Reading yesterday’s Daily Sundial article about’ the elections in El Salvador I came across an article which struck my mind as heavily ‘influenced’ towards a reality which would be nice if it were true yet sadly isn’t. Your article portrayed the FMLN’s victory in El Salvador as a great change for El Salvador and as exactly that what the country wanted. The truth is El Salvador is heavily divided as a country and the FMLN didn’t have a landslide victory at all. They won by a really short margin and half of the voters were against them.

Half of the country didn’t accept them because their candidate for vice president is as much a war criminal as you portrayed Roberto D’Abuisson to be. Half of the country didn’t vote for them. because their economic plan has already been proven as a failure. Half of the country didn’t vote for the FMLN because they are as divided a party themselves as the country itself. Is this really the change that Salvadorians need?

You report that many Salvadorians in Los Angeles agreed to the FMLN victory and this is true. You should also report that many of these Salvadorians did not live through or do not really remember the war. You should report that the FMLN won because many young voters, just like these L.A. inhabitants, do not seem to remember the war and Guerilla leaders such as Sanchez Ceren and Violeta Menjivar.’ I believe you should also report that many voters didn’t actually vote for fear of the FMLN and the chaos which would ensue if they were to lose. You should report that an ARENA supporter was killed on the actual day of the elections and many ARENA supporters in the poorer areas were afraid of voting due to the FMLN and their violent supporters.

Unlike many Salvadorians, I do remember the war. I remember the bombs, shots, terror, I remember those faces and the ideological war for which my family had to leave the country. I remember them and I do not think a group of rebels like the FMLN have the strength and unity as a party to take over a country. This is why half of the voters would side with me.

I do not believe that ARENA was having a responsible government, which is why they lost. This victory ends 20 years of repression, bad management and a lack of governance for a country already bruised by history and drenched in poverty. Roberto D’ Abuisson did contribute with ‘Death Squads’ and ARENA is as stained with blood as the FMLN. The basic difference is that ARENA had the economy on their side.

As we speak, banks are being flooded by people taking out money due to fear of their future after the FMLN’s win, and you as a responsible student newspaper should also report this.

I believe in change. I seek equality for my country and its people, yet Funes wants to bring change without the backup of his own party.’ Primary interviews with FMLN leaders already shows them disagreeing on major policy points, so now I ask again, is this really the change that Salvadorians need?

I do not seek to gain acceptance of my political views, but I do want to speak the truth as it is, since we after all are students and our newspapers should not be biased. I really think this, yet your coverage of the elections seems highly biased and promises readers a new Salvadorian Utopia. This is not the truth and I hope that if things don’t work out like we all hope they do, you as a non-biased student newspaper will report this and give us readers the truth of this so-called change that you so highly endorse.

Manuel Alfaro Cabrera
CSUN student