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Rigoberta Menchu |
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Rigoberta Menchu's Open Letter to G.
W. Bush
by Rigoberta Menchu Tum, Goodwill Ambassador for the Culture of Peace
Posted at globalresearch.ca 26 September 2001
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To Mr. George W. Bush
President of the United States of America
Washington DC, USA.
Your Excellency, Mr. President:
In the first place, I want to reiterate to you the solidarity and
condolences I expressed to all your people on Tues. Sept. 11 when I
became aware of the painful occurrences that had taken place in your
country, as well as to share my indignation and condemnation of the
threats these acts of terrorism constitute.
In recent days I have been following the evolution of
events, using my best efforts so that the response to them would be
reflection, not obsession; prudence, not rage; and the pursuit of
justice, not revenge. I invoked the consciousness of the world's
peoples, the communications media, the eminent personalities with whom I
share an ethical commitment to peace, the heads of state and leaders of
international bodies, in order that prudence illuminate our acts.
Nevertheless, Mr. President, upon listening to the
message you gave to the Congress of your country, I have been unable to
overcome a sensation of fear for what may come of your words. You call
upon your people to prepare for "a lengthy campaign, unlike any
other we have ever seen" and for your soldiers to save their honour
by marching to a war in which you intend to involve all of us, the
peoples of the world.
In the name of progress, pluralism, tolerance and
liberty, you leave no choice for those of us who are not fortunate
enough to share this sensation of liberty and the benefits of the
civilization you wish to defend for your people, we who never had
sympathy for terrorism since we were its victims. We, who are proud
expressions of other civilizations; who live day to day with the hope of
turning discrimination and plunder into recognition and respect; who
carry in our souls the pain of the genocide perpetrated against our
peoples; finally, we who are fed up with providing the dead for wars
that are not ours: we cannot share the arrogance of your infallibility
nor the single road onto which you want to push us when you declare that
"Every nation in every region now has a decision to make: Either
you are with us or you are with the terrorists."
At the beginning of this year, I invited the men and
women of the planet to adopt a Code of Ethics for a Millennium of Peace
sustaining that:
There will be no Peace if there is no Justice
There will be no Justice if there is no Equity
There will be no Equity if there is no Progress
There will be no Progress if there is no Democracy
There will be no Democracy if there is no respect for
the Identity and Dignity of the Peoples and Cultures
In today's world, all these values and practices are scarce;
nevertheless, the unequal manner in which they are distributed does
nothing but generate impotence, hopelessness and hatred. The role of
your country in the present world order is far from being neutral. Last
night, we hoped for a sensible, reflective and self-critical message but
what we heard was an unacceptable threat. I agree with you that
"the course of this conflict is not known," but when you
declare that "its outcome is certain", the only certainty that
comes to me is that of a new and gigantic useless sacrifice, of a new
and colossal lie.
Before you cry "fire", I would like to
invite you to consider a different kind of world leadership, one in
which it is necessary to convince rather than to defeat; in which
humanity is able to demonstrate that in the last thousand years we have
surpassed the meaning of "an eye for an eye" which justice had
for the barbarians who sank humanity into medieval obscurantism; and
that there is no need for new crusades in order to learn to respect
those who have a different conception of God and the work of His
creation; in which we would share in solidarity the fruits of progress,
taking better care of the resources still remaining in the planet and
that no child lack bread and a school.
With hope hanging by a thread, I greet you
attentively,
Rigoberta Menchu Tum
September 23, 2001
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