He Raised the Flag

HE RAISED THE FLAG

They have promised

To change their lives,

They have promised

To end their pain

He is five

And never had time to play,

He has a name

And a thousand questions

He heard a noise,

His father kissed him goodbye,

He wanted to run,

His small body they will never see

His father knew the outcome,

Their lives didn’t change,

Their pain didn’t end,

But the boy refused to die

Now he lives on the streets,

Now he sees them all over,

Now he has a gun,

Now he is a man

He raised the flag when he was a child,

Now he raises his voice for independence,

He never played when he was five,

Now he knows that politics is not a game

Author: Fausto Sicha

To my little friend, Rafael

pictures of my job

Imagine

IMAGINE

Imagine having a goal

A dream to live for,

Imagine doing everything we can

Just to be part of history,

Imagine giving them a hand

And drying their tears of pain

Imagine giving them hope

And fighting the same injustice

Imagine leading a crowd

And singing songs of freedom,

Imagine a ……..in our hands

And running for life to save our dream,

Imagine writing a single constitution

And a powerful Latin American nation

Imagine thinking about others

And forgetting about ourselves

Imagine giving a speech

In honor of our comrades,

Imagine being ready to fight

And holding the flag of liberty,

Imagine having no regrets

But proudly dying with dignity

Imagine living in a better world

Just imagine, a Latin American union is possible.

Author: Fausto Sicha

Carta de la Esclavitud

Carta de la Esclavitud

El 10 de Agosto de 1809 Carlos Montufar y Eugenio Espejo junto a otros ecuatorianos ponían en peligro su vida al dar el primer grito de independencia. Pero la creación del estado ecuatoriano no fue fácil y era necesario derramar más sangre paraqué finalmente el ejercito de Sucre derrotara a las fuerzas españolas en la Batalla de Pichincha el 24 de Mayo de 1822. 8 años después, el 13 de Mayo de 1830 el Ecuador se distanciaba de la Gran Colombia y el sueño del libertador Simón Bolívar yacía moribundo mientras pasaba a los libros de historia como una ilusión que nunca se hizo realidad.

El 23 de Septiembre de 1830, en la ciudad de Riobamba la primera asamblea constituyente dividía la república en tres departamentos, y designaba como presidente al general Juan José Flores.

La república no terminaba de nacer cuando la división regional y desacuerdos políticos entre el presidente del Congreso Vicente Rocafuerte y el presidente Juan José Flores condenaban al pueblo a la misma miseria que fuimos víctimas desde la creación de la Real Audiencia de Quito en 1563.

La república tenía 5 años cuando Rocafuerte siendo presidente del Ecuador cambio la constitución en 1835. 8 años después, Juan José Flores convoco otra asamblea constituyente y la tercera constitución fue creada, la misma que llego a ser conocida como carta de la esclavitud.

178 años de vida constitucional han pasado, pero el Ecuador sigue en la miseria. Asambleas constituyentes han creado más de 20 constituciones, un promedio de 8 años y medio por constitución, pero el Ecuador sigue en la miseria. El pueblo ha sido testigo de cambios presidenciales por más de 90 veces, un promedio de 2 años por gobierno, pero el Ecuador sigue en la miseria. Religiosos, militares, civiles, y extranjeros han llegado al poder, pero el Ecuador sigue en la miseria.

Que podemos aprender después de 178 años de historia? Después de 20 constituciones? Después de 90 cambios presidenciales? En medio de tanta miseria inclusive un siego vería que una nueva constitución no es la solución, que un nuevo presidente no puede hacer el trabajo por sí solo, y que el tiempo no premia nuestra inactividad y paciencia.

El 25 de Julio del 2008 en la ciudad de Montecristi se realizo la ceremonia de clausura de la asamblea constituyente. En pocas semanas el pueblo será convocado a un referéndum para aprobar o rechazar la nueva constitución. Gana el sí o gane el no igual el pueblo perderá si los ecuatorianos decidimos terminar nuestra participación política el día del referéndum.

Es necesario que permanezcamos políticamente activos durante todo el tiempo, no solo en las elecciones. Es necesario que cada uno de nosotros cambie para que se dé un cambio a nivel nacional. Es necesario que terminemos nuestras prácticas corruptas de sobornar a un policía, de comprar un titulo, de emplear una persona basada en amistad o contactos y no en meritos, si queremos que un cabio sea realidad. Es necesario abrir la boca y denunciar una injusticia sin temor; denunciar las mismas prácticas corruptas de siempre duela a quien le duela; callar un injusticia también es un crimen; callar para no poner en peligro nuestro futuro político es una cobardía; callar para mantener la amistad de todos es ser cómplice; callar es condenar al pueblo a la misma miseria de siempre, es prevenir un cambio, es aprobar el status quo.

