Nicaragua is Dignity and National Pride

NICARAGUA IS DIGNITY AND NATIONAL PRIDE
 
Doctor Gustavo Porras in the Special Session of the National Assembly for the Day of National Dignity
 

Thank you Compañeras and Compañeros, thank you for allowing us to be in this historic place, thank you Mayor Marbely for receiving us, thank you, Brothers and Sisters of Tipitapa for being here with us.

That tree over there is a Blackthorn Tree (Espino Negro) and they they say that the historical Blackthorn Tree was in that corner. But that is a kind of Blackthorn Tree, and under a tree of that species here, the terrible act of treason took place, and that is why it is called the Pact of Espino Negro; but Sandino transformed that act of treason into an act of Dignity for all Nicaraguans. While others made their pact with the Yankee devil, Sandino said I will never sell out or surrender, and with our Red and Black flag, waged the fight to rescue our Blue and White flag.

This ceremony today, in this place, is not merely a Special Session for the sake of holding one. The orientation to hold it here came from our leaders, Comandante Daniel and Comrade Rosario, who are always aware of the need to highlight our history.

Compañeras and Compañeros, as you know, we had convened to meet in the National Assembly, but in order to be more exact, with the necessary historical accuracy we transferred so as to meet here, in the heart of this city of Tipitapa, to the very place where we need to erase the image of surrender and raise forever the image of rebellion, of the Dignity which General Sandino assumed on May 4, 1927.

We convey the greetings of our Comandante Daniel Ortega and our Compañera Rosario Murillo to all of you and to the people of Tipitapa on this day.

On this day we are erasing, cleansing once and for all, the terrible offense to our flag, a law declaring that we commemorate the Day of the Flag on July 14th because it was the day of the abrogation of the Chamorro-Bryan Treaty. And I want to explain a little about this, because that it is nothing more nor less than the history of Yankee intervention in our country.

After the Liberal Revolution, with the triumph of the Liberal Revolution and with the advances that the Liberal Revolution undoubtedly broght about, Zelaya, a Revolution in which there were heroic Nicaraguans, National Heroes.

In addition to Zelaya, there is Rubén Darío, Rubén Darío was transformational, he was the standard bearer, the Foreign Minister of that Revolution, not to mention our General Benjamín Zeledón, who was the one who stood up against the North American intervention until the very end.

But at that time, in 1909, they made Zelaya resign with the Knox note with which we are all familiar, where the Yankees, due to their eternal greed for our Interoceanic Canal, forced Zelaya to resign by means of the Knox note, and after that they proceeded to the US intervention of 1912. That intervention caused the horrendous murder of General Benjamín Zeledón, a patriot who raised the flag in defense of our country.

Two years later, in 1914, the Chamorro-Bryan treaty was signed. It is no coincidence, for they are the same Chamorros we know now, the same Chamorro sellouts and traitors. At that time it was Emiliano Chamorro and if we take the opportunity to remember what that treaty said, it said four very specific but dreadful things; furthermore, it was written in a way that was absolutely aggressive towards Nicaraguans. It said these four terrible things.

That treaty said that Nicaragua was handing over its territory so that the United States could build a canal whenever they wanted to. Furthermore, in order to guarantee that Nicaragua would provide security for the Panama Canal and the Treaty they had for the Canal through Nicaragua, the Yankees could intervene whenever they liked and place their military forces in the territories of the Gulf of Fonseca, areas where the law of the Yankees would prevail, under the rule of the Yankees. That is to say, a total surrender.

And that is how the intervention proceeded from 1912 on, up until 1924. Then in 1925, they withdrew only to return at the end of 1926 and 1927. As the Constitutionalist War was under way, they returned to intervene once more in Nicaragua. And it was under those conditions that the Pact of the Espino Negro was signed.

What was it that preceded this Pact? What preceded it? I would like to read something for you to have an idea just what we are talking about.

The Pact was preceded by a letter from Adolfo Díaz, from the sellouts, and that is why they are traitors, officially addressed to the government of the United States, which said the following, it was an eight-point letter which in essence agreed:

    1. A military alliance with the United States preventing Nicaragua from declaring war without US consent, but which will lead it to declare a state of war when Washington does so.

