such fraud as "democracy" and "the will of the people." This is all rubbish, all rotten lies to deceive, oppress and exploit the working class masses in Peru and around the world.

The imperialist U.S. media controlled by wall street bankers, and the opportunist and liberal outlets (NACLA, Village Voice, The Nation, etc.), persist in spreading the big lie that Fujimori was elected by "democratic majority". This is how they go about it: first they take into account only Fujimori's 2,046,522 votes and the 1,137,499 votes for other candidates (3,184,021 votes = 28% of total registered voters). Then, this 28% is presented in the press as the total 100% of all registered voters (!). In this way, the 18% allocated to Fujimori suddenly becomes 64% of a "total" (really partial) sum, and this manipulation is advertised as his "democratic majority"(!). Fujimori has no legitimacy; he has relied entirely on the military and the U.S. Embassy to govern from day one. His "democratic support" exists only in NACLA and the outlets of imperialism.

The election of April 9, 1995, was an international scandal that has exposed the charade of "Western democracy" and its parliamentary system, showing in practice that it is all a set-up to impose new forms of fascist rule. In reality, the elections reflected only this: the majority of Peru's people repudiate bourgeois parliamentary democracy and Fujimori's corrupt terrorist regime.

In addition to Fujimori's phony "majority", NACLA repeats the tale of his "economic success." Let's refute this ridiculous claim quoting Rochabrun himself: "The economic downturn has been paralleled by a relative decline in Fujimori's popular support in the polls [polls controlled by SIN]. According to Apoyo, a polling firm, Fujimori's popularity has dropped....Peru's incorporation into the debt-repayment plan, and the announcement of large new investments in gas exploration by Shell-Mobil, had little effect. Clashes between protesters and the police have also become more common, as fisherman, construction workers, municipal government workers, university students and retirees have taken to the streets to protest their declining living standards. According to one study 68% of Peruvians now live in absolute poverty." So, where is the "economic success" and "popularity"?

Fujimori's neoliberal exploitation measures only aim at accomplishing timely payments of the foreign debt, regardless of the massive unemployment, misery, crime, hunger, disease, pollution and genocide that such measures cause for most Peruvians. NACLA recognizes that 22% of Peru's annual Gross National Product (GNP) is given out to big foreign banks as repayment of the foreign debt. Considering that a large slice of the GNP is for the repressive apparatus, very little is left for the welfare of the people. All this leads to widespread social unrest and massive support for the democratic revolution and glorious Peoples War led by the just and honest Communist Party of Peru (PCP).

POWERFUL PEOPLE'S WAR SHATTERS FUJIMORI'S PHONY "FINAL VICTORY"

Through Rochabrun, NACLA attempts to justify that, after all, Fujimori's "success" was mainly achieved in the struggle against the "shining path" [derogatory term used by imperialism] But even this alleged "success"in reality is Fujimori's greatest failure--a failure that will probably lead to his doom, since he is increasingly losing the support of the capitalist ruling class in Peru; he is a corrupt egocentric puppet of the imperialists, who can easily be replaced.

Rochabrun portrays the "final victory against subversion" thus: "The sudden capture of top shining path leaders in September 1992, was a watershed for the Fujimori regime. Shining path military activities declined sharply thereafter, and it soon became evident that they no longer represent a major threat to Fujimori's State. New and repatriated capital began pouring into Peru, and the privatization process began to gather steam."

This biased report avoids mentioning Fujimori's famous announcement, publicized in the world media: "SHINING PATH AND SUBVERSION WILL BE COMPLETELY FINISHED BY THE END OF MY PRESIDENTIAL TERM IN JULY 1995, IT WILL BE MY FINAL VICTORY." Today at the end of 1996, this prediction simply sounds ridiculous, especially now that Fujimori's regime is alarmed and in a panic because of recent waves of revolutionary offensive throughout Peru. This "prediction" was cheap self-serving propaganda to prepare and justify his illegitimate second term as "president", and to convince (deceive) foreign investors into believing that it was safe to invest in Peru. Those who blindly follow Fujimori's mythical dreams make a great mistake. They should listen the advice of a more sophisticated imperialist outlet, the Wall Street Journal, that on November 22, 1995 wisely warned: "Peru: Invest, Get Out!"

