Ecuador: On the Crisis of Bureaucratic Capitalism
We hereby publish an unofficial translation of an article by the Front to Defend the Struggles of the People (FDLP) Ecuador:
THE CRISIS OF BUREAUCRATIC CAPITALISM, THE MANTA-BASE AND MISERY OF THE OLD BUREAUCRATIC-BIG-LANDLORD-STATE
The crisis of violence in Ecuador is unsustainable. The homicide rate is 29 per 100,000 inhabitants, one of the highest in the country’s recent history. This increase in violence is largely linked to the expansion of criminal gangs related to drug trafficking, which use Ecuador as a strategic corridor for drug trafficking to the United States and Europe. However, beyond this, violence is the illegitimate consequence of the crisis of bureaucratic capitalism.
The social impact of this violence is devastating. Cities like Guayaquil, Manta and Esmeraldas have become epicentres of crime, affecting not only the direct victims, but also children, women, the elderly and ordinary citizens who, today, form part of what the authorities pompously call “collateral damage” or “collateral victims”.
The current government, led by the head of the Banana Republic, has limited itself to implementing several states of emergency in different provinces and ordering the Armed Forces and the police to use their firearms without hesitation, with the approval of the regime. On the other hand, common criminals, such as those who steal cell phones, coexist with citizens of the town massacred by criminal gangs. Among the dead, there are many children, such as the 12-year-old executed by the army under the pretext of belonging to a criminal gang.
At the same time, corruption within the armed forces and the police has aggravated the situation. Recent investigations have revealed links between members of these institutions and criminal organizations, especially those linked to drug trafficking. Cases have been documented in which officers have facilitated drug and arms trafficking, which has undermined public trust in the ability of these institutions to ensure security.
The social impact of this corruption is profound. The perception of impunity and complicity between security forces and organized crime fuels the crisis of the old State.
At the same time, Ecuador is going through a significant economic crisis. So far in 2024, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth has not even reached 1%, a figure that pales in comparison to other countries in the region. Public debt has exceeded sixty-six billion dollars, which represents approximately 65% of the GDP, generating the inability of the State to meet the most basic needs of the vast majority.
Unemployment and underemployment also show alarming figures. The unemployment rate in 2024 stood at 5.1%, while underemployment affects more than 62% of the economically active population. The rest are in a situation of hopelessness, desperate in limbo. But the most alarming thing about these economic statistics is that of the 62% of underemployed, 37% earn an average of three dollars a day. This has aggravated the levels of poverty, which already affect 27% of the Ecuadorians, and extreme poverty, which affects 10.7%.
Added to this is inflation, which closed the year at 3.8%, driven mainly by the increase in food and fuel prices. In addition, the energy crisis further aggravates the country’s critical situation. The blackouts have generated countless losses for small merchants and producers, who, not having privileges or States’ “stimuli” for the purchase of fuel and energy, are forced to close their businesses, multiplying unemployment levels in the country.
While all this is happening, the Assembly, the government and the political Parties are wrapped up in the electoral campaign, indifferent to the situation of the great majority. Miserable people! It matters little to which party they belong or whether they sometimes present themselves as “revolutionaries” or “leaders of the people”. They are all permeated by electoralism and opportunism, something that, like the actions of the executioners of the people, cannot be forgiven or forgotten.
In the countryside, the situation is even worse. The situation that exists in the cities is exponentially multiplied in rural areas, where peasants are displaced from their lands to allow criminal gangs to gain a foothold, especially in mining areas. Poor peasants are extorted and forced to pay “taxes.” Many young people are literally forced to join criminal gangs, becoming “cannon fodder.” Landowners and comprador bourgeoisie do not see this; they simply order them to be killed.
To make matters worse, the government is now proposing to reopen the Manta air base to Yankee imperialism. As we have said before, behind this economic and social collapse marked by violence and misery are the hands of US imperialism. They create the optimal conditions for the puppet government to justify its presence and intervention. That is its rotten essence: to generate unrest and crises, in order to then appear as the “saviors.”
The crisis of bureaucratic capitalism must necessarily lead to revolution. This is a fact. They can no longer govern easily; they must resort to lies, deceit, slander and violence. It is obvious that the masses do not wish to continue living in hunger, pain and anguish. We cannot wait for the subjective conditions to be ready; the time is now, not tomorrow. Without power, everything is illusion!
IT IS RIGHT TO REBEL!
ORGANIZE, COMBAT AND RESIST!
