Following the successful 21st Con- Sess of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) held recently in Georgetown, (Tri- “attended press conference. agan described a bankrupt economy ot to the brink of ruin by the feople’s National Congress (PNC) | 80Vernment of Forbes Burnham which laS perpetuated itself in power through Tigged elections since 1964. ‘‘The coun- has no foreign exchange,”’ Jagan told ‘the press, “‘It’s debt payment is $462-mil- ; Venue. _ “There is a serious shortage of basic lion, 75% of the governments’ total re- . foodstuffs — a loaf of bread costs G$8, a pound of flour G$5, and chicken is G$9 per pound” (G$3.03 equals $1 U.S.). The PPP leader, who is also Opposi- tion leader in Guyana’s parliament, said the official inflation rate is 40%, but the real rate is closer to 100%. ‘1983 will be worse,’’ he warned. ‘“‘The government is going to the International Monetary Fund and World Bank for funds and the terms to be imposed will further aggra- vate the crisis.” Jagan said the demands placed by these U.S:-controlled institutions will further open the door to foreign capital and foreign policy-making. ““They are asking and being given a free hand which means further ruthless exploitation of the The Guyanese army patrolling Georgetown during the 1 978 referendum. Its armed forces are a key part in Reagan’s plan for a Caribbean Defence Force to move as imperialism’s x liceman in the region. “‘If the govemment won't change, change the government’ — Jagan workers, further inflation and further crisis.” The PNC regime which came to power with CIA help and stays there by fraud and force of the army, has agreed to the dismantling of former state enterprises, more foreign management and other terms which will make 1983 an even worse year, he said. Jagan said the situation throughout the region is little better as the capitalist crisis, deepens. ‘‘Even so-called ‘stable’ countries like Barbados are facing seri- ous economic problems as tourism and trade drop.’’ He pointed out that with the exceptions of Cuba and Grenada where nation-building projects are being implemented, ‘‘every Caribbean country today faces a volatile situation.” Turning to the dangerous implications of the Reagan administration’s policy in ‘the region, Jagan warned that the U.S. president’s Caribbean Basin Plan is de- signed to strengthen U.S. imperialism’s stranglehold and not aid impoverished countries. ‘‘Reagan demands bilateral discussions before ‘aid’ is extended which means the U.S. will determine your politics.” Alongside economic and political con- trol, Jagan said, the U.S. wants to set up a so-called Caribbean Defence Force, with Guyana as ‘a key player, to =maintaln.~OLaer =. ll. Will oe ‘*imperialism’s policeman to move where needed,” he charged. “The aim is to stop more Grenadas and Nicaraguas,”’ the PPP leader said and pointed to the recently-passed Simms Amendment by the U.S. Con- gress which revives the Johnson Doc- trine giving the U.S. the “‘right”’ to inter- vene anywhere in the region. - eee Ot i CHEDDI JAGAN: The removal of the PNC government is now on the agenda. ‘‘We must mobilize the people every- where,’ Jagan said. ‘‘We require maximum unity to oppose Reagan’s divide-and-rule tactics.’’ He argued that only long term planning on a regional basis will begin to solve the Caribbean’s severe economic crisis. Replying to questions, Jagan said the PPP’s immediate platform to take Guyana out of the crisis would include a suspension of the suffocating foreign ‘debt and an end to corruption and mas- sive waste in government. (Guyana has 30 government ministers and five vice- presidents). Jagan said the PPP is calling for a Na- tional Patriotic Front to replace the pres- ent corrupt regime. “‘The removal of the PNC government is now on the agenda. The required unity is. now being forged and we're saying: ‘If the government — doesn’t change — change the govern- ment!” i International Focus Tom Morris mem eee. RR con PRO YR ee. AA 6 oc ee eee. Seer Marking an ‘X’ for world peace Co-winner of the 1982 Nobel Peace Prize, Mexican diplomat onso Garcia Robles, 71, just days after being awarded the honor along with Sweden’s Alva Myrdal, spoke to the UN 8€neral assembly’s main poli- Ucal committee and made a telling and crucial point. © quoted expert statistics to argue before the world body that the U.S. and USSR are qual in nuclear military capa- bility. What makes Robles’ Point crucial is that it invali- dates the Reagan administra- Hion’s position justifying the Unprecedented American Weapons’ program by the lie that the U.S. lags behind the SSR in weaponry. he timing of Robles’ Speech is also opportune, com- Ing as it does just two weeks before the Nov. 2 state and ‘Ocal elections in which mil- 1ons of Americans will have a Chance to vote for a mutual -S.