Behind the Coup in Ecuador – The Rightwing Attack on ALBA

By Eva Golinger

Translation: Machetera

The latest coup attempt against one of the countries in the Bolivarian
Alliance For The People of Our America (ALBA) is attempt to impede
Latin American integration and the advance of revolutionary democratic
processes. The rightwing is on the attack in Latin America. Its
success in 2009 in Honduras against the government of Manuel Zelaya
energized it and gave it the strength and confidence to strike again
against the people and revolutionary governments in Latin America.

The elections of Sunday, September 26th in Venezuela, while victorious
for the Venezuelan United Socialist Party (PSUV), also ceded space to
the most reactionary and dangerous destabilizing forces at the service
of imperial interests. The United States managed to situate key
elements in the Venezuelan National Assembly, giving them a platform
to move forward with their conspiratorial schemes to undermine
Venezuelan democracy.

The day after the elections in Venezuela, the main advocate for peace
in Colombia, Piedad Córdoba, was dismissed as a Senator in the
Republic of Colombia, by Colombia’s Inspector General, on the basis of
falsified evidence and accusations. But the attack against Senator
Córdoba is a symbol of the attack against progressive forces in
Colombia who seek true and peaceful solutions to the war in which they
have been living for more than 60 years.

And now, Thursday, September 30th, was the dawn of a coup d’etat in
Ecuador. Insubordinate police took over a number of facilities in the
capital of Quito, creating chaos and panic in the country.
Supposedly, they were protesting against a new law approved by the
National Assembly on Wednesday, which according to them reduced labor
benefits.

In an attempt to resolve the situation, President Rafael Correa went
to meet with the rebellious police but was attacked with heavy objects
and teargas, causing a wound on his leg and teargas asphyxiation. He
was taken to a military hospital in Quito, where he was later
kidnapped and held against his will, prevented from leaving.

Meanwhile, popular movements took to the streets of Quito, demanding
the liberation of their President, democratically re-elected the
previous year by a huge majority. Thousands of Ecuadorans raised
their voices in support of President Correa, trying to rescue their
democracy from the hands of coup-plotters who were looking to provoke
the forced resignation of the national government.

In a dramatic development, President Correa was rescued in an
operation by Special Forces from the Ecuadoran military in the late
evening hours. Correa denounced his kidnapping by the coup-plotting
police and laid responsibility for the coup d’etat directly upon
former President, Lucio Gutiérrez. Gutiérrez was a presidential
candidate in 2009 against President Correa, and lost in a landslide
when more than 55% voted for Correa.

During today’s events, Lucio Gutiérrez declared in an interview, “The
end of Correa’s tyranny is at hand,” also asking for the “dissolution
of Parliament and a call for early presidential elections.”

But beyond the key role played by Gutiérrez, there are external
factors involved in this attempted coup d’etat that are moving their
pieces once again.

Infiltration of the Police

According to journalist Jean-Guy Allard, an official report from
Ecuador’s Defense Minister, Javier Ponce, distributed in October of
2008 revealed “how US diplomats dedicated themselves to corrupting the
police and the Armed Forces.”

The report confirmed that police units “maintain an informal economic
dependence on the United States, for the payment of informants,
training, equipment and operations.”

In response to the report, US Ambassador in Ecuador, Heather Hodges,
justified the collaboration, saying “We work with the government of
Ecuador, with the military and with the police, on objectives that are
very important for security.” According to Hodges, the work with
Ecuador’s security forces is related to the “fight against drug
trafficking.”

The Ambassador

Ambassador Hodges was sent to Ecuador in 2008 by then President George
W. Bush. Previously she successfully headed up the embassy in
Moldova, a socialist country formerly part of the Soviet Union. She
left Moldova sowing the seeds for a “colored revolution” that took
place, unsuccessfully, in April of 2009 against the majority communist
party elected to parliament.

Hodges headed the Office of Cuban Affairs within the US State
Department in 1991, as its Deputy Director. The department was
dedicated to the promotion of destabilization in Cuba. Two years
later she was sent to Nicaragua in order to consolidate the
administration of Violeta Chamorro, the president selected by the
United States following the dirty war against the Sandinista
government, which led to its exit from power in 1989.

