[The following article was published in the April 15 issue of Combate Socialista, the weekly newspaper of the Partido Revolucionário dos Trabalhadores (PRT- Revolutionary Workers party), a group that has declared adherence to the Fourth International. The translation is by Intercontinental Press.]
The total banning of the LCI from radio and television, which was decreed last Saturday, April 10, was reduced from eight days to five.* This indicates that the suspension was so arbitrary and so indefensible, even by the most adroit political or legalistic demagogy, that the Council of the Revolution had to beat a retreat.
What is most important now is to draw the necessary conclusions from this overtly antidemocratic measure. In the fight against the suspension, the PRT solidarized entirely with the LI's protests, and signed a document proposed by the LCI comrades denouncing the suspension. In addition, we denounced this measure on radio; and in our second television broadcast, we read a statement signed by our two organizations. Now that the suspension has been lifted, without any more explanation than for its application in the first place, the task remains-and we are determined to carry it through—to demand that the LCI be compensated for the time it lost during the five days of the suspension.
Over and above this, we think that the suspension of the LCI is going to cast more light on the fundamental questions that are being debated in this electoral campaign.
The Council of the Revolution did not take the trouble to try to justify the suspension. The reason for this is obvious. Some people would have laughed, others would have turned up their noses, but no one would have been convinced, because the simple fact is that the generals had no grounds.
So, officially there is no explanation for the suspension. But it was not the result of some arbitrary and childish whim. There were political reasons (which the generals are ashamed to confess), and these seem to be related to some references the LCI made to the armed forces. The fact is that every party has made comments about the armed forces, everyone from the CDS [Centro Democrático Social-Social Demo-
*This counts the days inclusive from the day the ban was announced.-IP
cratic Center] to the MRPP [Movimento Reorganizativo do Partido do Proletariado-Movement to Reorganize the Proletarian Party, an orthodox Maoist sect].
Of course, in elections such as these the people should be able to decide whether they want the kind of repressive PSP [Polícia de Segurança Pública-Public Security Police] they have, if they want a different kind, or no PSP at all. They should be able to listen to the parties in order to make up their own minds.