Manifesto
"Peace and Solidarity Forums with Nicaragua"
"All those of good faith, believers or not, may use the word God as an effective instrument of solidarity and peace."
From Managua, Nicaragua, the beautiful and blessed land which always welcomes friends of good faith with affection and appreciation, today we want to share some social- political considerations based in what we have seen and heard in these two intense days of brotherly and sisterly forums.
The first question that claims our attention is the reason the empire has decided to intervene in Nicaragua now, given the lack of oil or diamonds or natural gas or any of the other riches in Nicaragua which are urgently needed by the great centers of production and for the creation of new 21st century technologies.
They surely noticed that this new Nicaragua Sandinista has a government which has been able to provide many social benefits for the poorest sectors of our people. We call your attention to programs for Women at risk; the birth centers (Casas Maternas); No Interest Loans (Usura Zero); Todos con Voz; school lunches and snacks (Merienda Escolar); materials for repairing roofs (Plan Techo) ;Amor para los mas Chiquitos; Patio Saludable and the Casas para el Pueblo. These are concrete actions to provide a good and just life for all, which have been recognized as excellent by the international organizations that monitor projects for the well being of the community.
We are convinced that the owners of great capital, together with the Nicaraguan elites, who never accepted the Revolution or the objectives for change that this process has meant to the poor, promoted and financed the neo liberal revolt that was intended to halt the process, and in this endevour the so called Alianza Civica was born and began it's hateful process by using social media to spread fake news and by promoting violence and terror, never before seen in our country, to alter the social peace of Nicaragua with a perverse symbol; the street blockades (Tranques) that the people have baptized "Blockades of Death " ("Tranques de la Muerte).
The second phase was to spread terror, pure and hard terror that the gangs of mercenaries visited on the people, not to engage in dialog but to spread this violence and this terror with the objective of overthrowing the government and it's president. "Que se vaya", " he must leave" they shouted in the centers of the cites and in Managua's cathedral, over and over again.
The elites and the extreme political right decided to use this violence and terror to take the great electoral victory of 2016 away from the people, with hateful disrespect for the free and constitutional electoral process.
It is a fact that unfortunately has been confirmed that the Nicaraguan religious hierarchy has been involved in the conspiracy. The Catholic Church had been invited to participate as mediators in the dialog which they called for with the President. However the bishops and priests of the Conferencia Episcopal had defined their plan to participate as part of a political project of the right that had had no problem loosing fanatic gangs on the people with no respect for democratic processes, and, on the contrary, were attempting the overthrow of the elected government.
We are sorry to see that the church hierarchy is not able to abandon the side of those who have financial and media power and instead to contribute to national reconciliation. On the contrary, in a recent case, a member of the church admits that the church was the organizer of the so called Alianza Civica, the organization that has promoted and continues to promote violence and chaos and which organized the failed attempt to overthrow the government, against the Nicaraguan constitution.
Given the recent events that have altered the social and political peace of Nicaragua and from these Peace and Solidarity forums, we say :
We have seen that the people of Nicaragua have a vocation for understanding and not for confrontation, and reject violence.
That this people which brought the revolution to it's triumph, wants to continue building it's political project in peace.
We have seen, in the streets, in the plazas, in the study and work centers, that the people are saying "No more street blockades!" (No mas tranques!)
The majority of Nicaraguans, believers and people good faith, are all ready working to restore Nicaragua as a country for all it's citizens, where the constitution and the laws are respected.
All have a place in this land of 'milk and honey', to live a dignified, democratic life, reconciled and in peace.
For everything shown in the Manifesto and more, we promise, as opinion leaders in our political organizations, social movements and Christian communities, to share what we have seen and heard and, as much as possible, to help to create networks of solidarity and peace for our blessed and beautiful Nicaragua.
We'll do it as an act of conscience and because we want this dignified people to know that they are not alone and we repeat with all of you that Nicaragua Sandinista will win with the arms of Peace!
Comité Ecuménico Latinoamericano por la Paz en Nicaragua
Comunidad Cristiana San Pablo Apóstol, Managua
Centro Gaspar García Laviana, Managua
Líderes Políticos, Sociales, Religiosos e Intelectuales de Argentina, Bolivia, Canadá,
Costa Rica, Chile, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, España, Estados Unidos, Honduras,
México, Nicaragua, Panamá, Perú, República Dominicana, Uruguay y Venezuela.
Managua, October 26th 2018