A recent report from the New York Times (NYT, August 5, 1996) stated: "The guerrillas bombed a central police station charged with protecting the Peruvian Congress and the house of a general who is the military chief in a region where the rebels have a stronghold. Following assertions that the attacks were made possible by security lapses, the chief of Peru's anti-terrorist police resigned...the latest wave of assaults is particularly troubling because it was well coordinated and penetrated sensitive government and military targets". In the same edition the NYT also reports that Fujimori's regime "in the last 18 months...has detained [arrested] more than 500,000 suspects." An editorial in the newspaper of Peru's oligarchy, El Comercio, announced on July 30, 1996: "The recent Maoist attacks in our nation's capital are clear evidence that objectively we are facing a new surge of Maoist subversion."

Even the reactionary journalist Manuel D'Ornellas painfully recognized: "The objective of the recent Maoist advances is to tell the population that subversion is not dead, that Fujimori's regime has failed in its attempt to end it." (Expreso, July 31, 1996) The recent waves of political-military offensives carried out by the victorious People's Army, PCP, have caused alarm and panic to the reactionaries in Peru and the world. The revolutionary offensives have caused splits in Fujimori's ranks, and now factions in the Kangaroo Congress and the military openly recognize Fujimori's failures and reject his propaganda of "final victory" and "peace accord". Another related outcome is that Peru's Armed Forces are crumbling into numerous clandestine groups led by junior officers who prepare armed rebellions against Fujimori's clique. This is confirmed by the following reports:

MILITARY COUP AGAINST FUJIMORI BUSTED Army Commander Luis Alatrista and Army Captain Luis Alvarez, in charge of Special Forces Battalion N-19, were captured by the National Intelligence Service (SIN). The two officers were stockpiling in their residences two large arsenals of automatic rifles (FAL), machine guns, rockets and ammunition. SIN reported they were preparing a military coup against Alberto Kenyo Fujimori because of the low salaries and continuous hardship that army officers suffer in recent years [La Republica, July 31, 1996.]

PERUVIAN CONGRESS DEMANDS ANSWERS Various senators from the loyal opposition are demanding explanations from Fujimori in relation to the recent wave of Maoist offensives. Senators Gustavo Mohme (owner of daily La Republica) and Fernando Olivera pointed out "Fujimori and the armed forces have been deceived by their own propaganda of the final triumph against Sendero." The Senators also called on the Minister of Interior to come to Congress and explain the failures in the antisubversive war. [La Republica, August 7, 1996.]

NACLA never mentions the above events, it only repeats the ridiculous tale of "numerous defeats." Where? When? How? No facts are shown because there are no "numerous defeats." In reality, the PCP is undefeated and firmly united. It is clear that Fujimori never achieved any "final victory by July 1995," and his call for "peace accord" is another ridiculous failure.

FUJIMORI REGIME SUBMERGED IN COCAINE UP TO THE NECK. The widespread corruption in Peru's reactionary armed forces is now openly exposed:

