Commandant Daniel Ortega Saavedra, President of the Republic, and Supreme Chief of Nicaraguan Army
In the Ceremony of 39th Anniversary of the Constitution of the Air Force of the Nicaraguan Army
July, 31st 2018.
Address by Daniel
Good afternoon, Nicaraguan brothers and sisters, families of this Land, the Land of Diriangen, of Dario, of Sandino. Comrade Rosario, Vice-president of the Republic. Commandant in Chief of the Nicaraguan Army, General of Army Julio Cesar Aviles Castillo. Chief of General Staff of Nicaraguan Army, Major General Bayardo Ramon Rodriguez Ruiz. General Inspector of the Nicaraguan Army, Major General Marvin Elias Corrales Rodriguez. Minister of Defense of the Republic of Nicaragua, Comrade Martha Elena Ruiz Sevilla. Chief of the Air Force of the Nicaraguan Army, Brigadier General Spiro Jose Bassi Aguilar. General Director of the National Police by Law, General Francisco Diaz Madriz. Attorney General of the Republic, Ministers and Deputy Ministers, Directors of autonomous entities. Armys Generals and Seniors Officers Corps. Members of the Military Council of the Nicaraguan Army. Defense Attachés from the Army, the Navy and the Air Force and Chiefs of Militaries Missions accredited to the Republic of Nicaragua. Representative Troops of the Air Force of the Nicaraguan Army. Special Guests.
Congratulations to the Comrades, brothers and sisters that have received the Wings of Pilots Order. First Lieutenant Gaston Jesus Garay Hernandez. First Lieutenant Luis Miguel Arroyo Arroyo. First Lieutenant Luis Carlos Soto. First Lieutenant Salvadora del Carmen Lopez Gutierrez. First Lieutenant Juan Francisco Lanzas Cano. First Lieutenant Francisco Nahum Casco Saenz. Lieutenant Lenin Josue Pilarte Gaitan. Lieutenant Edgard Antonio Velasquez Blandon. Congratulations to You and Your Families.
Nicaraguans are honored by celebrating one more anniversary of the constitution of the Air Force. On July 19th 1970, the Triumph of the Popular Sandinista Revolution. And on July 31st, the constitution of the Air Force. It was constituted exactly on 1979. The Navy was constituted one year later.
The Air Force, like the Army, came out from the guts of the Revolutionary Triumph. And how honored are we to celebrate this Anniversary on Peace. Something that seemed really difficult, a couple of weeks ago maybe. A few months ago. The country was besieged by terror. Terrorist practices that were unknown to our country. Which were never applied by the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN, by its acronyms in Spanish), during its fight against Somocistas Tyranny. The kidnapping and torturing of citizens, Police Officers, women, young people. And some of them, burnt. To dance, to jump and to celebrate around the dead body. Pure terrorism. It looked like the influence of Islamic State (ISIS), have reached Nicaragua, through social media. Terrible. And it wasnt a single case, they were many of Nicaraguan brothers burnt, set on fire, among them, two police officers. Their bodies set on fire, burnt! Terrorism! There is no other word. A ball of terrorism exploded.
They were already trying to do so, during the Forest Fire of Indio Maíz. You shall remember. While the Nicaraguan Army with communitarians in the Indio Maiz Reserve, the Air Force particularly, accompanied by the Navy and the land forces, were battling to control the forest fire. A superhuman effort, because they had to dig trenches, to retain the fire. Then North-American experts came. They accompanied us, since the US suffers of this kind of fires continuously. At this moment, they're having terrible fires in California. When they studied the fire situation, saw the magnitude of the fire and since there were no signs of rain, they concluded that this fire will take time, it will remain several months thats how they communicated to the experts that received them and had exchanges. We got more worried, more worried not only about the damage caused by a longstanding fire, but about the manipulation that was already being done in social media and the mobilizations that were being made by the enemies of the Peace, the Stability and Security. Blaming the Government for the Fire of the Indio Maiz Reserve! Mobilizing messages worldwide through social media, aiming to portray a bad image of the government.