When Bush sent her to Ecuador, it was with the intention of sowing
destabilization against Correa, in case the Ecuadoran president
refused to subordinate himself to Washington’s agenda. Hodges managed
to increase the budget for USAID and the NED [National Endowment for
Democracy] directed toward social organizations and political groups
that promote US interests, including within the indigenous sector.

In the face of President Correa’s re-election in 2009, based on a new
constitution approved in 2008 by a resounding majority of men and
women in Ecuador, the Ambassador began to foment destabilization.

USAID

Certain progressive social groups have expressed their discontent with
the policies of the Correa government. There is no doubt that
legitimate complaints and grievances against his government exist.
Not all groups and organizations in opposition to Correa’s policies
are imperial agents. But a sector among them does exist which
receives financing and guidelines in order to provoke destabilizing
situations in the country that go beyond the natural expressions of
criticism and opposition to a government.

In 2010, the State Department increased USAID’s budget in Ecuador to
more than $38 million dollars. In the most recent years, a total of
$5,640,000 in funds were invested in the work of “decentralization” in
the country. One of the main executors of USAID’s programs in Ecuador
is the same enterprise that operates with the rightwing in Bolivia:
Chemonics, Inc. At the same time, NED issued a grant of $125,806 to
the Center for Private Enterprise (CIPE) to promote free trade
treaties, globalization, and regional autonomy through Ecuadoran
radio, television and newspapers, along with the Ecuadoran Institute
of Economic Policy.

Organizations in Ecuador such as Participación Ciudadana and
Pro-justicia [Citizen Participation and Pro-Justice], as well as
members and sectors of CODEMPE, Pachakutik, CONAIE, the Corporación
Empresarial Indígena del Ecuador [Indigenous Enterprise Corporation of
Ecuador] and Fundación Qellkaj [Qellkaj Foundation] have had USAID and
NED funds at their disposal.

During the events of September 30 in Ecuador, one of the groups
receiving USAID and NED financing, Pachakutik, sent out a press
release backing the coup-plotting police and demanding the resignation
of President Correa, holding him responsible for what was taking
place. The group even went so far as to accuse him of a “dictatorial
attitude.” Pachakutik entered into a political alliance with Lucio
Gutiérrez in 2002 and its links with the former president are well
known:

“PACHAKUTIK ASKS PRESIDENT CORREA TO RESIGN AND CALLS FOR THE FORMING
OF A SINGLE NATIONAL FRONT

Press Release 141

In the face of the serious political turmoil and internal crisis
generated by the dictatorial attitude of President Rafael Correa, who
has violated the rights of public servants as well as society, the
head of the Pachakutik Movement, Cléver Jiménez, called on the
indigenous movement, social movements and democratic political
organizations to form a single national front to demand the exit of
President Correa, under the guidelines established by Article 130,
Number 2 of the Constitution, which says: “The National Assembly will
dismiss the President of the Republic in the following cases: 2) For
serious political crisis and domestic turmoil.”

Jiménez backed the struggle of the country’s public servants,
including the police troops who have mobilized against the regime’s
authoritarian policies which are an attempt to eliminate acquired
labor rights. The situation of the police and members of the Armed
Forces should be understood as a just action by public servants, whose
rights have been made vulnerable.

This afternoon, Pachakutik is calling on all organizations within the
indigenous movement, workers, democratic men and women to build unity
and prepare new actions to reject Correa’s authoritarianism, in
defense of the rights and guarantees of all Ecuadorans.

Press Secretary

PACHAKUTIK BLOQUE”

The script used in Venezuela and Honduras repeats itself. They try to
hold the President and the government responsible for the “coup,”
later forcing their exit from power. The coup against Ecuador is the
next phase in the permanent aggression against ALBA and revolutionary
movements in the region.

The Ecuadoran people remain mobilized in their rejection of the coup
attempt, while progressive forces in the region have come together to
express their solidarity and support of President Correa and his
government.