Ecuador - Between bad political leadership and the abyss ...

By: Kintto Lucas
Publication Date: 25/06/2008
Argenpress

1. The resignation of Alberto Acosta as President of the Constituent Assembly, highlights the lack of political leadership in government and the Acuerdo Pais movement.

2. The inability demonstrated by the so-called "bureau" to assume a political leadership commensurate with a time of change, due to insufficient political and ideological consistency by many of its members has been evident since the beginning of the process of the Assembly.

3. An example of this failure was the delay in initiating the development of articles for lack of policy consistency in some cases, and doubts about the project in others, because they have no clear policy directives of the movement in most cases, but never lack of time for or have received too many delegations or for being too democratic. There was a clear fear in many members of Acuerdo Pais of initiating the body because they did not know what policy directions to follow ..

4. The political mistakes of the government since its inception, also show that lack of leadership. The examples are many, ranging from large to small and we can mention here relations with Colombia, where Uribe chose the battleground, relations with the armed forces, the facts of Dayuma, the formation of lists for the Assembly, the poor relation with the indigenous movement, the link with the Assembly, the neo-liberal agricultural mandate of recent days, etc., etc..

5. As I said in another article, politics is undoubtedly the continuation of war by other means. Sometimes more peaceful, sometimes more violent, but it does not stop or long cease being a war. The problem arises when the mistakes happen in the political direction of this war or the direction is distorted.

7. Using the master Sun Tzu in The Art of War, there are three ways in which a political body - namely bureau, committee, or president - could lead his army - call it a bloc of assemblymen, a political support-base, or whatever - to disaster. When that political leadership "ignoring the facts, orders their armies to move or retire when they should not do so, it is called immobilising the army." When that political leadership "ignores military matters, but shares equal command of the army, the soldiers become confusing." When that political leadership "ignores how to carry out military manoeuvres, but equally shared the leadership, soldiers become hesitant." "Once the armies are confused and hesitant, the problems start with opponents. This is called losing the victory by upsetting the military aspect. " A little bit of everything that is happening is because of the political leadership.

8. Triumphant are those who "have competent generals who are not constrained by their civilian government" said Sun Tzu. That phrase describes much of what is happening. And more, if the political leadership has no clear political line, but "gives orders about everything" that can occur so that when a general request for permission "to put out the fire", is authorised at the moment when "there are nothing but ashes" .

9. In the Bolivarian process in Venezuela the driving force of President Hugo Chávez has been critical, with the participation of cadre with proven track records and credibility such as Ali Rodriguez or Jose Vicente Rangel, plus clear draft guidelines and clear political direction. With differences, similar things are happening in other processes in South America. While it is impossible to ask for cadre such as Rodriguez or Rangel, a clear political direction permits no deviation from the path, and that is at fault ...

10. Hopefully the project, at least, is not derailed; assuming a political leadership commensurate with a time of change, there is no divergence from the road and, when it falls to the Constituent Assembly, there is no change in the more progressive texts than have already been approved ... Hopefully that YES is a real political choice rather than a image drawn up in an advertising agency ...