Why? Because the environmental issues are sensitive. A Priority worldwide. Then, what were the enemies of the Peace, doing? They were sending messages about the government being responsible for the fire. That the government provoked the fire. And they were boosting their plans, which weren't new. Plans that were developed with a lot of strength and external resources. Resources that logically, come from extremist groups of the US and from organizations of the US that divert funds to promote terrorism in these countries. They've been doing so, against the Great Canal. Lets remember that fierce campaign against the Great Canal Project. A project that has had the support of the majority of the Nicaraguans. They manipulated the population settled around the zone of the Canal. Making them believe that their lands were going to be taken away, that their lands were going to be confiscated. They lied to them. And then, organizing rallies with them, looking to provoke armed uprisings.
And besides this, since 2007, when we came back into government again, the armed groups started in rural zones, with weapons of war. Let's remember. Attacking Police posts. Attacking the Nicaraguan Army that fights drug trafficking and organized crime. Armed groups combined with drug dealers, provoking the deaths of Officers of the National Police and the Nicaraguan Army, killing farmers, children, entire families and local authorities. Hundreds of people killed, since 2007. And of course, we carefully didn't want to handle this as a war related situation. But locating them as they were, criminal gangs, related with drug trafficking and extremist groups in Miami and Costa Rica, where they installed their communications network, to spread their images as patriots.
And, Nicaraguans brothers and sisters. Lets remember it well! And the Human Rights Organizations advocating for them, for the patriots. And every time one of these murderers died in combat, these human rights organizations accusing the Police - if the combat was against the Police - or accusing the Army - if the combat was against the Army - of violating human rights, for defending the Right to Life of farmers of the population of rural areas. Over 50 dead Police Officers during this period, since 2007 to date. Dozens of dead Comrades of the Army, by these criminal gangs. Hundreds of farmers killed. And how did the media and Human Rights organizations present them?! Remember! Their pictures in the newspapers of the Coup leaders. They portrayed them as patriots, armed with their uniforms and weapons of war. Like “the war of the patriots to finish with the Dictatorship. Since 2007, without respecting electoral results. That Coup Plan is not new. It has been developing and accumulating, and looking to expand in different directions.
Then, they found the opportunity to boost the Coup Plan, after April 18th. Simply because of the approval of a reform to social security system, which is indispensable, to avoid the disappearing of social security. And that is known by businessmen, pensioners and workers. The International Organizations clearly proposed it here: the reforms are indispensable, to avoid the social security from bankrupt.
In this year, it was a dramatic situation. Besides, this had to be executed along with a reform that contemplated the elimination of exonerations that benefited big, medium and small businessman, which benefited farmers and cattle ranchers. Two tough decisions: the tax reform and the social security reform. All of us were clear about it, there wasn't another alternative that headed the same direction. But in the first place, the social security reforms had to be approved. And they were approved! And the ones that went to protest, weren't the pensioners. Whereas security social reforms are approved in Europe, Worldwide and Latin America, the pensioners are the ones that protest. Here we talked to pensioners. We held talks with them for a while now, explaining them the situation of social security: there was no other way, but to execute these measures, that contemplate the contributions of businessman, the State and workers, to save the social security. And the ones that went to protest, weren't the pensioners. It was the leaders of NGOs that suddenly appeared as the great defenders of the pensioners, but with an agenda that is constantly evolving aimed to wear down the Government. And they are paid for that. They are funded for that, to wear down the Government, facing any measure taken by the government, facing any initiative taken by the government. If it depended on them, there wouldn't be any investment in the country, any project. Because they start to question about the investments and the projects, saying they will provoke destruction, and that the one responsible is the Government. While the communities and the populations are thrilled about the projects, because they know it will produce jobs, well-being and better living conditions.
