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 Mexico. Well, not all over. Only where they invite us. If there is a place where they don’t wish to receive us, then we won’t go. Because we don’t want to impose a way of thinking by force either.
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 Chiapas, in some of the zapatista communities which agree to receive us for this work. We have chosen weekends so that you won’t have to miss work…or not much. The calendar we’re proposing to you is the following (note: there might be changes, but we’ll let you know):
– 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 Mexico: Arrival on Friday, August 12; Meeting on Saturday, August 13, and Departure on Sunday, August 14.
– 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, boys 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.
Mexico, July of 2005.
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