| In reality, following the April '96 crisis, President Wasmosy simply became a manageable instrument to 'the Itaipu Barons' and the decadent political groups, again in control of the other branches of government. (30) Reading some newspapers or listening to most of the radio stations, real political operators of the conspiring liberal-wasmo-arganista alliance, unaware people could've been convinced that disorder and anarchy came to Paraguay with Cubas' Administration. Legitimacy will always be a serious risk to impunity. ABC Color, La Nacion, Radio 970 AM, Radio Nanawa, Radio Asuncion and the intellectual Raul Melamed were the media communications cooperating with the people's government. During the Cold War years, both superpowers -USA & URSS- conveniently used each other as 'the international enemy' or 'justification' (capitalism or communism) to sustaining illegitimate powers in their respective areas. Any growing nationalist movement in countries under their control used to become automatically 'the internal enemy' (to be stigmatized and repressed) by the Establishment having it associated with 'the international enemy' (capitalism or communism). Particularly in Paraguay, 'MendezFleitismo' has been well-known for many years as 'the internal enemy' by being associated (unfoundesly) with communism. Admitting it, at all events, in a straight expression would be: 'internal enemy' to the selfish and reactionary interests, real enemies of our people. Even though the Cold War is over in the Northern Hemisphere, as any world phenomena usually does, its delayed distorting effects still remain in our dependant Third World countries. Today's post Cold War globalization -among other things- turned 'the international enemies': capitalism & communism, into one: drugtrafficking. What is going on in Paraguay can be fully understood, only taking into account our past developments within this global context. Since Stroessner fall, we noticed early on with high concern, that Gen. Lino Oviedo had been already targetted by the status quo groups, to make him become -if necessary- 'the internal enemy'. (31) However, as a colorado and as a soldier, he is one of the most identified with our new Armed Forces born in 1947 from a peasant majority, without it Paraguay wouda been the first soviet satellite in Latin America instead of Cuba. Inmediately following the obscure death of Vice President Prof. Argana on March 23, 1999, the request by President Cubas to the Congress to get international help on the investigations -suggestively- fell on deaf ears. (32) On March 24 the Representatives decided to go on with the impeachment trial to the President. Then Cubas agreed to obey Sentence 415, forcing Oviedo into the Presidential Guard. The Representatives and the Senate called for a special session to proceed with the impeachment anyway. (The President had to go ...) On March 25 the Representatives presented the accusation against the President and the Senate convoked his Defense. On March 26/27 while resuming the impeachment and the President Defense, at the end of the day, started developing the tragic violence till protesting youngsters, workers and peasants got trapped amid already infiltrated Police forces and snipers posted everywhere. The dead toll was: 7 youngsters dead and hundreds of all age people wounded. (33) On March 28 the day before the spected Senate decision on the impeachment trial, President Cubas resigned to the Presidency. Just moments before, Gen. Lino Oviedo had left for Argentina where inmediately was given political asylum by President Menem. |
| TEN YEARS LATER March '99: a perverse parliamentary gang strikes Violence & chaos, the only way residual groups can reach power |