Those are not forces or politics that appear by magic. They are forces that are grouped long time ago. They don't forgive us, for the return of the Sandinista Front by electoral means. They don't forgive us. Thats why they keep so much hate. Accumulated hate. And they transfer that hate to other generations. Its terrible. They though that after we delivered the government on April 25th 1990 after elections held on February, the Sandinista Front would never return into a government. And they had a Slogan, saying that: Do you know when the Sandinistas will return into a government? Never!, they said, Never!.
And it was a hate and a resentment so deep and accumulated, by traditional political parties. Accumulated by the Liberalism that felt displaced. Because Liberalism was the party of Somocismo, and that felt displaced by the Sandinismo. That explains the reason why during the elections of November 2001, all indicated that the Santinista Front would win those elections on a wide Alliance we managed to create. And on September of that year, the Twin Towers. And they started with their campaign of terror. Even though, they felt that the Sandinista Front would win those elections. So they multiplied the campaign of terror in the media. All the media at their service. At that time, we didn't have the correlation that we have now, where they have 9 TV channels and there are 3 TV channels that spread news about the activities of the Government. We are 9 vs 3. And they said there isn't freedom of the press. They have the newspapers with the greatest circulation and coverage. They say whatever they feel like, and still they say there isn't freedom of the press.
So, those elections were coming. And since they were worried and afraid of the victory of the Sandinista Front, the President was Dr. Arnoldo Aleman and the candidate was Dr. Enrique Bolaños. Then the then-President did something, that doesn't have the forgiveness of God nor the Motherland. He ordered the Chief of the Army on the eve of the voting, to declare a State of Siege, because of the terror of a victory of the Sandinista Front. The Chief of the Army said that he thought it was a disproportionate measure. Of course, the President is the President! The Army subordinates to the President. Then the President told him: Take out the tanks. And the tanks were out! On the early morning, the Armys tanks were on the streets of Nicaragua and on the streets of Nicaragua. To portray a victory of the Sandinista Front as the return of the war. He used the Army. He stained the Army. He disrespected the Army. Instead, we in these conditions and having a situation, that if existing in any country of the world and in Latin America, a State of Siege or Martial Law is declared and the Army is called to get out to the streets, we haven't done it! We didn't think about doing it. Because we had the belief and the trust that this battle, was going to be won by the People of Nicaragua, with patience but of course, with a high cost.
High costs because the last straw: as a requirement for the dialogue, the National Police has to stay in their quarters. In which country in the world? A country that is left without internal order. And we, with the patience of Job, it's ok, then the Police will remain in their quarters. And 55 days of siege, of attacks against the Police. They wanted to assault the Police quarters, take the arms and go directly against the whole State.
That was the plan they had. And they assaulted and attacked with weapons of war, not with slingshots. The Police Officers that died in combat, didn't died as a result of a pacifist demonstration. It was a result of armed actions, with weapons of war, not slingshots, either mortars-weapon. They had mortars, but these weren't the means by which they killed or assassinated Sandinista supporters, State Officials, Police Officers. Even in Morrito, they asked for authorization from the Police to carry on a pacific demonstration. Then, when the pacific demonstration was passing in front of the Town Hall and the Police quarters, they started to attack with weapons of war the Police quarters and the Town Hall. Result: Four brother-Police Officers killed, a teacher of elementary school that was in the Town Hall killed, seven Town Hall workers hurt, other Police officers hurt and others kidnapped. What is that? Terrorism! Terrorism! Terrorism! Thats how its called. Terrorism!
We had the patience of Job. Spending all those nights communicating by phone with Police quarters, calling out the Comrades to not shoot against the ones who were attacking them. Because the arms of the Police, indisputably, are superior and we didnt want 50 or 100 deaths there the next day. And the Comrades-Police Officers showing an exceptional and extraordinary discipline! 55 days resisting. But the People were desperate. All Nicaragua was kidnapped. The terrorist applied a national kidnap. The whole country kidnapped. No one could go out of their communities, no one could go out of their homes. A lot less get away from the neighborhood, because then they would be exposed to be shot, to be assaulted, to be killed. And of course, since the Police remained in their quarters, the common delinquency because we have common delinquency, with a low rate, the lowest in the region. But at that moment, the delinquents saw an open door, and the delinquency was multiplied. And the People didn't go out. Here in Managua, they didn't go out. And the terrorism was out there, accompanied by delinquents.