Un cambio no será posible si todos los sectores no están dignamente representados. La dictadura de la mayoría no siempre es democrática y presenta un serio peligro para las minorías. En la clausura de la asamblea en Montecristi casi no hubo asambleístas de la oposición. Dichos asambleístas componen un 30% de la asamblea y representan a unos 3.600.000 ecuatorianos, más de un cuarto de la población. Las preguntas son, se escucharon sus peticiones? Se tomaron en cuenta sus necesidades? Se respeto su punto de vista? Es este un cambio para todos, o solo para los ganadores?


No hay duda que un cambio es necesario y como muchos de mis compatriotas sueños tengo muchos aunque la actitud de unos cuantos casi termina con mis esperanzas de cambio. Los ecuatorianos nos estamos preparando para el sí pero no para el futuro. Escuchado gente hablar que un cambio viene, pero no se todavía de que manera serán ellos parte del cambio, su voto indiscutiblemente es importante pero no suficiente. Escuchado confiar en el presidente y sus reformas, pero no se todavía que harán ellos paraqué esas reformas se hagan realidad. Escuchado que las constituciones de 1978 y 1998 han sido fraudulentas y han favorecido a la banca y grupos de poder, pero aunque muchos de ellos nacieron alrededor de 1950 y por lo tanto participaron en los últimos referéndums no he leído todavía un artículo en donde levantaron su voz de protesta. Escuchado que confían en la democracia, pero para ellos democracia es su derecho al voto, después los milagros ocurren por si solos. Para ellos su voto es una orden e ignoran que democracia es trabajo conjunto entre pueblo y gobierno. Para ellos el presidente tiene el mandato, y como buenos mandantes se sientan hasta que una nueva elección les permita dar su nueva orden. Para ellos la constitución es el problema, piensan que todo debe cambiar con una nueva carta magna excepto ellos.

Si no aprendemos del pasado un mejor futuro no será posible. El si no garantiza un cambio si como en el pasado esperamos que la nueva constitución traiga consigo victorias no solo para políticos pero también para el pueblo. Después de 178 años de vida constitucional la historia parase reflejar que hemos vivido no bajo una pero 20 cartas de la esclavitud. Que más se puede pensar cuando la deuda externa ha aumentado de casi 4.700.000 pesos al inicio de la república a casi 16 mil millones de dólares en 1999? Que más se puede pensar cuando la migración obliga a hijos a crecer sin sus padres? Que más se puede pesar cuando millones de ecuatorianos hemos buscado refugio bajo banderas que saquean o han saqueado a nuestra patria? Que más se puede pensar cuando el dinero del petróleo no ha servido para alimentar al pueblo, para fortalecer instituciones democráticas, para mejorar nuestro modo de vida, sino para enriquecer a dueños de empresas multinacionales?

El si es solo un pasó. Si paramos nuestra actividad política el día del referéndum perdemos todos. Si seguimos adelante políticamente activos un cambio es posible en la medida que cambiemos nosotros mismos. Que la historia no se repita. Democracia no es solo derecho al voto, es una actividad conjunta entre pueblo y gobierno.

Feliz día de la independencia compatriotas!
Fausto Sicha.
faustosicha@aol.com

Prognosis of a Deportation

Prognosis of a Deportation

Fausto: Dear cousin, are you ready to leave?
Gustavo: Even if I am not the time has come.
Fausto: Ok then, let it be as your destiny dictates you. But before those who are
destroying your life, and are denying you a better future take you away
from my presence, I came here to say; dear cousin, in this country we have
shared things that we were unable to in our country, and those are the
things that give pleasure to our body. Let’s keep our hope alive, and
believe it dear cousin, one day somewhere in the world you and I will talk
about the things that satisfy the mind, the things that give peace of mind.
We will talk about the liberty that we never enjoyed in this country, the
liberty that they denied to both of us.
Gustavo: Are you implying that they instead of hurting me, they are giving me
liberty with this deportation?
Fausto: That is unknown to me. That is unknown to me my good friend. But I
hope that you determination will drive you in that direction.
Gustoavo: I have a favor to ask.
Fausto: While time still remains feel free to ask me whatever you need.
Gustavo: I have no time to tell them goodbye, and it will certainly help if you read
this farewell to my little brother, my cousins, and my friends. It is
important that they know that I did not give up without fighting.

