2 hours ago, Nancy in Pátzcuaro said:I understand from NPR this morning that the standoff has been resolved. The president capitulated and restored the gas subsidy. Is this correct? If so, everyone must be breathing a big sigh of relief. Having been in Ecuador in the past when the indigenous were blockading roads, I can understand the feeling of insecurity and apprehension. Combining that with food shortages means everyone has been very tense.
Nancy in Pátzcuaro
That's a bit misleading, actually - what's happened is that the Government has agreed to strike Decree 883, which contained not only the gas subsidies that the North American media fixated on, but also the other austerity conditions including cuts to temporary contract workers' salaries (these people are overwhelmingly indigenous), the opening of native lands to mining and gas concession, and a host of other measures that disproportionally hit the most impoverished sectors of the country.
The striking of Decree 883 is only the opening of peace talks: it was the basic condition demanded by CONAIE (the indigenous federations) to come to the table. Roads are now partially opened in some areas of the country, although my own city remains largely isolated, but it's still a huge sigh of relief.
However, the indigenous leaders have signalled that this is still only the first step - it's not over until everything has been hashed out, and a new deal can be hammered out that doesn't put the majority of the burden of austerity on the backs of those least able to support it.
