VFP Continues its role of election observation in El Salvador
January 18, 2009
Mike Tork of the Boston Mass area, his daughter Heather of northern California,
Lane Anderson from Santa Barbara California, Sister JoAnn Sturzel from South
Dakota, Ward Brennan and Wayne Wittman from Minnesota were the 2009 Veterans
For Peace International Election Observation delegation for the Municipal,
Legislative Assembly, and Central American Parliamentary January 18,2009
election in El Salvador.
Our first day Monday January 12 was devoted to
traveling to El Salvador, and getting our International Observer credentials,.
On Tuesday January 13 those of us from the United States visited our embassy.
The foreign service officer we met said off the record that the United States
government interest is to do what they can to insure that the election on
January 18 is a fair free election . He noted their staff would be visiting
the election sites on election day.
On Wednesday January 14 we were offered
the opportunity to join different interest groups to accommodate unique
interests we each had to visit with persons and programs in these different
areas. Mike and Heather Tork visited Cinquera a community that was heavily
conflicted during the civil war and heard some moving testimony about life
during that period. JoAnn Spurzel visited a women's micro-economic
co-operative and was impressed with the actions of the women in improving their
economic and personal situations. Lane Anderson and Ward Brennan visited a
displaced community that was being relocated due to earth-quake dangers. The
people said they had been promised houses but needed land titles on which to
locate the houses. The Catholic Archdiocese was involved with the people on
this issue as well as other justice issues. Wayne Wittman met with workers on
labor right issues. A maquilla (factory) worker shared her two week pay stub
which showed 112 hours of work, gross pay $98.15 with take home pay of $31.58.
The maquilla workers shared their fear of losing their jobs due to international
competition. We had a very productive meeting with the President of SIGEEL a
public employee hospital workers union who is fighting privatization and has
many legal limitations in organization and political actions. He asked about
our concerns for the military actions in Gaza, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He noted
the charitable work done by Brother Ernie Jenkins a peace and labor activist who
had been on previous delegations and had gotten heavily involved in El
Salvador who had died.
Prior to Sunday, January 18 election day the 83
election observers of the Center for Intercambio International were assigned to
18 different communities for election observation, They journeyed to each of
the communities and had a chance to visit the election officials and political
party leaders so they would know who we were and orient us to their plans for
election day. Ward Brennan and Lane Anderson were assigned to San Salvador, Mike
and Heather Tork were assigned to Victoria Cabana, and JoAnn Spurzel and Wayne
Wittman was assigned to observe in Ilobasco Cabana. Jo Ann got sick just before
we left so she remained in San Salvador where she recovered and observed there.
The different observer teams returned to San Salvador, met on Monday
January 19 and developed their report of what they observed . They shared their
team reports with each other and a comprehensive report was developed and
presented at a press conference on Tuesday January 20.
Political reform any
where is very difficult to accomplish. Reforms in El Salvador that are obvious
are residential voting as it is legal to vote in communities in which the person
does not live and provisions for absentee voting as military personnel stationed
overseas and National police assigned to duty on election day and zre not able
to vote.
In Ilobasco Wayne Wittman was wearing his Veteran For Peace
shirt and hat and an election official noted the message and gave a thumbs up
and all of the men there noted they were all Veterans For Peace. Wayne said
this expression of solidarity compensated for all the cost and effort involved
in making the trip. One of the significant fringe benefits of the experience is
to get to know the other International observers from different places, their
diversity and commitment to the cause of peace and justice. Our VFP delegation
had the opportunity to show Lane Anderson's DVD Arlington West which was well
received.
The National Presidential election will be on March 15, 2009.
The next Veterans For Peace delegation will leave on March 9 and return on March
17, 2009.
The FMLN or old armed opposition
group despite being outspent gained some
Municipalities and Legislative seats but lost
the Municipality of San Salvador.