ZNet | Mexico: The puzzle of Oaxaca

[John Q. Citizen]

ZNet | Mexico

The "Other Campaign" and the Left: Reclaiming an Alternative*
PART III – AT THE CROSSROADS

by Gustavo Esteva; December 18, 2006


http://www.zmag.org/content/print_article.cfm?itemID=11660§ionID=59

The puzzle of Oaxaca



In this context, the puzzle of what is happening now in Oaxaca has special relevance, and has generated enormous interest in Mexico and in the world, but it is not well understood. Is it a revolt? A rebellion? What kind of social movement is manifested by this popular insurrection? Is it the beginning of a social revolution, or a mere popular outburst against a tyrannical governor?



The indigenous majority and the physical configuration of Oaxaca give it unique characteristics. It has one-fifth of the municipalities in the country with little more than three percent of the population. The municipality is the basic political unit in Mexico. Created by the Spaniards to divide and control, the Mexican government has used it for this same purpose. But in Oaxaca the municipality has a different significance. Four out of five municipalities are governed by "uses and customs", which is a way of saying that the people set up their authorities without electoral processes, and in their communal assemblies they make decisions for themselves that affect their lives in common.



In 1994, the then governor, fearful that the Zapatista insurrection would spread, promoted a "New Accord" with the indigenous people in order to govern the state with them. One of the terms of this accord was a change in the Electoral Code that recognized the autonomy of the indigenous municipalities to constitute their own system of government. In 1998, this legal reform was supplemented by a new law for the indigenous people and communities of Oaxaca, which is the most advanced in the American continent, though it has been continually violated by the successive PRI governors since its proclamation, and has intrinsic problems and limitations.



The discontent that accumulated during the corrupt and authoritarian administration of José Murat brought about an alliance for the first time, in the year 2000, of all the political opposition forces against the PRI, which had until then maintained control over the electoral system. Ulises Ruiz, the PRI candidate, lost the elections but managed to take over the government through very evident fraud. Ruiz is known as the master of PRI electoral frauds. All the electoral agencies of Oaxaca were under his control and ratified the result that favored him. The opposition contested the election before the Federal Tribunal, which acknowledged the fraudulent conditions of the process, but stated that it could not nullify the election since it was a local affair.

http://www.zmag.org/content/print_article.cfm?itemID=11660§ionID=59