Reconciliation: An Opportunity for Peace

INTRODUCTION: A heartrending reality

Throughout Mexico social polarization has been worsening. Whichever way one looks at Mexican society, one observes an ever larger painful abyss between different groups and sectors of the population. These rifts can be caused by differing political ideas or economic status, by racial differences as well as by religious ideas. The worst thing is that it is becoming almost the social norm; that one can’t be different and coexist or work in common places or for common goals. Increasingly, there has been an escalation of violence as a way to express rejection of those who think, believe and live differently, sometimes resulting even in death.

Chiapas is perhaps one of the most pertinent examples of this phenomenon at the national level. The violence caused through various acts, including political divisions, struggle for local power, old and new agrarian problems, religious intolerance, etc., has reached alarming levels. Already this year around 50 deaths have been attributed to this violence.

These developments and others are equally worrisome: for example, the atrophy of the Peace Talks; the weakening of the petitions for mediation; the lack of will by authorities to open spaces for negotiations; the lack of alternative civil initiatives that would develop creative forms to transform this violent dynamic; the more frequent and less humane ways used to confront conflicts, etc., have all made us reflect and look for ways we can encourage those involved to not give up looking for peaceful ways to confront their differences.

There are many observers in Chiapas and nationally who see the situation as extremely serious, with danger signals apparent in many places. We believe that it is of vital importance and great urgency to strengthen political mechanisms in a creative way in order to confront conflicts in the state and the nation.

It is for this reason that SIPAZ, to support efforts for Reconciliation and Peace, has decided to dedicate part of our quarterly report for communicating experiences from the distinct spheres of life which make up Chiapas (social, cultural, political, religious etc.) which show that in the midst of differences or conflicts between groups or communities people are opting for negotiation and dialogue, with good results. There are many examples of progress that have been made through using these methods.

Peace comes through Reconciliation

We believe that a sustainable and substantial Reconciliation in an increasingly divided society is a long term effort which should involve everyone, not just certain authorities or representatives of the people. We believe that the religious perspective is a perfect place for promoting human values that are based on respect for individuals.

Churches shouldn’t let themselves be used for division or confrontation.

” The message of Christ doesn’t speak of theories, but of things that are very concrete. It’s about uniting forces with men and women who are conscious of the urgency of reconciliation, peace, and justice. It’s about stripping ourselves of denominational or party interests, to see the human person, our people, with compassion.”
– Abdias Tovilla, Lawyer for the State Evangelical Defense Committee of Chiapas (CEDECH)

Religious language and doctrines are full of values that could be forces for respect and tolerance for others, especially the poor and the suffering. This is how the Bishops who visited Chiapas in the beginning of this year expressed it:

” Faith in the resurrected Christ implores us to help the unprotected and not commit injustices, to share what we own and hurt no one, to choose to forgive and use peaceful and legal methods without violence or vengeance, to appreciate those with less and avoid discrimination and racism.”
– Declaration of the Bishops’ Commission for Peace and Reconciliation in Chiapas, No. 8

Peace is constructed step by step, paying attention to a series of structural and situational considerations. It isn’t something that can be achieved by applying a mechanical formula. Nor is it something that one obtains just by signing some agreements—especially where the social fabric has been so torn and divided, as in the case of Chiapas. What is truly important in the creating of peace is the process of Reconciliation; that is to say, the re-establishment and the reconstruction of a series of healthy relationships, horizontal and vertical, between all those involved that will allow the places where people live to become “true communities and not just houses.” This must be done by establishing firm foundations, which will demonstrate the true will of those involved to resolve conflict in peaceful ways.

Building a Foundation for Peace

In Chiapas many people have opined about what would be the minimal conditions that would make the resumption of the Peace Talks possible, and at the same time foster the conditions for the re-acceptance of social coexistence. Many have agreed on what is essential. (See Update and our interview Pablo Salazar, member of COCOPA.)

It is fundamental that the smallest parts be attended to for the advancement of the resolution to the conflict, otherwise it will be very difficult to come to effective agreements. Furthermore, if relationships are not attended to and there’s simply the signing of documents and changes pushed through unilaterally, the results can be ineffective and even be offensive to one side. This is something we have observed in the first phases of this Dialogue, where the parties to the conflict signed the first agreements, which however have not been implemented 17 months later, or where the state government has begun to unilaterally implement a series of measures supposedly to carry out the Agreements of San Andres.

