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International Socialism, July/August 1976

 

Otelo’s Election Programme

 

From International Socialism (1st series), No.90, July/August 1976, pp.8-9.
Transcribed & marked up by Einde O’Callaghan for ETOL.

 

I present myself as a candidate for the Presidence of the Republic by demand of the people; as such, I pledge myself, in the case that I am elected, and before all workers and the Portuguese people, to provide the conditions that will enable the people, fully united and organized, they proceed in the solving of their problems, making headway towards a new society, where it will be possible for the people to have democratic power, in short, towards a socialist society.

Thus,

I pledge myself

1. To ensure the defence of the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic, which is a conquest of the people and which must be put at the service of the workers, labourers, industry workers, poor farmers, civil servants, teachers, office, bank, insurance and trade clerk.

I pledge myself

2. To ensure uncompromisingly the defence and strengthening of the main conquests of the people which have been achieved since 25 April,

I pledge myself

3. To defend, reinforce and develop all kinds of workers’ organisations and specially the rank and file ones – workers committees, neighbours committees and village assemblies.

These organisations are a truly democratic and fundamental creation of the working masses, they ensure their real unity and are the necessary condition both for the people’s resistance and for the progress of the mass movement.

I pledge myself

4. To guarantee the autonomous trade union organisations, keeping them away from the interference of the State or the political parties, granting the rise of conditions that will make unitarian and democratic forms possible.

I pledge myself

5. To respect the will of the worker and the people which was evinced by the elections. I’ll consequently appoint the Prime Minister according to the Constitution and I’ll ensure that the Government follows policy taking the workers’ and people’s interests into account; I won’t accept a government which may permit the infringement to the Constitution principles or that may raise conditions which would lead to Fascism.

I pledge myself

6. Not to allow any attempts to make the working classes pay for the economic crisis of capitalism. This crisis must be faced through a policy which may ensure the increase of the production of essential goods, that will give the consumer the possibility to but essential goods at the lowest price, that will fight against unemployment by creating new working posts and by releasing our country from the domination of the imperialist powers.

As a first and truly important step leading to an economic policy of this kind, you must put the enterprises and nationalised sectors under the workers’ control so that you may reorganise and plan out the economy.

The resolution of the economic crisis will only take place in a socialist society through economical planning based on national independence, on workers’ mobilisation, and on the creative dynamics of their struggle.

I pledge myself

7. To make the 25 April revolutionary movement reach the poor farmers in the whole country, who have been utterly laid aside in this process and who should have the right to the product of their work and to an effective amelioration of their life conditions. This will be attained by building roads, hospitals, schools, trains and by electrifying and supplying water to the poor villages. The poor farmers cannot go on being exploited by the big intermediate tradesmen and their products must be sold at a fair price. They must have a profitable credit and must be supplied with manure, seeds and cattle at a low price.

The law of letting out of lands must be strictly obeyed.

I pledge myself

8. To ensure that the Land Reform will be carried through by the waged workers in the areas of latifundia and by the poor farmers and tenants in the other areas of the country.

The rights of the poor farmers and tenants will be strictly rejected.

The Land Reform is bound to assure the independence of the country in what concerns the sector of victuals, and must be accompanied by a progressive fishery policy.

I pledge myself

9. To fight the reactionary attempts to oppose the poor farmers of the north to the rural waged workers of the south in order to unite them in the struggle for the amelioration of the life conditions of Portuguese people.

Only by rejecting the excuse of political, relifious and economical devisions, will it be possible to over come the divisions that the reactionary forces try to create between the town and the countryside, the North and the South, the Continent and the Isles.

I pledge myself

10. To defend a housing and health policy that will benefit the unprivileged classes and will not protect the privileged minorities, as it has been done till now.

To defend a policy that will take into account the retired people and old age in general, will protect childhood and will release women from their double exploitation at work and in the home.

To defend a policy that will support the emigrants and their families both by fastening the ties that exist between them and Portugal and by ameliorating their life conditions; to defend their right to work and to fight for a time when the Portuguese won’t have to emigrate.

I pledge myself

11. To promote a truly democratic policy in what concerns Education and Mass Media, defending the national culture forms against the foreign domination in this field.

To fight for the elimination of illiteracy and for thecultural release of the people, promoting demonstrations of popular culture and supporting the associations and organisations that are prone to cause their development.

To help to bring about the conditions that will enable the Portuguese people to have access to the cultural heritage of the entire mankind.

I pledge myself

12. To fight for a policy of national independence that may defend the intersts of the Portuguese people against the pressures and domination of the great foreign powers and the interest of the political parties connected with them, and, above all, to fight for economical, political and military release from the imperialist powers that threaten us the most.

To defend an external policy of non-alignment in relations to the political and military powers and to help bringing about better connections with the non-aligned countries especially with those of the Third World.

I pledge myself

13. To bring about privileged connections to the new African countries that have just got their independence from Portugal, improving the decolonization process on a basis of anti-imperialist solidarity.

The decolonization was the point where the anti-fascist fight of the Portuguese people and the M.F.A. and the fight of the national liberation movements met and put an end to an unfair colonial war, that cost the Portuguese people and the peoples of the colonies many thousands of dead and invalids and many millions of escudos.

To fight for the solving of the serious problems that afflict the Portuguese who have just returned from Africa and also were the victims of a colonial situation that was imposed by the fascist regime, overthrown on 25 April. The resolution of those problems must be taken in the light of fraternal connections to the new African countries and will be carried through by adopting an economical policy at the service of the working classes to which the smashing majority of these Portuguese belong.

I pledge myself

14. To put the Armed Forces and the Police Forces at the service of the people and of the national interests, by never letting repression crush the workers.

The fight against counter-revolution and terrorism is a task for the Armed Forces that must prevent the fascist forces, which haven’t been totally defeated yet, from taking advantage of the freedom obtained on 25 April and destroying it.

The Armed Forces must actually support the Portuguese people in the solving of their most urgent problems.

The Armed Forces must be formed by the true sons of the people and not by professionalised mercenaries and they must vouch for the obeyance to the Constitution in order to enable the workers and the people to exercise democratic power.

 
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