Chile: Globalising solidarity

Last week Javier Chavez visited Sydney as part of his tour of major 
centres in Australia. Javier is a member of the Central Committee of the 
Communist Party of Chile and the Secretary of the Party in the IX Region of 
the country. He spoke with Bob Briton from The Guardian about the 
purpose of his visit, the political situation in Chile and the commitment 
of his party to building links of solidarity with progressive forces around 
the world.

Bob Briton: What is the purpose of your visit to Australia?

Javier Chavez: I have been invited to come to take part in the 
events commemorating the 30th anniversary of the coup d'itat in Chile. For 
that reason I have been participating in activities in Melbourne, Adelaide 
and Sydney. I was invited to take part last Sunday in a ceremony in 
Fairfield to inaugurate a statue of our martyred President Salvador 
Allende. The commemorations have been a very important and it is very clear 
that the image, the esteem in which Allende is held is growing throughout 
the world.

The people who assassinated him and so many others are now covered in 
shame. There have been events taking place throughout the world giving 
recognition to the contribution of Salvador Allende. In every city in Chile 
there was a demonstration to mark the 30th anniversary of the coup. It is 
possible to say, then, that the figure of martyred President is still 
alive. He remains as a symbol of hope for the oppressed peoples of the 
world, not only those of Chile.

BB: What impression did it make on you that there were such 
significant commemorations in Australia?

JC: It is well known that there are important links of solidarity 
between the people of Australia and the people of Chile. Even after 30 
years, you still feel that those bonds of solidarity are there. As a party, 
we have been very impressed that in every activity in Sydney the trade 
unions have been involved. Left and progressive forces have been well 
represented, as well. This indicates to me that progressive people around 
the world have kept alive the desire to change the world.

Allende Government

BB: Has there been a change of attitude among the people of Chile 
toward the period of the Allende Government in recent times?

JC: Thirty years after the coup, the truth is finally coming to the 
surface. The commemorative events have served to involve the youth and to 
help them know more about those years of Popular Unity Government. However, 
after 17 years of dictatorship and 12 years of the concertacion [post-
dictatorship coalition government], there is still much to be done to 
convey the true meaning of the Allende Government to the people of Chile.

Things are starting to be known about the policies of that time: a half-
litre of milk per day for every child, the nationalisation of natural 
resources, the nationalisation of the banks, the agrarian reform. Above 
all, there was the real participation of the people in the running of the 
country — it was an experience in people's democracy.

BB: Is the illusion widespread in Chile that a form of "people's 
capitalism" is being built in the country?

JC: The official propaganda that Chile is some sort of paradise in 
Latin America is very strong. Some sectors of the population believe it. 
The reality, however, is even stronger than the propaganda. Chile is a 
country in which 40 per cent of the population live below the poverty line. 
That reality is very strong and cannot be overcome by the propaganda.

People have been waiting for 12 years since the fall of Pinochet to see 
change — 12 years to carry out democratic changes in the country. It 
hasn't happened so it is time for people to take the task of bringing about 
change into their own hands.

BB: What are the obstacles facing progressive forces in organising a 
fight back against these conditions?

JC: It's a difficult task to organise all the popular forces that 
are struggling against the system. One of the principal problems is that 
during the dictatorship, the people faced criminal repression with 
detention and torture. However, the same laws that existed during the 
dictatorship are still in existence right now. The Chilean Government and 
the structures of society are still very authoritarian — they maintain the 
same constitution and the same laws.

An example is the labour code that impedes the formation of large and 
effective unions and limits the capacity of unions to negotiate on behalf 
of workers. This hampers the work of building a strong movement today. We 
recognise that the people are not alert to all this and that there is a 
false consciousness about the issues. This is beginning to change, though, 
as poverty begins to exert itself even more strongly.

The Communist Party, together with other sections of the left, are working 
to accumulate this experience and to revive the popular movement as the 
major force in society. We have to interact and build our own forces to 
resist the government.

BB: Is there more unity among left forces in Chile than has been the 
case in previous times?

JC: Today in Chile we don't have the traditional left forces that we 
knew in the days of the Popular Unity government. The left-wing groupings 
are widely dispersed. As a Party we've taken it on ourselves to talk with 
all these left-wing forces so that we can build a single social and 
political movement. After all, social issues are political issues.

The left will gain strength if it succeeds in building strong links with 
social movements, above all with the workers. When we talk about social 
issues we are talking about the struggles of the unions, the students, 
peasants, women and the Indigenous people. There is also a cultural 
movement reaching sections of the youth that don't have any official means 
of expression.

Mapuche struggle

BB: You've mentioned a resurgence of activity among the Indigenous 
Mapuche people. Is the Party involved in these activities?

JC: Yes. We support the aspirations of the native people of Chile. 
In Chile, as in many other parts of Latin America, the Indigenous movement 
is one of the only ones to mount effective resistance against the 
transnationals. There are difficulties, of course, but it is a very active 
resistance.

We support the efforts of the Mapuche to reclaim autonomy and their land. 
This movement wasn't born within the Communist Party but within the Mapuche 
community. However, the Communist Party is the only party organised on a 
national basis that gives one hundred percent support to that movement. 
Many other left organisations support this struggle. They are not, however, 
organised at a national level.

BB: Are youth being attracted to the Party and its youth 
organisation mainly through cultural work?

JC: The youth are a part of society that is very disenchanted with 
the current state of affairs in the country, with the government and with 
politics. The youth were the ones that struggled most against the 
dictatorship — the majority of the victims in the fight against Pinochet 
were young people.

They struggled for years but the government of transition that we have is 
not what they were hoping for. Naturally, they are disenchanted.

Youth

However, we have a nationwide organisation of youth in Chile that has good 
links with the education sector at the university and secondary school 
level and with the new cultural movement that you can see developing in 
poor communities.

The Communist Youth also works within the trade unions on cultural matters. 
We hope that the Communist Youth succeeds in building links with the 
struggles talking place throughout the country.

BB: Could you describe the difficulties facing the Party in the 
electoral arena?

JC: The electoral laws currently in force in the country were 
formulated during the dictatorship. We have an institutionalised two-party 
system that does not permit representation from the popular organisations. 
The parliament only has representatives of parties supporting the system. 
To put it another way, the parliament does not represent express the 
aspirations of the people.

A parliamentarian in Chile is paid eight million pesos ($A 20,000) a month 
while a worker receiving the minimum wage gets one hundred and twenty 
thousand pesos ($A 300) a month! Naturally, the people don't love the 
members of parliament or feel a connection to the parliament.

Sometimes we feel a pride in not having any representation in the 
parliament. More than trying to build representation in the parliament, we 
are working to build a strong social movement. We take part in election 
campaigns but only with the purpose of getting an alternative message 
across to the largest number of people possible.

Building a social alternative

BB: How do you anticipate the process of change will develop?

JC: It will depend on the development of, the existence of a social 
alternative in Chile. The present authorities will not bring about social 
change in Chile. In this context it is very important to consider what 
happened last August 13 during the national strike called by the Central 
Unitaria de Trabajadores [Chile's major trade union peak council].

The strike was called to advance claims affecting the immediate situation 
of workers but also in support of all of those opposed to the system. 
Change will depend on the capacity of popular forces to build a social and 
political alternative.

In this period it is vitally important that we unite all the progressive 
forces around the world. The transnationals have globalised poverty, 
exploitation and hunger. It is time for the workers to globalise their 
resistance. It is possible. We Chilean Communists are open to any proposal 
aimed at fighting our common enemy, which is US imperialism. Another world 
is possible.