-USSR nuclear weapons’ VOTE freeze. The most recent sur- veys show 76% of the voters — favoring a mutual freeze and 19% against. Typically, Rea- gan sharply opposes the freeze which would scuttle his posi- tion along with his bloated mili- tary spending program. With the many complexities of the nuclear arms issue including its technological as- pects, a simple call by Ameri- cans via the ballot urging a nu- clear arms freeze and then dis- armament will help show just who is in favor of arms control and reduction and who is not. It will be interesting to see what Reagan does with such a vote and if he is in the least interested in listening to his own electorate. Robles’ point shouldn't be lost either on the millions of ’ Canadians who will have an opportunity to vote for peace during the municipal elections. If that vote is massively ‘““Yes”’, it will also be interest- ing to see what our government does ‘to implement the wishes of the voters. YES FOR DISARMAMENT IT’S A MATTER OF SURVIVAL Good Lord! Not them too This item falls somewhere in a ‘‘believe-it-or-Not’’ category for its sheer bizarreness. It seems the annual gather- ing of mercenaries, organized in the U.S. by Soldier of For- tune magazine (‘‘the journal of professional adventures’’) took place recently and one Tribune reader caught a clip on the conflab on TV. Main speaker was none other than Watergate’s G. Gordon Liddy who told the convention of misfits, former Green Berets and just plain crazies that it’s not the sol- diers, but the politicians who should learn the lesson of Vietnam — that there is no such thing as limited war; once in we (they) must kill every last enemy. This must have sounded like heaven to these people who publish such ads in their magazine as: ‘‘Group of Mercs for sale to foreign gov't. Will attempt suicide missions. Send inquiries .. . Write ifinterested in joining.” - They read heady stuff about operations in Southern Africa and Guatemala and get their rocks off learning how to strangle silently or fire heavy weapons. All quite macho and fascist. The kicker? Not to draw long bows, but to illustrate the ‘popularity in the extent of the organization's “free World,’ throughout its meet- ing guess what banner was draped across the speaker’s podium? Yep, Solidarnosc. Mercenaries in Guatemala The non-nuclear snowball In the world of real people, far away from the mercenaries preaching unlimited war and murder, the leaders of 17 Asian and Pacific Commonwealth states have ended a five-day conference by calling on the nuclear powers to respect their desire to have the Indian Ocean declared a zone of peace. They called for the conven- ing of a conference of the nu- PACIFIC TRIBUNE—OCTOBER 29, 1982—Page 9 clear powers to discuss ways to reduce tensions in the stra- tegic region and come to agreements to turn the Indian Ocean into a nuclear weap- ons-free zone. This call is certainly compat- ible with Soviet peace pro- posals made during the United Nations’ Second Session on Disarmament at which the USSR pledged it would honor all such declarations. Soviet policy is to work toward more such nuclear weapons free areas — in the Balkans, Indian Ocean, Pacific, Latin America, Scandinavia and, yes, Canada — as important steps toward eventual elimination of nuclear arsenals and the threat of nu- clear annihilation. Canada as a_ nuclear weapons free zone is a key de- mand of today’s growing peace movement. It makes sense and we (along with all other states) have been assured that our territorial integrity and safety will not be threatened by the ' USSR. That country has made this a public pledge. The U.S. to date has made no such undertaking to anyone. Soviet leader Brezhnev also declared the USSR will nevér be the first to use nuclear weapons. Should the Western nuclear powers join in a similar public commitment, the need for such weapons would van- ish. What a fine idea ... em NS ba)