Not your father's FMLN

I was struck by how Mauricio Funes and the FMLN are reaching out to business as demonstrated in a recent press release on the FMLN web site:
On his arrival in Los Angeles Funes ... will meet with senior representatives of a well known business with a presence in all Latin America. The agenda of the presidential candidate includes on Thursday a meeting in the Biltmore Hotel with more than a hundred leaders of the Salvadoran community in the United States, businessmen, professionals and some Latin American diplomats....In recent months the presidential candidate has had numerous meetings with small medium and large businesses, to whom he has transmitted his message of certainty. Many of them have already expressed their support.

That's a far cry from the rhetoric of the orthodox old guard who ran the presidential campaign of Schafik Handal in 2004.

The Los Angeles Times added to recent attention being paid to Funes by the US press as it covered Funes visit to the California city which is home to hundreds of thousands of Salvadorans:
Funes has tread cautiously to avoid being tagged a hard-line leftist in a country still deeply polarized since the war, which claimed 75,000 lives before ending with a peace accord in 1992.

He says it would be financially "irresponsible" to dump the dollar and asserts that the time is not right to seek any changes in the regional free-trade agreement with the United States.

"El Salvador needs a democratic, realistic and responsible left," Funes said during an interview in San Salvador, the capital.

Funes is more likely to hold up as a model Brazil's president, Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, than Old Guard members of the FMLN or the bombastic Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez, who has antagonized U.S. policymakers. Funes' wife, Vanda Pignato, who is Brazilian, is a founding member of Lula's Workers' Party.

Funes has met with American officials during trips to the United States in recent months to make clear that he would retain close bilateral relations, particularly on issues such as regional drug trafficking and organized crime.(more)

That's a different kind of FMLN -- or at least a different kind of FMLN presidential candidate -- and a far cry from the party which regularly decried such relations with the "empire" to the north.

Comments

Unknown said…
I believe that at some point in time, quite a while ago, I wrote in your blog this very same point of view, that a Lula-like pragmatism is ruling Funes' strategy, and that HE has a PERSONAL political project, which might in the future clash with the ULTIMATE GOALS AND POLITICAL DESIRES of the STILL ORTHODOX MEMBERS OF the Political Commission of the FMLN.

On another note, I think that the FMLN never has been a unified solidified POLITICAL force if not out of strategic necessity, which does not take away from the fact that it WAS usually a unified MILITARY force.

But now we have a camaeleon-like Political Commission, which is in the shadows, waiting to get to power. If they do, With Funes at the helm, and once in power he pushes his Lula-like personal political project, instead of a Chavez-like revolution, the Still-Orthodox-Political Commission will probably think that they have come to government, but they have yet to come to power.

And then, what will be done to Funes or to his political project, by the likes of Mr. Merino (the real power in the FMLN), who a year ago swore to the death his anti-system marxist socialist revolutionary vein?

What will he do?

I wonder.

And I believe this is the time that Funes needs loyal men around him, in order to insure the EVOLUTION of El Salvador's political system.

Because EVOLUTION is what might come out of Funes' success.

Regards,
Hodad said…
YES,
hopefully EVOLUCION

Marxism is dead long ago
El-Visitador said…
This would be funny, it was not tragic:

Chishi wishing the lefty candidate will behave responsibly (i.e., like a righty) so that evolution can occur.

Hodad wishing that Marxism were dead. As if the #1 guy in the FMLN's Politburo (Spanish: "comisión política") the aforementioned Merino, had not declared two short years ago to elfaro.net:

"I am Communist and openly acknowledge myself as a Communist. The FMLN is a Socialist revolutionary party. Being Communist is part and parcel of that"


Kids, you are only deceiving yourselves.
Unknown said…
E.V.:

"Chishi wishing the lefty candidate will behave responsibly (i.e., like a righty) so that evolution can occur".

I am not wishing. In politics I am not prone to wishful thinking.

I am believing it may be that Funes has a POLITICAL PROJECT OF HIS OWN, which is very different.

One project which will clash with the likes of Merino et alia, who lurk in the shadows, willing and able to get power (through a job promotion of the Vice Presidential candidate) by any means necessary.

See the whole set of what I believe?. It is not a happy clappy rosy pony sort of dream.

On the other hand, evolution will occur, regardles of anything. ARENA prides itself in evolving, if they win under their newly found social consciuos project, then evolution occurs.

If Funes wins evolution will occur as he might have softened part of the fmln vote, if the hard-cores of the fmln gets power through a job promotion of their VP, devolution may occur, but the antithesis of that thesis will create a new synthesis, perhaps through violence. And that will be evolution again.

And since in politics nothing is final, and we cannot really predict the future, there is always the possibility that the system will eventually evolve into something acceptable.

And the opposite is also possible as well.

But if that happens, E.V., you might have to come and join one of the trenches.

And put your money where your mouth is.

If so you choose.

And if you do, you'll find me there, in one of the trenches.

And it would not be my first time there.

Regards,
Hodad said…
I have hope also for the future, any kind of future,

EV is off his meds again
his rhetoric is profoundly CIA

and 'kids'
Pal, you are the naive bunch
amazing the lack of intellectualism and 'heart' in some of those that write here

please no more negative crap
either have hope for El Salvador, or shut the fuck up
from a 54 y.o. surfer HIPPIE
[hope in providing peaceful individual existence]
intendes?
Anonymous said…
I agree with chishi that politics needs evolution but also feel that the evolution needs to be as painless to society and palatable to everyone. Being a gringo I would like to see that evolution be as painless as it has been in other parts of the world. It hasn't been all painless in the US as witnessed by our own civil war that has taken all of 150 years to overcome. Learn from others mistakes!

