4
‘

MILE

‘Now our copper

belongs to us...

By JOHN BIZZELL

(The author recently visited
Chile to attend the conference
“Youth of the Americas Accuses
Imperialism: Solidarity with the
Heroic Peoples of Vietnam, Laos
and Cambodia” as head of the
Canadian delegation. The confer-
ence will be the subject of a
later article.)

I was rather spoilt in Chile
regarding demonstrations. We
were there for the first anniver-
sary celebrations of the victory
of the Popular Unity alliance
in the 1970 presidential elec-
tions. President Allende address-
.@d the crowd of one million
people. One million is big, very
big. Of course President Allende
is popular as evidenced by the
universal posters and slogans,
“Viva Allende.”

But why did every ninth Chil-
ean or alternatively every third
citizen of Santiago feel the need
to come out on a cold spring
evening to celebrate the first
anniversary of Popular Unity
government?

General Secretary
ey marching with leaders of the Komsomol of the USSR (on his

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1971—PAGE 6

It was precisely because
President Allende symbolizes
everything that Popular Unity
stands for and has done since
its accession to power. ~

The Proud Record

Le us look at the record, how
their electoral promises have
been honored:

e The pinnacles of the econ-
omy have been taken over by
the state (read the people). Cop-
per, nitrates, steel, textiles and
brewing have been nationalized
along with the great majority
of the banks and financial in-
stitutions (particularly those
previously under foreign con-
trol).

At present 70% of the pro-
ductive potential of the country
is state controlled.

e Land reform is well under
way with the big latifundia ex-
propriated. Thus 60% of the
agricultural production of Chile
has been handed to the people
largely in the form of state,
collective- and _ co-operative
farms. Only those private farms
that are well managed and pro-

of the Chilean Communist Party, Luis Corvalan

7

ductive are at this stage in priv-
ate hands, together with some
small peasant operations.

@ Prices have been frozen,
and inflation halved. Unemploy-
ment is running at half what it

was a year ago and is on the

way to being eliminated.

@ Wages have been raised,in
all sectors by some 40%.

e@ Medical care has been made
universal and is being cheapen-
ed. Day care centres abound and
in one particular case cost less
than a round of pisco soura, the
national drink after wine. (As
you can gather this subject was
under discussion one night in a
Santiago bar.)

e Education is being rapidly
democratized and modernized.

Quite an achievement for a.

one-year old government!
Type of Government

Several questions arise out of
so impressive a record. What
sort of a government is the
Popular Government? How did
it come about? How did it enact
this far-reaching legislation? I’ll
attempt to answer them in order.

Firstly, the composition of
the government. The Popular
Unity government is historical-
ly evolved, having its roots in
the class struggles of Chile. It
is composed of four parties and
two movements: the Communist
Party, the Socialist Party, the
Radical Party, and the Social
Democratic Party, the Move-
ment for Popular Action and
Unity (a breakaway from the
left wing of the Christian
Democrats) and the Movement
for Independent Popular Action
(API).

All are anti-imperialist and
anti-monopoly and all agree on
a socialist future for Chile, They
all agreed to come together to
fight ‘the presidential election
and form the government. To do
this they agreed on a Program
of Popular Unity, which formed
their electoral platform.

No one part of the coalition
enjoys a preferred position. All
are equal and decisions are un-
animous, based on the program
and situations that arise from
its implementation.

History of Unity

Secondly comes the question
of how the unity was built.
There was precedent for the
concept because in 1938 Chile
elected a Popular Front govern-
ment. It was short-lived, but
enactéd much progressive legis-
lation. Salvadore Allende was
the Minister of Health in that
government.

Then in 1958 the Socialist and
Communist Parties set up a
unity organization to fight the
elections, FRAP (Front for Popu-
lar Action). This lasted through
to the last elections where its
potential was realized by the
other parties and movements
which joined it, forming the
Popular Unity. Mention here
must be made of the common

Chile’s Vice-President Toha (centre) seated between a Vi Mot
delegate to the youth anti-imperialist conference and Gladys mur
First Secretary of the Young Communist League of Chile. bavi
in the background was painted by members of the Chilean ee:

and has been used by thé
lar Unity to enact muc
nationalization program. tat

Then there was the leg! ‘
of the Frei government,
larly on the question
reform, which he imp ashi?
in a very lack-lustrée ud
These laws are wide en? nt
give the present govern”

rena?

action of the Communist Party
and the Socialist Party in 1953
to weld together the separate
trade unions in Chile into one
mighty united voice, the Central
Organization of Trade Unions
(CUT).
How it Functions

Thirdly comes the question
of how the Popular Unity gov-
ernment managed to enact all
this far-reaching legislation.
This question is interesting par-
ticularly in the light of the fact
that it only: enjoys a relative
majority in the National Con-
gress and forms a minority in
the Senate.

On some pieces of legisla-
tion left wing members of the
Christian Democrats vote with
the Popular Unity, especially
those elected from working class
constituencies. Doubtless some
of these are honest people,
while others are compelled to
do this in the hope of re-
election.

During the Popular Front gov-
ernment of 1938 laws were en-
acted permitting the government
to intervene in “troubled” in-
dustries without recourse to
Congress (that was the time of
the great depression). This was
never removed from the statutes

the scope it needs to exproP
the latifundists.
Other Reforms ig

There are still electoral Ftp
ises to be fulfilled such jegisl?
elimination of the tw° 3
tive bodies and their in¢ 2,
tion into a single hovs of tH
the much needed reform’ th
judiciary (still one t wind) Ny
strongholds of the righ! z cour
and the need for people ques
to handle neighborhoo? price
tions such as rent af
gouging. take

These steps will i vic
when they are sure 0
in the Congress. ides fo

The constitution prove onc?
the dissolution of Const, 0
during the term of a invol
the president. This can a pop,
ed at the point where t a 0
lar Unity feels it is 25° mus
a majority at the polls. tend?
be remembered that Ae

epee
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+ ;
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id
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Chilean children will grow up to take their place in the
of nation-building their country has begun. —