John Paul Lederach, Director of the Peace Construction Program at Eastern Mennonite University, sees a need for a deeper transformation in order to successfully address conflicts:

” We should begin to understand that the signing of the Peace Agreement isn’t the final point, but the point of departure on a long process of reconciliation in which everyone should be constructively supportive.”

As there are no mechanistic formulas that allow us to reach peace, neither are there magical dates by which peace can be attained. That was certainly true about the signing of the first agreements on February 16, 1996, or the release of prisoners accused of being Zapatistas, or the confirmation of the Commission of Follow-up and Verification, or even the elections of July 6^th. Even though these were influential events that contributed to an advancement of the process, the building of peace doesn’t depend on any of these alone.

Meanwhile, a transformation which permits us to change our relationships and to see others as equal and different at the same time would help to create a different culture, a culture that makes peace possible.

” We need a culture that makes a space where dialogue is possible, which allows for basic agreements based on respect and tolerance to be reached, even though this still isn’t reconciliation”.
– Elizabeth Polito, Member of the Commission for Unity and Community Reconciliation (CORECO)

An effort of this nature will allow us to begin to “humanize the conflict” as Senator Salazar says. Life in Chiapas today is ruled by violence and intolerance. The effort to reverse it should count on the support of all social and political forces, the churches, and all sectors of the population.

The first steps

Various attempts have been made in this direction. Future editions of the SIPAZ report will further examine these issues. Without a doubt the smallest experience of conflict resolution through dialogue has something to teach us.

In the religious arena, for almost the last two years, leaders of different denominations have been meeting at the Interreligious Council of Chiapas, not only to help bring a solution to the conflicts that have religious aspects, but also to show their congregations that you can have different religious beliefs and at the same time work together and coexist as equals.

This past April an ecumenical gathering included pastors, nuns and laity from different Christian churches from the highlands of Chiapas and from the jungle region. From this gathering a commitment was made to have a second gathering in September to continue studying how religious groups can support the process of reconciliation.

” We are convinced that the Life and the Word of God can help us to be builders of peace; there have been many testimonies from our brothers that before taking revenge they have put before them the divine command of love and forgiveness towards those who offend them.”
– Invitation to the 2^nd Ecumenical Encounter for Peace and Reconciliation in Chiapas.

These movements towards religious reconciliation have their counterparts at the social and political levels, where there have also been movements among organizations to discuss their differences and to look for common ground that will allow them to reach their goals. Even so, there have been setbacks that weaken the spirit to continue looking for unity. At one event, the anthropologist Gaspar Morquecho observed:

” We don’t lose heart because there are few of us here today; Chiapas has a long history of successes and failures.”

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Interview with PRI Senator Pablo Salazar:

“A Culture of Intolerance Prevails in Chiapas”

(from an interview with PRI Senator Pablo Salazar, a member of COCOPA, and a member of the Church of the Nazarene).

Despite the biases that his credentials (PRI Senator, member of COCOPA, and a member of the Church of the Nazarene) would seem to indicate, Pablo Salazar is a person who is honestly concerned with finding a solution to the conflict in Chiapas. Within COCOPA, he is characterized as being open minded and independent, “following his conscience,” he says.
Interviewed in June in his office in Tuxtla Gutierrez, he shared with SIPAZ his impressions concerning the present impasse, the roles of the principal actors and of the conditions that would permit the disentanglement of the negotiation process with the EZLN.

Salazar believes that COCOPA is suffering its worst crisis since its inception now that it has lost the confidence of both the government and the EZLN. This predicament has eroded the spirit of camaraderie and collaboration which had developed over the course of two years.

” Today, members have personal opinions on how to overcome the crisis, but the organization is divided. The consensus process which in other times permitted them to advance is now impeding COCOPA’s capacity to act because members can use it as a veto.”

The senator believes that in order for the EZLN to return to the negotiating table, the government must give “consistent signals that point in the same direction” of its will to attend to the root causes of the uprising, which have to do with the identity and the rights of indigenous people.

Unfortunately, according to Salazar, the present crisis in the peace process is worsened by contradictory signals from the government. On the one hand, the government named a new delegate to the Dialogue, but, at the same time it continues expanding the military presence in the conflict zone, “which is not justified, since there has not been one shot fired in that zone in the last three years.”

