In a series of communiqués issued between 21 and 30 July, Marcos spelt out the new Zapatista strategy. Its main points, beyond the rhetoric:
-The Zapatistas reaffirm that 'resistance is their main form of struggle'. Paramilitary organisations continuing to act against them will be met with force. Contacts with the government and political parties will be suspended.
-The 30 'autonomous' indigenous municipalities will adopt the form of government envisaged in the San Andrés Larraínzar agreements of 1996, which formed the basis of the indigenous rights legislation drafted by the congressional peace commission, Cocopa ? which was later substantially changed in the legislation and constitutional amendments actually passed by congress in 2001.
-The administration of the 'autonomous' municipalities will be coordinated by five juntas de buen gobierno ('good governance boards'). These will certify the authenticity of any person or initiative claiming to be Zapatista.
-Organisationally, the Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional (EZLN, armed core of the movement) will be dissociated from the 'autonomous' municipalities. Anyone holding municipal office will have to resign their position in the EZLN.
-The 'autonomous' municipalities will sever relations with 'paternalistic' NGOs which impose their own pet projects. Aid sent to specific persons or communities will be rejected; the Zapatistas will decide how monies will be used, ensuring that 10% of any donation is shared between the municipalities.
-The cultural centres known as Aguascalientes, which served as the Zapatistas' point of physical contact with the outside world, will be shut down. New contact points to be known as Caracoles ('snails') will replace them.
-In addition to their website, the Zapatistas will communicate through a new shortwave radio station, Radio Insurgente, which will broadcast on 5.9 megahertz (but has contingency plans to evade any government attempt at jamming).
Piqued parties raise legality issue
Leaders of the three biggest political parties, clearly piqued by Marcos's dismissal of their contribution to the indigenous cause, criticised his policies as unconstitutional and threatening the rule of law. The ruling Partido Acción Nacional (PAN) has been strongest in its condemnation of the new Zapatista strategy, with some leaders warning that failure to curb the spread of indigenous autonomy in Chiapas might cause the example to spread to other parts of Mexico.
At the other end of the spectrum, the left-of-centre Partido de la Revolución Democrática (PRD) said that the communiqués should be taken as a 'call to attention' underlining the amount of unfinished business regarding the indigenous communities. Sitting somewhere in the middle, the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) acknowledged that the circumstances which gave rise to the Zapatista uprising in 1994 are still present.
Even church leaders who are generally sympathetic to the indigenous grievances raised questions about the legality of the policy shift. Bishop Felipe Arizmendi of San Cristóbal de las Casas, in Chiapas, said that the changes announced by Marcos are 'licit', but must be pursued 'within the framework of legality'.
The most prominent politician to break with the pack was the governor of Chiapas, Pablo Salazar, a former PRI senator and member of Cocopa who won the last elections as candidate of a broad civic coalition, promising to reverse local legislation that clashed with the San Andrés agreements. Alluding to the 'good governance committees' announced by Marcos, he stated that he saw nothing illegal in people associating to improve their condition.
What next
The Zapatistas' case has been strengthened by the recent verdict of the UN rapporteur on indigenous rights, Rodolfo Stavenhagen (doyen of Mexico's indigenists), who said Mexico cannot end the uprising in Chiapas or halt rights abuses against Indians unless the constitutional provisions on indigenous rights are strengthened.
The government has been most unusually tightlipped about the whole thing - probably waiting to see exactly what it entails in practice. The most likely next step, once the new congress is installed in a month's time, is the reactivation of Cocopa, or some similar body, and a new push to reform the indigenous legislation. The launch of the new régime for the 'autonomous' municipalities and Radio Insurgente has been scheduled for 8-10 August, when a party will be held in Oventic.
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