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today--with social justice governments elected in Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay and Nicaragua--although El Salvador is still a mess, raped and ruined by the Reaganites and by its own rich elite, and Central America in general is still way behind the rest of the southern hemisphere, as to electing good governments.
Romero was murdered at a time when many leftists and poor people in Latin America felt that there was no alternative except armed rebellion to the hideous regimes that the U.S. inflicted upon them. Today, there is only one remnant of armed resistance left--in Colombia--because Colombia is so bad (routine murder of labor leaders, peasant farmers, political leftists, human rights workers and journalists, by the Colombian security forces and closely tied rightwing paramilitary death squads--paid for by us, with $5.5 billion in Bush/U.S. military aid to Colombia). Democracy is succeeding everywhere else, especially in South America--after long hard work on transparent elections and other democratic institutions, by local grass roots groups, and also by the OAS, the Carter Center and others. Guatemala, also, just elected its first progressive government, ever. The Guatemalans perhaps suffered the most from Reagan--200,000 Mayan villagers were slaughtered during the 1980s, with Reagan's direct complicity. Mexico almost elected a social justice president, recently (Lopez Obrador lost by only 0.05% of the vote, in a contested and probably stolen election). Progress is being made, no thanks to Bush-Cheney & co., who have poured money into toppling good democratic governments, and into supporting bad, repressive, rightwing governments, such as Colombia (obviously), Peru (run by very corrupt "free traders"), and Paraguay (corrupt, entrenched power elite, being challenged this year by the beloved "bishop of the poor," Fernando Lugo, who is ahead in the polls--but who recently stated that he fears being assassinated by the government). (He is a man with much resemblance to Oscar Romero--a life dedicated to the poor.)
There is hope now, where there was no hope then. And I think that Romero would most approve of the Bolivarian model (Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina), which combines the Christian virtue of charity, the liberation theology teaching of justice, and the socialist economic policies of many European and Scandinavian countries--that the people and their government are responsible for everyone: the poor, the sick, the young, the elderly--as well as for controlling the use of a country's resources, and its economic activity, to benefit the people who live there--healthy trade and economic activity, but subordinate to the welfare of the country and its people.
One other characteristic of the Bolivarians that I think Romero would appreciate is regional cooperation and solidarity, in defending Latin American countries against U.S. interference, and in fostering self-determination. If there had been such a movement in the 1980s, among the governments of Latin America, the horrors in El Salvador and other countries might have been prevented. Instead, in that era, the ruling elites looked to their own welfare and their own pocketbooks, and let their own fascist elements, funded, organized and supported by the U.S./Reagan, run rampant through the region. They sold their countries' resources and sovereignty away, and tolerated heinous brutality against those who objected. Justice has to begin with equality and dignity--with empowerment of the poor. That is the essence of liberation theology. Charity is not enough. The poor have a human right to participate in government, and will never get fairness unless they demand it, through democratic mechanisms.
All of Latin America is moving in this direction. South America is well advanced along this path--with the Bolivarians in the lead. Central America is still struggling, but trending left as well.
Oscar Romero's spirit is alive and well in the hearts of Latin Americans. They are starting to actually do what he preached. To implement it. To create good government out of it. It's a fine tribute to the man, on this, the anniversary of his death.
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