Speech by Luis Villacís before 30 thousand people in the Plaza San Francisco, October 17, 2002

Comrades:

All the people know that the MPD and the 15 have fought for:

– Better conditions of life for the poor, for jobs for all, for wages, salaries and retiree pensions that allow people to live with dignity, for education, health, housing, public works and social welfare for all.

– The Ecuadorians know that where the MPD and the 15 are there is a call of DEFIANCE by the peoples against the corrupt and anti-popular governments such as those of Borja, León Febres Cordero, Oswaldo Hurtado and Roldós, Bucaram and Mahuad, who are the ones responsible for the disastrous state of the Fatherland, but who again want to take power to misgovern the country and to continue starving the people.

– Our struggle together with the workers, peasants, teachers and students has taken place in the streets and plazas of Ecuador against the PRIVATIZATIONS, THE DOLLARIZATION AND THE ROBBERY BY THE BANKS.

We have decisively fought against the traitors to the Fatherland and in defense of National Sovereignty, against the Plan Colombia and the violation of human rights.

To continue this struggle and to build the NEW FATHERLAND we need your vote for the MPD and the Lists 15 to really:

1. ERADICATE CORRUPTION and Send to jail all the THIEVING BANKERS, but besides to CONFISCATE THEIR PROPERTY (to prevent them from continuing to manage their ill-gotten wealth from jail and displaying their fortunes before a people dying of hunger), and to RECOVER 6 BILLION DOLLARS to invest it in Education, Health, Housing, Public Works, Welfare and Social Security.

2. To recover 1.75 billion dollars by taxing the unscrupulous businessmen such as León Febres Cordero, Álvaro Noboa and 13,000 businessmen who don't pay taxes.

3. To recover our oil from the foreign, mainly U.S. Companies which have stolen 8 billion dollars in the last 10 years through agreements for the joint exploitation of oil and which intend to continue profiting off the resources that belong to the Ecuadorian people.

Social investment

We will INVEST FUNDS which now serve to pay the Foreign Debt, in SOCIAL SERVICES; we will invest 30% of the State Budget in EDUCATION so that there will be FREE EDUCATION, WELL ATTENDED SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES, APPROPRIATE SALARIES FOR TEACHERS.

A general RAISE IN WAGES, SALARIES AND RETIREES' PENSIONS in accordance with the cost of living.

WE WILL RAISE the budget for HEALTH to 12% of the total budget, in order to provide the hospitals and Health Clinics, with well-paid workers, doctors and nurses and free medicine for the poor.

Development of a Productive Economy

Not a single penny for the CORRUPT BANKERS, the whole budget should serve to promote AGRICULTURAL AND LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION, MINING, ARTISANS, SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED INDUSTRY, SMALL MERCHANTS, to create sources of employment to end EMIGRATION and HUNGER among the people.

All this is possible with a great parliamentary bloc of the MPD and Lists 15 and a Popular and Patriotic Government with Colonel Lucio Gutiérrez and Doctor Alfredo Palacio.

We will put this PROGRAM FOR A NEW FATHERLAND into practice and defend it with our lives, because the country knows us.

Therefore the Government of Jamil Mahuad of Popular Democracy, supported by the ID, the PSC and the OLIGARCHY, which are implicated in the State Crime of the murder of JAIME HURTADO, was mistaken in thinking that they had put an end to the MPD; men die, but the ideas of change and transformation live on and we will make them a reality with the Government of LUCIO GUTIÉRREZ and the representatives of the MPD and the Lists 15.

Press Spokesperson

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