Nicaragua

Press, 15 May 1985, Page 20

Nicaragua

Sir, — Nicaragua demonstrates America’s colonialism. Its roads, railways, ports, electricity, were developed by American capitalists for exports benefiting themselves and their puppets, the Somoza family. Nicaragua produces coffee (halfof all jobs under the Somozas),

gold, silver, copper, cattle, sesame, bananas. American’s established industries to exploit cheap labour with weak unions and minimal safety, so putting Americans of work. The Somozas, and Americans, including the Dulles family, benefited. Most Nicaraguans remained cruelly poor, malnourished, uneducated unemployed, with severely inadequate sanitation and medical care, endemic polio and malaria. The Sandinistas, socialists like our first Labour Government, overthrew the Somozas, who fled with most cattle and huge fortunes. The Sandinistas provide housing, health services, education, employment, hope. America funds and arms Somoza’s rebel Contras who disrupt much, destroy much, kill many. In an internationally supervised election, the Sandinistas won 68 per cent. Now the United States refuses to trade with Nicaragua. Soon Nicaragua will become “Communism’s failure.” — Yours, etc., SUSAN TAYLOR. May 10, 1985. Sir, — What criteria does President Reagan use to exercise American economic clout against Nicaragua and not South Africa. It obviously is not democracy since Nicargua’s Government has been democratically returned, whereas only a minority have voting power in South Africa. It is obviously not human rights, since blacks in South Africa have very few while in Nicaragua, not only has the present Government got a better record than the previous dictatorship, which had American support, but President Reagan is supporting a group he calls “freedom fighters,” who could probably teach Pol Pot a few new techniques. Reagan’s initial excuse for opposing the Sandinistas (arms trafficking with neighbouring guerrillas) holds no water since surely the C.I.A. would have found supporting evidence by now. One is left to conclude that Reagan is peeved that these people have decided they would rather have government from Managua than from Washington. — Yours, etc.,

RUSSELL SIMPSON. May 13, 1985.