Indian rights bill gains approval

FROM THE ARCHIVE

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APRIL 26, 2001

In a unanimous vote on Wednesday, Mexico's Senate approved a constitutional amendment that will finally recognize the nation's indigenous population and their right to self-determination.

Known as the San Andrés Accords, the bill was negotiated in 1996 between the leaders of the Zapatista Indian rights movement and former President Ernesto Zedillo. But Zedillo never submitted it to Congress for consideration, leading to a stalemate between the Zapatistas and the government.

With the election of President Vicente Fox last fall, the government has taken a number of steps to end the standoff. Fox campaigned on improving the federal government's relationship with an estimated 10 million Native people, who are at the lowest rungs of the economic, social, and educational ladder.

Among the concessions Fox has made are the closure of all seven Army bases in Chiapas. He also ordered the release of most of Zapatistas and supporters jailed by the previous administration.

But the fate of the self-determination bill is largely out of Fox's hands. So in an historic address to Congress last month, the Zapatistas made their own pitch for its passage, citing years of discrimination and the dismal conditions Native people in the country face.

With self-determination, they argued, no longer will their rights be ignored. Among the bill's major provisions are the right to form local governments based on Indian culture, the right to teach in Indian languages in public schools, and the right to legislative representation.

Unlike the United States, Mexico has no legal definition of Indian and Indians aren't currently recognized by its Constitution.

Critics of the bill, many of them farmers who say their land is being held hostage by the Zapatistas and supporters, say it will only lead to further divisions in the country. They also argue it will pit Indian communities against one another.

Some members of Congress have also argued the bill will allow Indian communities to discriminate against women and other groups. Zapatista leaders last month made impassioned speeches to those critics, hoping to dispel their doubts.

With the unanimous Senate vote, the bill has cleared just one legal hurdle. It still faces final Senate approval. From there, it moves onto the lower assembly and will also have to be ratified by a majority of State Legislatures.

Relevant Links:
Zapatista National Liberation Army (In Spanish) - http://www.ezln.org
Zapatista Mexico City Site (In Spanish) - http://www.ezlnaldf.org/index.php
The San Andrés Accords - http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/mexico/SanAndres.html