The following is a an English translation of Spain's "Ocupa el Congreso" September 25 call to action. We are running it in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Spain.
We, ordinary people fed up with suffering the consequences of living under a system conditioned and coerced by the markets, which is clearly unsustainable, has led us to be victims of a large-scale scam they called the crisis. We invite all citizens to join with us in the vindication of our demands in writing this manifesto.
We believe that the situation has gone beyond all tolerable limits and that we are victims of an unprecedented attack on the part of economic powers, that utilizing the crisis as a pretext, is ruining our lives, and whose perpetrators are those who have set them selves up as an untouchable oligarchy, with the complicity of all political forces represented in parliament, manipulating all the powers of the state to maintain their privileges and unbridled illicit enrichment. There is no way to hide that we live in a gigantic social fraud, with governments that systematically betray us doing the exact opposite of their election pledges, and that there is no justice in the courts for bankers, politicians and businessmen guilty of this situation. Just see how this intentionally flawed and imposed power structure implemented through immoral policy ends our rights and destroy our lives, and when we demand an end to this situation we are made victims of unjustifiable repression.
We believe that the problem is of such dimensions and so deeply pernicious that your solution is not to make the reforms based on any current political mechanisms, therefore we demand:
- The resignation of the entire government, and the dissolution of the Parliament and the Head of State, for betraying the country and the entire citizenry for willfully leading us to disaster.
- Opening a transparent and democratic constituent process in order to draft a new constitution, with the participation of all citizens, so that it may be owned by the people, because we do not recognize any of the current democratic constitution, drafted by a clique unknown to the people, that consecrated the domination of the heirs of Francoism and those who made a pact with them. It must be the people who determine the model for social organization in which it wishes to live, and not vice versa.
- The audit of the public debt of Spain, with moratorium for payment of the debt until it is been clearly defined which items do not have to be paid for by the nation, as the debts have served private interests who used the country for their own purposes and not those of the whole of Spanish citizenry. We also demand the prosecution of all those who show to be suspect of such maneuvers, and to respond with their property in case of being convicted.
- The reform of the electoral law with the design of a new electoral process, so that it truly represents the will of the people before any election which is necessary to facilitate the development of a democratic constituent process.
- The immediate repeal of all the cuts and reforms against the welfare state that were enacted with the excuse of the crisis, and involve restrictions of rights and freedoms of citizens, not only have they been a disaster for the country but have also been imposed betraying the will of the people.
- A thorough fiscal reform, to oblige those who pay more to get more benefit of society. We also demand the repeal of the tax amnesty decreed by the government, whose injustice is a real mockery of honest taxpayers.
- The abolition of all privileges for those who hold political or public office, and the implementation of effective control mechanisms in the performance of their duties.
- The immediate cessation of all evictions, and the release to the population of social rental price homes owned by financial institutions that have been aided by public funds.
- The creation of new jobs whose first premise is sustainability, the development of humanity, as well as the coherent management of available jobs so that all citizens can work to live but are not obliged to live to work. It is a huge deception that one has to work more and more, a fallacy supported by the greed of big financial interests and against the interests of ordinary people.
For these reasons we call on citizens on September 25, 2012 to appear indefinitely at the doors of Congress until the resignation of the government and the opening of a constituent process, making it the call of uniting all struggles for a more just society.
We are the majority, we are the people, we are right, and we will not let you pass!
Originally published at http://plataformaenpie.wordpress.com/manifiesto/