This article published by the official government media, summarizes and extensively quotes a speech by Daniel Ortega on the anniversary of the birth and death of Benjamín Zeledón. In this speech he applies the context of Zeledón´s time- US invasion – to the current situation, and claims that now, as then, “they talk about dialogue…sign agreements, and in the end do not recognize them.” In these times, however, the OAS and human rights organizations have been critical of the government for not fulfilling their promises from the previous two dialogues.
President Daniel Ortega and Compañera Rosario Murillo preside over the event in Honor of General Benjamín Zeledón
Friday, October 4, 2019 en El 19 Digital
The president of the Republic, Commandante Daniel Ortega Saavedra and Vice President, Compañera Rosario Murillo, presided this evening October 4th over the central event in homage of the national hero, Benjamín Zeledón, on the 140th anniversary of his birth and the 107th anniversary of his journey to immortality.
Officers of the Nicaraguan Army, the National Police and the National Assembly of Nicaragua accompanied the president in the event.
They inaugurated the Benjamín Zeledón museum building in La Concordia, Jinotega
On beginning his intervention, President Daniel Ortega stated that the Nicaraguan youth are the present and the future of Zeledón. Then he provided details about the life of the national hero who confronted the traitors and the Yankee troops in a crucial moment in the history of Nicaragua.
“And Zeledón rose up against what was the Yankee intervention which happened when the US government through its representative, the Secretary of State Philander Knox, sent the famous Knox note to Zelaya. And Zeledón did not accept that, he could not accept it. He said it very clearly, he expressed it with complete clarity, and rebelled against that abuse of the sovereignty of Nicaragua, and pointed out the traitors, the sell-outs who had promoted and encouraged the coup against Zelaya, and that was when Zeledón rose up in defense of Nicaragua and was defeating the army of the traitors and sell-outs. So, to avoid defeat, the sell-outs called in the Yankee troops. And the Yankee troops began to disembark in Corinto, and Zeledón knew that he was confronting then in those moments an unequal fight, because the Yankee troops, who were a decisive and strategic force, came together there to confront the patriots led by Zeledón, they joined forces with the troops of the sell-outs. And he knew that there was no other alternative than the fight under completely unequal conditions. So convinced was he of his fate that he wrote that to his family, his wife, his children and he made it known to our people. We cannot forget that Nicaraguans fought there with Zeledón who did not surrender, did not sell out and gave their lives”, he recounted.
“History repeats itself later with Sandino. And Sandino, at that time a child, remembers Zeledón. And Sandino becomes aware, a boy, when they [the Marines] went through the streets with the corpse of Zeledón, showing him off like a trophy. And Sandino remembers him and expresses his rejection, his condemnation of the sell-outs and the Yankee troops that had invaded our territory”, he added.
The history of betrayal of the sell-outs is repeated
Commandante Daniel Ortega reflected that the betrayal in which the sell-outs murdered Zeledón and Sandino is repeated in these times.
“And now history repeats itself, because the hands of Nicaraguan sell-outs, who were at the service of the Yankee troops, killed Zeledón. After the battles in Coyotepe, now wounded Zeledón, those who killed him were the evil sons of Nicaragua. And [in the case of] Sandino, after expelling the Yankee troops, who carries out the order of murdering Sandino? A Nicaraguan bastard also, Somoza, who ambushed him after Sandino had been at a dinner invited by the President, now with a signed peace accord. Peace had been signed, but the thing is that these people do not respect any agreement, they talk about dialogue, it has always been this way, they talk about dialogue, they sign agreements and in the end they do not recognize the agreements. Why? Because the empire and the sell-outs are sons of the devil, they are the sons of Cain. You cannot believe anything they say”, he said.
“And history is being repeated again. We see the parade of sell-outs. As the flights and financing increase so that they can traveling constantly to ask that the Nicaraguan people be attacked, and they do it calmly, and they take their pictures there with the representatives of the US government, and they strive to show the photo here, to brag about the fact that they are the chosen ones by the Yankees to be the future rulers of Nicaragua, or to be the future rulers of Nicaragua. And the financing comes from the taxes of the US people. I do not know who they will be acountable to, those who from the United States are organizing these campaigns to give the image of a country where there is no peace nor stability. That is the image that they are out selling”, expressed President Daniel Ortega.
“If here a crime is committed, immediately they attribute it to the Government, the authorities, being Nicaragua the safest country and the one with the lowest homicide rate in the region. But the manipulation is crass, and laden with viciousness, laden with evil”, stated Commandante Daniel.
The 19th of July of 1979 the people were filled with awareness and love for the Country
In spite of the fact that history is repeating itself, President Daniel Ortega said that now there is a difference from the past.
“The difference now, after July 19, 1979, passing through the 17 years when we Sandinistas were outside the government, July 19, 1979, a new awareness was acquired here in the hearts of most Nicaraguans, most peasants, workers, youth, and professionals. Finally Nicaragua from 1979 had a people full of awareness and love for the country,” he stated.
“Of course, the sell-outs did not disappear, but in addition the empire is always nourishing them. It sends them resources through the programs that they say are programs to promote culture, to promote education. They are programs to promote hate, but in addition a good part of these programs that move through some NGOs, [are] tremendous businesses, why? Because what they receive, which supposedly is food for the people, they go to sell in the markets, they sell them there,” he commented.
“Non governmental organizations of every political and religious tendency end up in the markets, and they want exonerations for everything, and that has to be very closely reviewed, it has to be very closely reviewed. If food is going to come in here for people who need food, like the packages that the youth go out to deliver, well, if that is certified, it has to be certified, because so far they have been working, they simply disclose: “it is food”. Or suddenly vehicles, or suddenly appliances and other articles, or medicines, or medical equipment that end up also in the market,” he denounced.
The president pointed out that many times these resources are diverted by these organizations to “try to destabilize, sow confusion, poison the hearts of the youth and the people.”
True Nicaraguans are against the sanctions
President commandante Daniel also stated that those who truly feel and act as Nicaraguans are those who love Nicaragua and are against any outrage “of the fact that they call sanctions that they apply against the economy of our people.”
“When there are self-respecting people, then the aggressions come, or the so-called sanctions or poorly named sanctions that do nothing more than affect first of all the poor. They do nothing more than affect employment,” he pointed out.
“Where were thousands of workers fired from last year? They were fired from the big businesses that called for the coup, and that ordered their workers under the threat of firing if they did not attend the marches. And their workers went there to march under the threat. When they were not successful (nor will they be), then what did they do? Because they did enormous damage to the economy, they committed a crime, a crime, a crime causing the death of brother Nicaraguans, a crime causing enormous damage to the Nicaraguan economy”, he recalled.