You may hear of these things, but when you actually read what these savages did, what these traitors did, it absolutely disgusting.

    2. The right of armed intervention is established in favor of the United States whenever it deems appropriate, turning the already existing intervention from a De Facto State of affairs to a De Jure State, that is to say,with the force of law.

In other words, the Yankees could intervene whenever they wanted to, although they already had carried out an intervention.

    3. Nicaragua will organize a corps of Rural Guards under the command of a US military officer to replace the existing National Army, which will be abolished. Meaning the National Guard.

This point gave rise to the National Guard and the Yankee military officer was none other than Somoza, at that time, Anastasio Somoza García. That is why the Comandante always reminds us, he reminds us of the Yankee President saying that Somoza was a “son of a bitch”, but he was their “son of a bitch”, because he was the Yankee Marine they decided to put in charge of the National Guard.

    4. Agreement of a 20 million dollar loan with US bankers is foreseen, similar to what had been formalized from 1909 onward.

In fact, they had indeed been indebting us from 1909 onward. So much so that in the Chamorro-Bryan Treaty, the Yankees said they were going to give three million dollars to Nicaragua, in exchange for all the contents of the Chamorro-Bryan Treaty to be credited towards the debt Nicaragua already had with the Yankees. We can never forget that and we never will tire of remembering this history.

Just look at how things stood. And this was in  1927, but it originated in 1912. That is why it is not different, there was the Chamorro-Bryan Treaty and the Pact that Díaz proposed and that the Yankees used to bring about the betrayal by Moncada, it is all the same and is the continuity of the Yankees’ murderous, imperialist policy.

5.    The US will continue collecting customs dues collection and that authority and privilege cannot be altered without the consent of the United States.

6.    National revenue will be managed by the US collector of customs under the same terms and conditions as by the previous collector.

7.    A US financial consultant will be appointed to supervise the Treasury with the right of veto over any resolutions by the Legislative Power.

These kinds of interventions evolve over time and while it is no longer some US financial consultant, now they have their own, bombastic names, they use the term Monetary Fund, they use the names of banks, they use the names of multilateral organizations; they even use the names of United Nations organizations. That is to say in essence it is the self-same spirit, it is the spirit of subduing our peoples.

8.     More guarantees will be offered as regards the interoceanic canal option and the naval base in the Gulf of Fonseca.

These eight points are those that the traitor Adolfo Díaz officially conveyed to the US Government and these gave rise to the Pact of Espino Negro.

Now, as to what was contained in the Pact of the Espino Negro, actually there was no signing of a pact. That is to say, they were told simply, this is what you are going to do, they sat down and here they went through all the symbolic charade, but what did it contain?

(One) It provided for Adolfo Díaz, the one who sent that proposal, to remain in office until elections the following year, 1928. (Two) That those elections would be supervised by the Yankees. That is to say, the head of the polling stations and the electoral oversight officials, all had to be American officers. (Three) The complete disarmament of all the Nicaraguan troops in conflict. (Four) The surrender of all firearms to the United States. (Five) The creation of the National Guard, which was to be the mechanism of occupation and domination for 45 years, led by the Somozas. That was the Pact in essence.

Where did this Pact come from? From a communication sent by the Yankees, and this is one I want to read in honor to the history, to honor history and frankly so that we can get more indignant:

“General José María Moncada, esteemed General”, this is the note sent by Stimson to Moncada.

“Confirming our conversation of this morning, I have the honor to communicate to you that I am authorized to declare that the President of the United States has the determination to agree to the request made to supervise the election of 1928.

That the continuance in power of President Díaz for the remainder of his term in office is regarded as indispensable to that plan, and will be insisted upon.

That the general disarmament of the country is also necessary for the good success of this decision and that the forces of the United States will be authorized to take custody of the arms of those who wish to surrender them, including those of the Government”. And here comes the “forcibly disarming those who refuse to do so”.

And still the scoundrel adds,

“With all due respect, Henry L. Stimson.”

