Interview with Walmaro Gutierrez Mercado, President of the Economic Commission of Nicaragua's National Assembly

Tortilla con Sal, July 15th 2011

Tortilla con Sal : Would it be fair to say the opposition manage a double discourse on the use of the ALBA funds?

Walmaro Gutierrez Mercado : In principle I think it's important to emphasise that the Economic Commission is practically unanimous in considering  that the introduction and establishment of Nicaragua as one of the members of the Bolivarian Alternative of the Americas -ALBA – has been an important contribution, especially so given its growth which is something that has been recognized both inside this Commission including by the opposition deputies.

The way in which Nicaragua joined and the way in which it has made its economy more dynamic, guaranteeing its economic growth is undeniable. So we have to recognize at an institutional level that ALBA has been very positive. Obviously and unfortunately, mediocre interests prevent opposition deputies react in that way for external purposes.

And, sadly, that's where you'll see this double discourse whereby although internally they will publicly acknowledge that Nicaragua's presence in the ALBA framework has worked fundamentally to the benefit of the Nicaraguan economy, for external purposes they have attack it with arguments that focus negatively. And lamentably that is what some news media decide to broadcast. However as teh Economic Commission we do indeed believe ALBA has had an highly positive, a qualitatively positive impact for Nicaraguans.

TcS : From teh perspective of the Economic Commission what in practice has been ALBA's impact? Do you get reports?

Walmaro Gutierrez : As I said to start with, the positive impact of Nicaragua's membership of  ALBA is undeniable. With a reality like that all that's left to the opposition is to try and disqualify the source and management of the resources because they simply cannot disqualify their impact. Because the mere fact that in the context of such a strong international economic crisis it's possible for more than a million Nicaraguans in Managua to use public buses with the same fare of two córdobas fifty cents, which is a price frozen since the beginning of 2007 and that has been guaranteed by ALBA. That is undeniable.

The fact, for example, that the price of electricity nationally has been subsidised is undeniable. The fact that we began 2008 with a trade in basic goods with Venezuela of just US$28 million and now in 2011 that trade is reckoned as likely to reach US$350 million. When it is impossible to disqualify or disparage this kind of attack  what they do is shift to other lines of attack like trying to smear or make the population believe the funds are not managed transparently.. The truth is that if these funds were no managed transparently they simply would not have had the impact they have in fact had, especially for the most impoverished Nicaraguans.

Now in relation to information, on repeated occasions the various institutions involved in the Bolivarian Alternative of the Americas have reported and sent information to the Economic Commission concerning the origin, use, beneficiaries and impact of the ALBA resources. But it should be noted that not only do they supply information to the Economic Commission. That information is also freely available to those responsible for regulating the national economy such as the Central Bank and you will know very well that the Central Bank publishes all its information on its web site. Likewise the Superintendent of Banks is informed. The Finance Ministry also has the relevant information. PRONICARAGUA has the relevant information.

In other words, the only ones who cannot see are the ones who out their hands over their eyes. The truth is that the information is there. It is available at any time. It is highly accessible. But most importantly it is serving to reduce the poverty spread around over 16 years by neoliberal governments and that is why today Nicaraguans recognize the positive results of President Ortega's administration and obviously too the support and huge help ALBA has been in terms of economic growth and poverty reduction in Nicaragua.

When the President of the Republic took the correct decision for Nicaragua to join ALBA that led to a series of international treaties on economic issues aimed at consolidating and formalizing  economic relations with the State of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. As a result of the signing of those treaties, in accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of Nicaragua, those treaties came here to the National Assembly to be ratified.

So then each and every one of the substantive elements of economic and trade relations between Nicaragua and Venezuela within the ALBA framework are fully documented and well know to all the deputies in this national parliament. The different instruments, for example, the treaties to do with financial strengthening, the treaty on trade and the treaty on help to change the country's energy matrix, the one to do with basic foods and with strengthening the agricultural sector among other treaties of a commercial nature and of trade relations, all these were known by the Foreign Affairs Commission which is not even managed by the Frente Sandinista but rather is controlled by the country's opposition.

They controlled it then and they continue to control it. As for the Economic Commission this is no controlled by the Frente Sandinista, but when these relations were formalized it was not. At that time, it too was controlled by the opposition. So all these substantive elements of Nicaragua's bilateral relations with Venezuela are fully known to the opposition deputies and they know very well too the positive impact this trade relationship has had and the positive impact it has had on our export growth.

So then to say there is no information or there are no mechanisms for information flows is a vile untruth because at the moment they request that information from the Central Bank, from PRONICARAGUA, from any of the institutions involved in the country's economic management they have perfectly ready access to that information. Furthermore, the President of the Central Bank himself, prior to the ratification of those treaties here in Nicaragua, came to explain to the deputies of all the different parliamentary groupings in the different parliamentary commissions the objective, the extent the content and the impact of that bilateral relation within the ALBA framework.

TcS : What's your vision of ALBA's development over the next few years?

Walmaro Gutierrez : I think Nicaragua, Venezuela, Cuba, Ecuador, Bolivia are countries that are trying to show by example to the rest of the sister countries of Latin America that there does exist an alternative of developing fair trade. Remember throughout our history have endured trade relationships developed under extremely unequal conditions, the kind of relations in which whoever has money calls the shots and the ones who don't have to keep quiet.

With the Bolivarian Alternative of the Americas, the proposal for fair trade is a reality  and it is being shown that trade as such is being turned into a tool to combat poverty not as it has been traditionally seen, namely as a tool of enrichment for countries with great resources and one of systematic impoverishment for countries that were economically vulnerable.
So we think that in the short, medium and long term we are going to have the capacity and the chance to be able to continue integrating more Latin American countries into this alternative. Remember that Bolivar's dream is that of the great Latin American nation and to have the opportunity a group of being able together to review and renegotiate the rules of the game with which unfortunately up until now have been imposed on us via unfair free trade treaties which in one form or another have been imposed the length and breadth of Latin America.

I think that in fact ALBA means a new beginning, a new opportunity for Latin American nations to be able to use their resources for trade exchange that allows them to escape from poverty and ensure a more just redistribution of wealth not just at a national or regional level but at the level of all of Latin America. That is why we recognize clearly and categorically the positive impact of ALBA in countries like Nicaragua and we hope that in the same way that Nicaragua has benefited from this solidarity framework, let's hope that many Central American and Latin American countries may be able to benefit themselves, just as Nicaragua has.

This isn't a case of I get what I need and everyone else can go to hell, get carried away on the tide. No. Quite the reverse. One hand washes the other. Only the people will save the people. And so we think this alternative is going to give us the chance to bring the countries of Latin America together because I think that is the only way to fight poverty, systematically and in an integrated way, the poverty we inherited from earlier unjust trade treaties.