The curiosity convinced me and I started to read, but soon he disappeared from my presence, when I finished reading, unable to understand his fate, I raised my head and my eyes witnessed in the distance a weak hand that waved me goodbye.

Here is what he wrote:

While I was in jail, I fall asleep and started to have the dream that you can read below, but then, the sad melody of a lonely bird woke me up, when I opened my eyes he moved his wings and the wind took him away. Was he telling me goodbye? Or was he telling me that I was free once again?

The date was May 20, 2008. As soon as I finished my last exam I was heading north to visit my little brother who I have not seen in a few months. Then a man of good heart offered me a ride, but not longer after I seated in his car colorful lights shined my eyes and a man with long boots and dark glasses approached me and claimed that I look suspicious. Unable to satisfy his demands to identify myself he took me away. A few days later I found myself in the court of law.

Respected jurymen, I already sense that this environment is foreign to me. Therefore, I will begin by apologizing for being stranger to the manner of speaking here, and also for addressing you in the kind of language that I am accustomed to use outside.

I was told that I have the right to pay for my defense, but at this age, I don’t feel the necessity to pay a man of law to help me tell the truth. The gentlemen who brought me here and who now sits to my right accused me the other day of not having the necessary documents to identify myself, and within seconds, I will say even before he stopped the car, he came to the conclusion that I must have broken the law, and entered the country using the southern border.
That I broke the law is something that I cannot readily conceive. I am a man who has neither wife not children, but when I saw the economic necessity of my family, and when my legs were strong enough to carry my body away from the place were I was born, I followed the road that my eyes shined and I ended up coming here.

What I said is true, gentlemen. I did not break the law. I have tried to live a responsible life, and it is not the irresponsibility of having a wife or children that forced me to leave my country, but rather the necessity to obey the natural law. When I saw my mother starving, when I saw little children working instead of going to school, when I saw pain in the face of my people, I asked myself if it is better to obey the laws of a country, or to obey the natural law and save the lives of those who suffer.

As it is evident, I believed and still do that the natural law is above the laws of a country, above the laws that are drafted by men. I think most people in this court of law will agree on that with me. But the gentleman to my right accuses me of breaking the law, and not having the necessary documents to identify myself. I would certainly agree with him if I had forge documents in my packet. A man would have certainly broken the law if he uses a false identity, if he promotes corruption, and if he promotes a black market, but I have done nothing of the sort.

Gentlemen, the man to my right accuses me of braking the law, but I came here not because I was eager to be seen as a criminal, but because I thought I can help my family, so that way they don’t have to come and break the law as he accuses me. I came here to get education and then go back to educate my fellow men, so that way they don’t have to come here in mass numbers and brake the law as he accuses me. Gentlemen, is the man to my right accusing me of the modest contribution to society that I am willing to make? Is he telling me that the idea of helping others is wrong to have in one’s mind? Is he accusing me of saving my family?

Respected jurymen, I left my country because I wanted to avoid the accusation of breaking the law. The natural law that is; I feared that people in my country will accuse me of not saving my family. I feared that they will accuse me of not helping the young. I feared that they will accuse me of living a selfish life, but now the contrary of all this is the strongest argument that this man has against me.

Gentlemen, I am a stranger to this place, if my defense is not convincing it is not because I lack the desire to tell you the truth, but because my limited education does not allow me to formulate my defense in the language that you are accustomed. But believe me men of law, I have wasted no time, and during the years that I have been here, I have made an effort to follow your example, and I have tried to get a college degree.

Gentlemen, I am aware that with my broken English I cannot uproot from your minds the stereotypes about immigrants that have been in your heads for so long. I am aware that you must judge me according to the law. And I am aware that you must not give justice as a favor to whoever seems good to you. Condemn me. Deport me if you think that is the proper penalty that I deserve. I apologize if in my defense I have not included lamentations and tears. I apologize if my willingness to die for what I believe seems arrogant to you. Condemn me now. Send me back to the place where years ago I tried to escape poverty. I go as I came. Nothing has changed. My mind is telling me that I have rightly defended myself, and in my heart I feel sympathy now for the man who brought me here. Perhaps it is not him; perhaps it is the system that needs to be fixed. I leave you now and he can stay. Which of us gentlemen you think will have peace of mind?

Fausto Sicha

Faustosicha@aol.com