This was the basis of the pact, and it is to this that Our General immediately said No, I am not going to disarm, I am not going to sell out or surrender. And Moncada told him, “How are you going to be able to fight with 300 men against the most powerful army in the world, against the Americans, they are going to kill you, the People will give you no thanks.
 
But taking all this into account, I am going to read what Sandino wrote.

“Let us bear in mind that Moncada told the column chiefs that he had asked Stimson for eight days from May 5 to ask the Army's opinion and reply. However, he declared May 4th a holiday because that was the day on which the Peace was signed, which proves that Moncada cared little for the opinion of the Army and when he returned from Tipitapa to our camp he already had in his pocket the promise of his presidency.”

May 4th should be this, for what Sandino said. That is why we are here. May 4th should indeed be a national holiday, not because on that day Moncada sold out the Liberal Army, of which he was Commander-in-Chief, as if they were a herd of beasts. It should be a national holiday, because on that day Nicaragua proved to the world that its national honor is not to be humiliated, that the country still has sons and daughters who would offer their blood to wash away the stain that the traitors cast upon it.

“I told him again that I would be one of those opposed. With his glib talk, Moncada tried to convince me once and for all to surrender, telling me that it would be madness to fight against the United States of North America, because it is a very powerful nation, with 120 million inhabitants. That I could do nothing with 300 men under my command, that it would be like prey in the claws of a tiger, the more it moves, the deeper its claws dig into its flesh.

From that moment on, I felt a profound contempt for Moncada. I told him that I considered it my duty to die for freedom, and that this was the symbol of the red and black flag I had raised, Liberty or Death, that the Nicaraguan people of that Constitutionalist War expected their freedom.” That is what Sandino replied.

So, look how everything is historically intertwined. The Chamorro-Bryan Treaty was signed in 1914 in the midst of the US intervention. Then, in 1927, the Pact of the Espino Negro was signed, or agreed, which led to the creation of the National Guard and the establishment of a dictatorship in the service of the Yankees. It makes sense; it is logical to suppose that by 1970, the Chamorro-Bryan Treaty was no longer important, because Nicaragua already had an occupying army; they did not need permission under the treaty to obtain sites to build military bases since they already had them, with the National Guard and the murderous Marine at its head.

So, in 1970, on July 14th they decided to abrogate, erase and forget the Chamorro-Bryan Treaty between the US Marine who led the guard and the Yankees. Why? By their logic, it was a diplomatic cleansing, but the people were no longer fooled.

Sandino had already opened our eyes, he had shown us the way, and from that day on, Sandino fought under the Red and Black flag, restoring Dignity to Nicaragua and to the Blue and White flag and he managed to expel the Yankees in 1933. But he was betrayed and assassinated in 1934 by the marines and the occupying army, the National Guard. They believed that this would wipe out the Sandinista struggle, but instead, they made it forever immortal, up to this day.

Even now, we are expelling all the evil spirits surrounding that Pact and embracing Sandino's Spirit around the Dignity of the Nicaraguan People.

Here we are, faithful to Sandino's Thought, to the thought that clearly told us, "Sovereignty is not to be discussed, but defended with weapons in hand." "I want a free Motherland or Death." "My greatest honor is to emerge from the bosom of the oppressed, who are the soul and nerve of the race." "I am not willing to surrender my weapons if everyone else does. I will rather die myself with the few who accompany me because it is preferable to die as rebels than to live as slaves." "We will go towards the sun of freedom or towards death, and if we die, our cause will live on, others will follow us." "One of those days, I told my friends that if there were 100 men in Nicaragua who loved it as much as I did, our Nation would restore its absolute sovereignty. My friends told me that quite possibly there was that number of men in Nicaragua and more."

This movement, Sandino said, “is national and anti-imperialist. We uphold the banner of freedom for Nicaragua and for all of Latin America. Furthermore, in the social arena, this movement is of the people.” “Our army is the most disciplined, devoted and selfless in the entire terrestrial world because it is conscious of its high historical role.” “I have placed the love of my Nation above all other loves, and you must convince yourself that in order to be happy with me, the sun of freedom must shine on our foreheads.”

