FSLN to hold extraordinary congress
By Stephen Marks
MANAGUA — The Sandinista Assembly, the
highest decision-making body of the FSLN, has called
an extraordinary congress in May 1994 to chart out new
strategies for struggle and renovate the party's
leadership, program and statutes.
Debate around the party's program will include issues
such as FSLN-US relations, the Chamorro government,
the property problem (the return of lands, houses and
businesses to the their former owners to undermine the
agrarian reform), the dire poverty in Nicaragua and
the increasing level of violence.
Momentum for a congress has been gathering and was
supported by FSLN leader Daniel Ortega during his
address to the 50,000 who attended this year's July 19
rally in Managua. Ortega called for a discussion which
would include all of those who considered themselves
Sandinistas.
In June, 29 leading Sandinistas signed an open letter
which called for a more militant FSLN strategy.
Amongst the signatories was Rene Vivas, the former
police chief sacked by Chamorro last year at the
behest of the US extreme right. Many more added their
signature to the call as the public debate grew.
The congress is likely to completely overhaul the
party's statutes as well as renovate the top
leadership, the National Directorate. Leadership
shake-ups in the departments, districts,
municipalities and neighbourhoods are also likely as
pre-congresses are held.
The relationship between the multi-class membership
composition of the FSLN and the class orientation of
its program will come under analysis, as will the
development of more participatory and mass-based
direct democratic norms.
While the congress aims to outline a strategy to win
power at the next elections, the FSLN has in the
meantime indicated once again a willingness to help
resolve the current economic impasse in the country.
The FSLN proposal for a government of national unity
is designed to enable a series of measures to be taken
which would stimulate farm production in this
predominantly agricultural country.
Government economic policies have strangled
production. Unemployment stands at over 60%, yet only
10% of the economic aid received by the government has
been utilised to stimulate production. Nicaragua is
now the second poorest country in Latin America, after
Haiti.
"Nicaragua must produce to prevent a slide into
anarchy and becoming another Somalia", Gadiel
Arce, a member of the Sandinista Assembly, explained
to me. "To be able to eat tomorrow, Nicaragua must
be able to produce today. If there is production in
the farms there is peace in the
country."