• The anti-narcotics police found 28 bags with pure cocaine on board the Navy ship "ILO" in the port of Callao. Each bag contained over 17 kilos of the narcotic. The ship's Captain and 53 crew members are under arrest until investigations are completed. Members of the anti-narcotics police indicated the shipment was for the Atlanta 96 Olympics [La Republica and most papers, July 3, 1996.]
• Fujimori's army works for Colombian cartels, while Peruvian troops are submerged in misery. Retired Army General Carlos Mauricio stated: "Colombian drug barons have infiltrated Peru's armed forces" in response to recent findings of cocaine shipments on board air force planes and navy ships. General Mauricio expressed his concern for the crews since it is quite certain they were just following orders from high ranking officers. Another retired army general, German Parra, denounced the narcotics trade in the armed forces as a clear consequence of the low salaries for officers and troops. General Parra declared "poverty has reached the armed forces as well, and this misery leads us to criminal acts....I know retired generals, friends of mine, are under psychiatric treatment because of neurosis, they are suffering because they cannot even afford to pay for their older children's education....If the armed forces are in power, then why don't we have the same benefits that others in the present administration have?...an Army General earns 1,200 soles per month (US $590) while high ranking bureaucrats in Fujimori's government earn US $10,000 and even US $15,000 per month!" General Parra concluded, "The morale of the armed forces is sinking!" [La Republica, July 8, 1996.]
• Lima: Over one hundred installations of the Peruvian Navy, including war ships and submarine bases, are being searched by special inspectors to determine how many navy facilities are being used for the storage and transport of cocaine. Two navy ships, "Matarani" and "ILO", were found transporting narcotics; in early July, 57 kilograms of cocaine were found on board of the "Matarani" when it arrived in Vancouver, Canada [El Comercio, July 16, 1996.]
• Lima: The criminal court investigating the relations of Peruvian Army officers and the drug baron Demetrio Chavez "Vaticano" has ordered the arrest of Army Captain Carlos Hernandez. This captain was the chief of the counter-subversive base at Sion (Tocache, Huallaga front) from December 1991 to February 1992, and confirmed that he received payments from drug barons because his desperate troops had no food supplies for two straight months [El Comercio, July 16, 1996. ] The troops in Fujimori's reactionary army are in desperate conditions, according to recent reports "the soldiers are a ragged bunch, tired, dirty and malnourished. They steal animals and money from the people, and rapes of young girls are frequent. They call themselves 'rambos' and commit atrocities against the unarmed people.
• There is confusion over Fujimori's evasive answer when questioned about the recent article published in Mexico's newspaper La Reforma. The Mexican daily reported that Vladimiro Montesinos, Fujimori's main advisor, Peru's drug czar and head of SIN, along with Santiago Fujimori, Fujimori's brother, are closely linked to various Mexican mafias involved in cocaine and heroine trade [El Comercio, August 5, 1996.]

In addition to widespread corruption, Peru's reactionary armed forces are world known for human rights violations (over 30,000 victims have been murdered and more thousands "disappeared"; at present many are being found in mass graves with mutilations and other injuries from torture). NACLA's response to such crimes is a repetition of Fujimori's infamous announcement: "In June 1995, the Peruvian [Kangaroo] Congress passed one of the most sweeping amnesty laws in the hemisphere. The law gives a blanket amnesty to members of the security forces linked to, investigated for, or convicted of human rights crimes from May 1980 to the present". State terrorism now has impunity in Peru.

CONCLUSION

Fujimori's corrupt terrorist regime has no popular support, no economic successes, and no "final victory" against the people's struggle. The victories of the People's War expose both the putrefaction of the regime and the widespread corruption in Peru's reactionary armed forces. These facts are impossible to cover up; even NACLA recognizes Fujimori's "dirty work."

This is the way Rochabrun's NACLA article ends: "Fujimori will be seen as the president who did the dirty work no one else dared to, in order to unblock Peru's clogged capitalist development. This meant doing away with everything or everyone who got in his way: former allies, the rule of law, Congress, and the Constitution." Fujimori is a corrupt tyrant at the service of big landlords, big monopoly capitalists, foreign bankers, and imperialist powers, principally Yankee imperialism.

NACLA's absurd manipulations and biased reactionary "Report" are exposed and defeated by the actions of the working masses and their powerful People's War. The truth remains: The People's War, led by the Marxist-Leninist-Maoist, Gonzalo Thought Communist Party of Peru is the real sulution to end the people's suffering. The People's War creates the People's New Power to serve the people of Peru and the World Proletarian Revolution.

The COMMUNIST PARTY OF PERU (PCP), the PEOPLE'S ARMY OF LIBERATION (EPL), and the PEOPLE'S FRONT (FPL) have the initiative, and are advancing towards the inevitable conquest of Power nationwide. It will be a great victory for the international proletariat and working masses worldwide.P

PEOPLE'S NEW POWER, NEW STATE AND NEW SOCIETY!

THE PEOPLE'S WAR IS INVINCIBLE!

Peru People's Movement (MPP.) September 1996.