José Francisco Peña Gómez Award
The life and work of Jose Francisco Peña Gómez , a Dominican politician of Afro- Haitian descent who managed to become the most outstanding black political figure in all of Latin America and the Caribbean , reflects in the best way the core values of the Socialist International and has a special meaning in today’s world where extreme right forces try to promote polarization , racism and to undermine the foundations of our democracies . Furthermore, Francisco Peña Gómez was an active and prominent leader of the Socialist International for many years.
1. Francisco Peña Gómez symbolizes the struggle for a symbiotic society
“ La nacionalidad no se lleva en la sangre …ni en el color ,sino en el sentimiento “
“ Nationality is not carried in the blood or color, it is carried in the feelings”
Peña Gómez tried all his life to prove that nor race , nor ethnic origin can determine the fate of an individual. He believed that shared values can make different identities exist in symbiosis and transform the world.
Jose Francisco was born in the Dominican Republic province of Valverde in 1937 . While working hard at different jobs from shoe shiner to bartender he managed to but to get a doctorate from Santo Domingo University before following higher studies at the Sorbonne in Paris.
2. Francisco Peña Gómez throughout his life had to face undemocratic forces
“ Yo amo mi pueblo a mi país . A lo largo de toda mi vida he pagado un precio por eso. He recibido ataques feroces,a veces frontales ,a veces con veneno más súbtil.”
“ I love my people and my country. During my whole life I payed a price for this. I have received ferocious attacks , sometimes direct , sometimes with a more subtle venom”.
Joining the Partido Revolucionario Dominicano in 1961 to fight against the remnants of Trujillo tyranny , when a military coup ousted the then leader of PRD Juan Bosch - winner of the presidential elections of 1962 - Peña Gómez went on the radio and called powerfully for a popular insurrection. His charisma made him a very popular political figure and became leader of PRD giving the party a true social democratic orientation and winning elections in 1978 and 1982.
His dream was to become the first black President in Latin America and the Caribbean and this almost became true when in 1996 he won by 46% the first round of the elections. However , using extensive fraud , a big coalition aiming not to let an Afro- Haitian occupy the Presidency , didn’t let this happening.
3. A mayor of the people for the people
“ El líder no solo es aquel que administra un grupo humano , sino el que sabe enderezar sus torcidas celdas”
“ A leader is not only the one who manages a human group ,but the one who knows how to weld its different parts “
The rule of law , transparency , accountability , social dialogue were the values that Fransisco Peña Gómez tried to implement in politics but in a human centered perspective. As party leader he believed in participatory processes. At the time some of his ideas seemed strange to local elites, but his honesty and efficiency were qualities warmly embraced by ordinary people . As Mayor of Santo Domingo he left a legacy that is celebrated until today . When he tragically died from a cancer at 61 years, his body was taken to the Olympic Stadium of the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center where masses of Dominicans wept over the loss of this exceptional politician and intellectual.
4. An internationalist by conviction
“ Soy Soldado de la vanguardia , la retaguardia nunca será mi lugar “
“ I am at the service of the avant - guarde , reactionary ideas will never be my place ”
Francisco Peña Gómez , was a man open to the world. His connection with France , a country he visited many times after his studies in Paris , made him acquainted with the currents of European social democracy . He believed in the need to connect the progressive movements wanting “ socialism with freedom” in all continents , therefore in 1975 he joined with his party. PRD , the Socialist International( SI) . He became the first Vice President of the SI chairing the Latin America Committee and dedicated himself for many years to the region through this position. His vision for the continent focused on unity , economic integration, political democracy , social and economic rights , fight against inequalities . Many European leaders like Willy Brandt, Francois Mitterrand, Mario Soares, Olaf Palme were impressed by the personality and moral weight of Peña Gómez. Over the years he established close relations with many progressive leaders around the world and John Kennedy invited him to stay for three months in the United States