Any Government, even the Government of the US itself, how many times facing situations not so worse as this one, has called a State of Siege in States, in cities, when having serious incidents of looting. And here we had incidents of looting too, destruction of State offices. Here there was destruction of Hospital Posts, Schools, Town Halls, intentional burning of radio stations, robbery of Malls. That is enough to, in any country in the world, and I mention the US, where constantly the National Guard is moving alongside Special Forces to face this kind of situation in any State of the US. They've been doing it lately, when they killed young black or Latin-American people, and then the population starts to protest, but if the looters take advantage and rob the commercial establishments, then the National Guard arrives. It's not enough with the Police, the National Guard has to arrive. And they declare a State of Siege until they control the situation.
Here, we had the patience. The People will end up demanding to be liberated from the kidnapping. When we received that call from the communities and municipalities. Where sandinistas and liberals didnt have any differences since all of them felt trapped, all of them felt kidnapped. Where the producers, the farmers felt like they werent able to transport their products, independently of being sandinistas or liberals. They felt that in any moment they can get kidnapped, assaulted, killed. Then we said we couldn't keep fulfilling the requirement of the Episcopal Conference, about keeping the Police Officers inside their quarters.
We had no other way, but the dispatch of the Police to re-establish order. Logically, the Coup leaders were upset with the Police re-establishing order. They wanted to kill freely, they wanted to kidnap freely , and they wanted to keep terrorizing freely . When the Police are dispatched to re-establish order and the People receive them with joy... The People were desperate, and received them with joy. On the other hand, the Coup leaders received them with cursing and more accusations of violation of Human Rights. When on the other hand, the Coup leaders were violating the Human Rights in all of the Municipalities in all of the Departments of our country, keeping a whole People kidnapped.
I still remember that we made efforts to the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR), with a Commission that was born in the Dialogue, went to make arrangements for a suspension of all the kidnapping in the roadblocks. Efforts were made. And they went and came back, saying that nothing can be done, that these people dont understand. Actually, it was 4 PM and they were on their way back, because they had fear of staying.
I still remember when we took the decision that we had to free the 400 Central Americans transport workers that were kidnapped in the Department of Carazo, with more than 250 heavy transport vehicles, let the commission go! And the commission went one day, and another day, and then they went during 10 days, and during that period, dozens of comrades were assassinated. They calmly arrived to the houses where identified Sandinista comrades lived. The knocked the door, saying that if they won't open, they would smash the door. And there's one dramatic and terrible case, where they opened the door. A young man came out and was asked are you so-and-so? He replied no, he was the brother of the person they were looking for. They were looking for his brother to assassinate him. And then, this young man, was killed right there. And then, the father of the boy was on the News hurt by the loss of his son, asking for Peace. And then the father was assassinated too. All of that happens in the period we gave the Commission to resolve, but they didn't resolve anything. To the contrary, the crimes multiplied.
And about all of this we are talking about, we all know very well, that the criminal irrationality is so big, and is related to the culture of death that multiplies through social media. The assassins themselves, the torturers themselves, filmed the ones they were torturing. And they uploaded to social media. The same with the people burnt, they filmed it and uploaded it. Proper practices of ISIS and terrorist groups. That come through the media, that have an enormous penetration and overall, through social media.
Thanks to the People and the strength and the efficiency of the National Police. They misinterpreted our patience. They thought that if we didn't have a reaction, it was because we were defeated. And that there was no other way than abandoning the power. And to be clear, abandoning the power means to the Coup leaders, dismantling the State. Because they don't recognize the State institutions. They dont recognize this Army. They even accused the Army of perpetrating crimes, defamation! When the Army limited itself to its actions, as said by General Aviles. They want an Army and a Police, where these assassins can be leaders. These terrorists! This is what they want and to dismantle the State.