Salazar says that before the peace talks can resume both sides will need to make some basic concessions. First, the federal government needs to withdraw its counterproposal to the Accords agreed upon in San Andres (the counterproposal opposed including in the Constitution the rights of indigenous people) and it should support the COCOPA proposal as the most responsive compromise. (This document has already been accepted by the EZLN.) The EZLN must publicly express its desire to resume the Dialogue based on the proposals of COCOPA. The federal army must noticeably reduce its presence in the Conflict Zone. All parties must look for a compromise solution at the negotiating table to the conflict in the northern zone, one which addresses even the most problematic issues in the conflict (including religion.)

Turning to the conflict in the northern zone, Salazar says

” COCOPA proposed creating a regional meeting after visiting the zone and listening to the proposals of everyone involved. It is paradoxical that the two sides, “Peace and Justice” and the members of the PRD/Zapatistas, declare they want peace, that they are tired of all the violence, of the murder between themselves in such an absurd and cruel manner. The desire for pacification has been expressed by some on both sides. But I don’t believe we succeeded with this strategy.”

The senator is critical of the state government’s role in the conflict.

” The state insists on inter-community negotiations that have failed repeatedly. And it presents obstacles just for the sake of blocking the federal institutions, such as COCOPA, when they intervene to bring about solutions to the problems of the northern zone.”

Salazar also is concerned that the military has assumed responsibility for the implementation of civil programs such as social assistance, mediation, distribution of resources, patrols, etc.

” This situation, more than speaking well of the army, speaks poorly of the civilian institutions that are not assuming their responsibilities, and instead delegates them to the military powers.”

Referring to the problem of the growing divisions and polarization within indigenous communities, Salazar didn’t hide his concern:

” In Chiapas we live in a culture of intolerance: political, racial, social and religious intolerance. Everyone analyzes reality in terms that are black and white, good and bad. Nobody is doing what is necessary in Chiapas to build a culture of tolerance. But all conflicts should go through a process of reconciliation. I want to be optimistic in regard to the role the churches can play in this process. Unfortunately, in the northern zone, those people who could be part of the solution have chosen to be part of the conflict.”

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Excerpts from and interview with Juan Lopez Lunes

” Our Grandparents Pray to Mother Earth and Father Sun to Keep the Community Together…”

Community Plan, Rio Azul, Municipality Las Margaritas

” …and then the political parties and the churches came to the community and that’s when the divisions began, the provocations and the confrontations. We in the Multiethnic Autonomous Regions are looking for reconciliation, because we know that we should reconcile, be humble and kind enough to see that we can live with them, because we have our hearts placed on earth and in heaven, and that is what our brothers have to learn little by little.”

” The divisions have diminished our ability to live together. So much so that our youth are not even able to play soccer together and so they divided the playing field. And that’s why they became the most resistant to resuming relations. The adults looked for ways to bring the people together but it wasn’t easy to move forward”.

“One day the grandparents decided to have a symbolic party that would include everyone according to their traditions. Normally there is a party to commemorate a saint’s day. Each group prepared its songs and prayers according to their beliefs, their food, and their dances. The fiesta included a sports match. That opened a space for sharing and later for speaking and analyzing the problems of the community.”

“It wasn’t an easy task. There are many resentments that our enemies have cultivated. Mainly the rich and those with power have cultivated a hatred between us because of our party affiliations which is even taught in the schools.”

“The grandparents and the elderly of the community have worked hard to reestablish relations. They are the ones who insisted in maintaining the oldest traditions and the traditions which, according to them, will help us leave the conflict behind. They are the ceremonial leaders and they ask the earth and the sun to end the hatred and to make us a community again.”

“Our grandparents, those who are still living, have ceremonies in order to achieve reconciliation. They have to pray and ask the mother earth and the father sun to keep the community together. They don’t agree with the violence nor with attacking our brothers”.

“Today, everyone collaborates in the building of the community. They respect that Saturdays and Sundays are religious days for different groups. The community work, in which everyone participates, is planned from Monday to Friday. In the community there are different political affiliations and sympathies: members of the PRI, members of organizations, and Zapatistas. Everybody does the communal work together.”