All of this is the teaching of our General. All of this is the legacy that we as Sandinistas and Nicaraguans have received, as we have just seen here with the support of all the parties in the National Assembly.

In this Law, there is a part that is not read, which is the preamble, because normally that seldom read, but it is important to read it. Why? Because I am going to propose, I want the plenary to vote for the inclusion of another paragraph in the preamble.

We have all witnessed how the United Nations agencies have increasingly subordinated themselves and bowed down to imperialist designs and wishes in every sphere.

What good have all the dozens of votes served that have been held at the United Nations against or rather condemning the blockade of Cuba? Since every year there are votes, and every year there are no more than two or three who either are against or abstain. The majority of the world condemns it, yet nothing happens.

Also, as we have been denouncing for months, the world condemns the massacre in Palestine. We see the hundreds and thousands of children dying in Palestine, who are murdered, massacred, and where are those United Nations agencies that have to do with Human Rights? They do not say a word, it is okay.

However, they lend themselves to continue condemning Countries that have Dignity, they continue to condemn us, they continue to condemn Cuba, they continue to condemn Venezuela, they continue to condemn all those who do not bow down their heads to imperialism, and they accuse us of all kinds of things.

What are they for then? They are instruments, constantly publishing falsehoods to attack the Revolution, to attack Nicaragua. Do you remember a few months ago we withdraw from FAO. Why? Because they published a document with terrible figures on child malnutrition, when in fact in this country it is a concern of the Presidency, of our Compañero and Compañera who lead us, of the workers of Ministry of Health MINSA, and of everyone, to conduct an annual nutritional census to measure how things are going. But they do not take that into consideration; they simply publish documents that are unacceptable.

And this country has Dignity. We have Dignity, and we do not accept being toyed with. So, we see how these organizations are becoming instruments of imperialism; they are instruments of empire, they are instruments to try and dominate us, to subdue us. Because these organizations are multilateral, and the member countries give strength to the organization by being there.

We are members of these organizations. Nicaragua is a member of the organization we know as UNESCO, which is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. But suddenly, without taking into account any member country, without asking, without saying anything, they strike at our national dignity, our pride, and our capacity to endure such abuses. Because for us who are familiar with history, every Nicaraguan who knows where we come from, who knows what we experienced, who knows the behavior of the traitors we expelled from this country.

But UNESCO gave them the prize they use to recognize media outlets, they gave it to the traitors, sellouts, coup plotters, coup spokespeople, the Chamorros, the very same ones, and that is why I have always said they are the same ones. They give them the UNESCO prize.

So we, members of that organization, have to endure and accept that murderers, since that is what they are, or have they forgotten how they applauded the burning of our brothers and sisters? Have they forgotten what they wrote when they humiliated and tortured our brothers and sisters?

But this country has dignity and knows that today is May 4th that Sandino did not shrink from saying, "I WILL NEITHER SELL OUT NOR GIVE UP."

And so, the Presidency, Comandante Daniel, and Compañera Rosario, today announced our withdrawal from UNESCO, they sent the letter yesterday, and today it was made public,, because we cannot be part of a United Nations organization that is attacking us, that sets out to offend us. I would like to know if anyone here is not offended by their recognition of that newspaper for having fought against who knows how many dictatorships, supposedly including us? When in fact they were the coup activists, and, furthermore, along with all their organizations that received money from the Yankees, they were the architects of the coup attenmpt. We cannot allow that.

And this leads us to a more important conclusion: it is the same imperialism but acting via different instruments. And we want to make it clear, that we will not allow any United Nations organization serving as an instrument of the Yankees to do so. We will simply withdraw! And what is the big deal? What happened when we withdrew from the OAS? What has happened? Nothing. We have Dignity, we have Dignity so nothing will happen.