I was saying, how we have felt, how much pain this situation has caused us. Because of the bloodshed, in the first place. It has to hurt us, the blood of Nicaraguans. Whether for this or the other. We have said it. Thats why it was so important our efforts after the war imposed by the contra-revolutionaries. Thats why it was very important the process of reconciliation with the ones that were combatants of the contra-revolutionaries. And we achieved a lot with that process of reconciliation. Some of them left with no acceptance of the reconciliation. But the immense majority, reached reconciliation. Because it was as hard for a family that had dead contra-revolutionaries, as it was for a family that had dead sandinistas, in the war, to reach reconciliation. It wasn't easy. And it was even harder, for the mothers that had a lot of children, and one of them died fighting in favor of the contra and the other son died fighting in favor of the Government and the Army Sandinista.
Dramatic situations that provoke violence and war. That's why we are committed so much with Peace. And with this commitment to peace, from 2007 to 2011 we accomplished important achievements: Peace, Well-being, security, stability, progress, economic wellness, inversions, growing of the national economy. Against all of that, they set out to destroy it. To provoke a total collapse, of the State, of the country, of the nation. Despite the costs for Nicaragua.
This commemoration, as I was saying, we managed to celebrate it with a Nicaragua in Peace. Now the confrontation is in a political field, in the ideological field. But the armed confrontation, has ceased, has disappeared. All of the roadblocks have being eliminated. We are working in all of the Municipalities of our country. The economy is re-activating, the small and medium enterprise. The tourist activities have being activated, not at 100% rate, but at 50%.
The agriculture, now that we are in an agricultural period, the farmers are assuming this situation optimistically. The small and medium commerce is moving. I mean, there is an effort of Nicaraguans themselves, to return to normality in the economic, commercial and social field. Of course, the hit has been hard. The loss has been enormous. And recovering will take time. But with that spirit, that impetus of the Nicaraguans for work, we are sure that we are going to advance with more speed, with more celerity. That doesn't mean that we have to assume the greatest costs that are imposed by this situation.
In this 39th Anniversary of the constitution of the Air Force, we recognize in all of You, as recognized by the People, an Air Force that is forged in tough times. Like steel is forged. It was born in the forge, and it continued to be forged, during all the period of 1979 to 1990. And all that experience, all that capacity, has been later dedicated to works in times of Peace, to contribute to the defense of the sovereignty of the country. To contribute to the work of rescue of the People when affected by natural disasters. To contribute to related educational and health work, moving material and personnel, when educational or health journeys have to be done in zones accessible only by air.
Also, being an important element of the Nicaraguan Army, to guarantee the distribution of the electoral material in faraway zones when there are elections in our country. The Air Force has multiple tasks, accomplishes multiple tasks. And the last great mission that accomplished was the battle against the forest fire in the Indio Maiz Reserve. It was a heroic task, of all of You, Comrades. Of all the forces involved. Of the Army leading, of General Aviles, that allowed to control the fire. Until finally, accompanied by the rains, the fire was extinguished. Now we have to keep working, to consolidate the Peace, consolidate the Peace. To consolidate Stability. To consolidate the Security of our country. This situation of these last months, shall not allow drug trafficking, organized crime and maras to come here. Drug trafficking or organized crime, shall not have any space here in Nicaragua! Because we have an Army, a Police and a People committed in this Battle against drug trafficking, organized crime and terrorism.
A battle that we have successfully addressed, with the assurance that we will keep successfully addressing.
Dear brothers and sisters, dear Comrades. To all of You, to your Families, all our Love and all of our commitment to keep fighting for the peace, the security the stability of all the Nicaraguans.
Long live the 39th Anniversary of the Air Force! Long Live the Nicaraguan Army!