Being anti-political I would like to see the US pull out of everywhere where we are not wanted and be more isolationist, seal the borders and let everyone that hates the north fend for themselves.
This would mean letting everyone including 52 year old drug addled surfers like hodad figure it out on their own. I think the word is "entendes" not "intendes" and hodad should have used a little less medication in the past.

Hodad why are you worried about the CIA? Is it because they compete with your drug business?

The other problem with evolution is that too few of the people seeking evolution live to see it happen. How long will Funes live with Ceren in the background? Then what are you to back to, Civil war, to preserve some form of democracy in El Salvador or do you just let it go the way of Hugo and lose another generation to complete corruption? What does hodad call Hugo's type of government, democracy by the people and for the people? I think it has to be by the bank acount and for the bank account.

I am surprised that Chishi thinks that ARENA has evolved. From what, a less corrupt government to a more corrupt government over the last few cycles? Most of my salvadoran friends who are pro ARENA say that the currnet administration is the most corrupt they have seen yet. What guarantee is there that Avila will be any better? Remember he was hand picked by CaSaca and that wouldn't have happened if he wasn't as dirty as the rest. Todos en la cama o todos en el suelo and that applies in large part to the FMLN as well. I am convinced that the majority of the FMLN just want their turn at the trough.
Unknown said…
"I am surprised that Chishi thinks that ARENA has evolved".

I didn't say that.

I said that ARENA PRIDES ITSELF IN EVOLVING.

THEY believe they have evolved in form. But conceptually, I would not agree that they have evolved enough.

There.

Regards,
Anonymous said…
If what we're seeing is an element within FMLN that wants to distance itself from the Marxist, Fidel loving, FARC supporting ways of the past,and govern with an emphasis on benefiting the people, this could be a good thing. If the FMLN becomes a serious challenge to ARENA then that competition will begin to shape ARENA as well. If corruption makes ARENA vulnerable at the polling booth, then at some point in time someone within ARENA will begin to challenge the good old boys who want things to stay the same. That appears to be what is happening in the FMLN.

I have heard of several good young mayors in the FMLN who have that viewpoint and are doing a good job. Maybe if the FMLN loses enough elections with it's current focus, these mayors may get their shot at changing the party. Hopefully that is what Funes is attempting to do.

In the last few weeks here we've seen the FMLN distance itself from FARC and also the student organization that torched the buses in front of the National University. That seems to be progress, I hope it continues.
Hodad said…
anti politico.
I take that as slander
where do you live? so I can see about f...... you up
as you must be CIA

never have been never will, in dope biz
where is MY yacht and plane, huh?
actually worked with US Customs in Guatemala and know all about Mena,bilary-bush-etc


who are you? where do you live?
maybe you say this because YOU are in it
i do legal biz always have always will
fuck the CIA
I worked with indegenous people's in Guatemala in the 80's and w/ URNG and Sandinistas saw horrible stuff perpuated by CIA and US military little dick brainwashed to kill 'soldiers'

drugs are against the revolution,idiot

you must be on pills like E-V
as all doctors it seems are dope dealers

i do aspirin and natural herbs and plants, but then i eat well-fish fruits etc
and try for balance in life
I swim each and every day, mostly in the ocean, i bet you are scared of the ocean, PAL

Castro shoots dope dealers

CIA is up to their ears with it, got vid of DEA loading up in Puerto Queztal in 89

what an asshole you are Pal

you are dazed and confused

to continue, yes there are several good Mayors in EL SAL
where I moved to in 1994 [especially ones like Oscar in Sanmta Tecla, lived there 3 years]

to put people to work in a free trade zone,Pedregal
except my greedy millionaire partner brought in a CIA, SOA trainer, green beret, idiot buddy of North's
so stupid and doped upo he did not even know which direction to tuern a wrench sometimes, his main concern was the shipping boxes, go fisgure
I closed the factory
all the workers quit over this CIA asshole

do not hold it against me as being one of socios of LIPS as I had the money I was the Investor and my partners Ertel[pedophile,dope head,loser,took old farts to Phillipines and Thailand to screw 12 y.o's and avid pornographer] and Vega[used to be big accounting firm in EL but his name is mud and 'slimeball' is what he is called] they ripped me off while I am here taking care of 80 y.o. folks
they are the ones in dope biz to Hawaii and Miami probably of course with ARENZI assistance

they will get theirs soon enough
as the messed up with MS-13 allowing 18 st to come into LIPS and haul off they #4 guy
time will tell,
LIPS was supposed to be taxi dancing, NOT strippers
anyway

Pal, ANTI-P
I
have 600 fishermen in ES waiting to work with me,and in Guatemala ,Honduras and Nicaragua
getting ready to redesign and build better fishing boats as the ones in ES built by a drunk dope head
what the fuck do you do for the people of ES?
except run your gringo confused mouth
you want to go fishing, CIA I invite you

I will be glad to work with FUNES as he is about heart, his interviews and questions allegate this
which is what is needed for 'the people'
FUNES will have good people to do good things
all the old farts FMLN and ARENA need to retire, go fishing shut the fuck up and leave the future to those that want a future

any time anyplace, PAL....
you do not even have a link to your profile, so any and all your comments are INVALIDO as are the anonymous ones