What might happen is that they would begin to regard us saying: "What’s happened to the Nicaraguans? What’s happened to the Sandinistas one? What’s happened to all the Compañeras and Compañeros like those who have spoken today? If whenever they carry out actions like this, we bow down our heads. The day we bow down our heads, we stop being Sandino's children. Sandino did not bow down his head even when he faced the most powerful army in the world, even when he faced the greatest difficulties, never, and the Sandinista Front never did either, for we are Sandino's heirs, we never bow down our heads, even when there were just a very few Compañeras and Compañeros. Never, never, that was the best response from our Sandinista brothers and sisters, our Heroes. What did they give for Moncada when he told Sandino that the People give no thanks? But our brothers and sisters never stopped to think about that. They gave their lives believing that we would achieve this path to Prosperity, little by little.

We are slowly making progress with highways, electricity, hospitals, infrastructure, we are making progress, and where we have made the most progress is in Pride, in Dignity, because we have a guide to Pride and Dignity, which is the history of Nicaragua, which is the history of Sandino, which is the Sandinista Front, with Daniel and Rosario at the forefront. That is our guide to Dignity.

So, let all these organizations be clear: we will not vacillate. They can, if they want, continue serving as Yankee instruments, because that is what they are when they do such things. They tell me, the nomination proposal UNESCO received is from the IAPA (Inter-American Press Association), which is already familiar to all of us. They are all scoundrels who own major media outlets in Latin America, they are business people. They were the ones who proposed that those traitors and cowards, the coup plotters and sellouts, receive the UNESCO prize. And Nicaragua, which is part of that organization, is supposed to sit back and applaud. Do not they know the history of this country? They have no idea of the history of this country, they have no idea of the history of Nicaraguans, they are completely ignorant of how it has been incorporated into our genes through centuries fighting against injustice and empire, and they have no idea of the quality of leaders we have in this country.

So let them choose their path, we have clearly defined ours. We have clearly set out our path.

So this initiative has three considerations:

The first preamble states: That General Augusto C. Sandino, in his message to the World Anti-Imperialist Congress in 1929, denounced with revolutionary clarity: “In Nicaragua, Yankee Imperialism has proceeded to form a small and disastrous oligarchy integrated by submissive people who can never represent the sentiments of the Nicaraguan people, (…) in order to enter into unseemly treaties with this oligarchy that harm our fundamental rights as a free people.”

This is an excerpt from the message Sandino sent to the Anti-Imperialist Congress in 1929. Absolutely relevant.

The second: That July 14th 1970, was imposed as the symbolic date for marking the abrogation of the Chamorro-Bryan Treaty, an illegitimate agreement signed on August 5th 1914, in Washington under the shadow of Yankee imperialism. However, historical truth demonstrates that the US military occupation continued, proving that the said abrogation was just a diplomatic farce to cover up oppression.

And the third, here is where I say and propose we add: That imperialism continues its attack on the Dignified Peoples of Our America and Caribbean, and Nicaragua in particular, by means of new instruments and mechanisms such as the United Nations agencies which follow the guidelines of imperialism so as to attack Nicaragua and other Dignified Peoples of Our America and Caribbean.

And we would add fourthly: That our Political Constitution evokes those who, in the face of imperialist aggression, fight and offer their lives to guarantee the Peace, Security and Happiness of the future generations. So I propose that we introduce this new preamble. We must make our position clear, and make it clear so we will not be confused.

The Yankees are there; they have forms of direct intervention, but they also have other forms of intervention, and we are clear that they are also using United Nations agencies to attack the Dignity of our Peoples.

If we agree, I ask that we raise our hands to incorporate this paragraph.

We approve it and ask Compañera Loria Dixon and Compañera Aniuska Abea to include it in the preamble. Thus, it is incorporated as part of the Law.

So, Brothers and Sisters. Let us never forget the pride of being Nicaraguans, the pride of being Sandinistas, the pride of having Dignity, of defending Our Motherland, Our Country, our process.

Here we go onward, as United Nicaraguans, we go onward together as Sandinistas, as dignified Nicaraguans, patriots, all united, as we have seen here, building that Patriotic Nation we have so long dreamed of.

Long live Nicaragua!
Long live Sandino!
Long live the Day of National Dignity and National Flags!
Long live May 4th!
Long live Daniel Ortega!
Long live Rosario!

Always Onward, Compañeros, Compañeras.