OPINIONS & EDITORIAL

Monday, February 22, 1999 Online Edition 146

Energy crises returns
The energy crises returned to our country last week with a vengeance. The cause was a fire in one of the turbines at the hydroelectric plant popularly known as El Cajon. Not only was the turbine ruined, but the fire caused severe damage to the electrical circuits in a circumference as far distant as 15 kilometers.

The president of the country has responded quickly, and has twice travelled to the dam to give precise instructions, and to move the situation as quickly as possible toward the restoration of normalcy.

For some years, Honduras This Week has argued that the growing demand for energy in this country has out-stripped production, a problem exacerbated by the fact that we have gone through a period in which the amount of precipitation during the rainy season has been way below average.

At a later date, there is a strong likelihood that we will participate in an agreement with El Salvador for the purpose of building a dam to be known as el Tigre. This newspaper has also pointed out that although the possibilities for the generation of new sources of energy are good, this should in no way delay the el Tigre project, because it is central to a well conceived national and regional energy plan.

While we strongly endorse el Tigre, and other proposals for using water to generate electricity, we do not believe that the proposed Patuca dam project is environmentally sound, and it is our judgement that the plan should be abandoned without wasting more time and money. Any project so controversial and divisive at its inception could only be a disaster for the nation in the long run. But there are numerous other basins where dams could be built, and this work should move forward.

There is no price tag that can be put on the necessary development of the country. If our potential is to be realized as a national community, and many years of neglect and stagnation overcome, then we must work diligently and rationally to solve this pressing problem.

The hydroelectric complex that has been established in the country has been utilized to its maximum capacity. If we are to take the next step into the future, protect ourselves in all contingencies, and advance we must establish a clear strategy. In all of Central America, this problem looms large.

We know that we are speaking about a huge investment of money, but we have no option. We cannot wait, or deliberate casually, for we must insure our future. Our friends in other countries have demonstrated their solidarity in many ways, and we can count on their support if we make wise choices, and move forward with dispatch.

Lack of faith blocks road to better future
By ERLING DUUS CHRISTENSEN

A friend of mine delivers the opinion that "ten years, and a billion dollars later, Tegucigalpa will be the same horrendous black-hole of misery it is now." There are many who might agree with that assessment. I probably do myself. Most of those who would agree with it are Hondurans.

But there is a question that forces its way forward in any such debate, and it is "why?" There is a long list of virtues that can be found amongst the Honduran people, and it is more than legitimate to ask the question of why the people of this country are so hapless when confronted with the challenge of creating a better future.

No doubt several volumes could be devoted to this, and in fact that is what the subject requires. But I prefer not to write volumes, being an essayist. In any event, my thesis is simply stated. The great flaw in the intellectual and psychological make-up of Hondurans is quite simply that they have no faith whatever in the human capacity to shape history. They are at their deepest core fatalists and pessimists. They always anticipate the worst, and often therefore realize what they anticipate.

This can be checked out and observed at many levels. For example, a group of people are waiting to board a plane or a bus. They have their tickets, and have been assured seats. Nevertheless, long before the actual moment of boarding they have formed an anxious and cumbersome line, as if standing in line for hours were one of their primary pleasures in life. The fact is that they are filled with anxiety that somehow they are going to be excluded, cut-out, forgotten. So one must always be pushing forward, jostling closer to the head of the line so as to avoid disaster.

Honduran businessman of every kind play things very close to the vest. Their philosophy is to invest as little money as possible in the business, pay employees as little as they can get buy with while getting as much work out of them as they can, and spending a bare minimum on equipment, decor, advertising, or anything else which might go to create the ambience of a successful and creative business.

Doing things in this manner they risk less, or so they think. When disaster hits they will not be deeply in debt. They might cherish somewhere in the back of their minds some notion of excellence, but their deep prejudice is that nobody will really appreciate quality anyway, so it is not worthwhile to create it, or demand it. The big thing is to play it safe, to find a niche. Anyway, people are disposable. If that teacher quits in disgust, you can always find another. You can't afford to identify excellence, because then you would have to reward it.

So it is critical that you not get involved in holding out for excellence, or at last even acknowledging that such a thing exists. Pay the minimum wage, and forget about quality. And when businesses fail or deteriorate, you can always blame your fellow Hondurans for their lack of taste or judgement.

Hondurans are the most under-rated people in the world. You almost never hear a Honduran say good things about other Hondurans. Yet some of the brightest and best people in the world are here, almost always denied the opportunity they need to really develop their potential because they live in a society where almost everyone has made a covenant with mediocrity, and mediocrity is everywhere in demand.

The problem with Honduras is finally a theological one. People have been saddled with a very destructive view of deity. Catholicism and various brands of Protestant fundamentalism have persuaded them that God did all his major work a long time ago, at which point "he" sort of lost initiative and creative fire, but left a lot of laws and scriptures around to more or less control things, and keep people obedient and above all mediocre. The God of process theology, which is the God of all living religion, however rare that might be, is a being who advances endlessly into novelty, possibility, newness, and adventure. In Honduras, "God" is that being who more than any other mediates against an open and dynamic future.

It is a cliche to say that only education can change this country, and it is a half-truth. Education will have little impact unless it is wed to a changing philosophy and theology, which find its key-note in the immense creative capacities of God and man. Belief and faith must be re-defined in such a way that excellence, intelligence, and creativity are cherished as the signature of God upon his work.

FLORES COMMITTED TO DEMOCRACY

Dear Editor:

I have read many articles where Mr. Erling Duus has criticized my father [President Carlos Flores] for his handling of the presidency of Honduras. Although I do not agree with his criticisms, Mr. Duus has every right to voice his opinion and his dissatisfaction with the job that he is doing as president, but the other day I read an article where Mr. Duus stated, "But he [President Flores] does seem a very ambitious man, and it may be that his commitment to democracy is suspect."

I would just like to tell him that my father has always had a strong conviction toward democracy and he has always been against any attempt to prolong the presidential term. Although there is much talk about changing the constitution in order for him to run again, a view even supported by myself, he has expressed time and time again to me that he is in no condition to change the constitution for the ambitions of others. My grandfather was sent into exile because of his conviction for a democratic Honduras and not one ruled by dictators and tyrants.

I ask Mr. Duus to never again question my father's conviction toward democracy and to his country.

Carlos David Flores
via e-mail

Monday, February 15, 1999 Online Edition 145

Madness:
escape from reality
Old scourge plagues La Nueva Capital

An elderly, forgotten and nameless woman sleeps on the sidewalks of Tegucigalpa -- just one of the many street people shunned and spurned by an uncaring society. (Photo by W.E. Gutman.)

By W.E. GUTMAN

TEGUCIGALPA -- She has no name. Homelessness robs one of all identity. Madness, in her case, further sharpens the alienation, the anonymity. She has no name and she will pass in this dimension and from this life unacknowledged. Remembering is the time machine that links thought to materiality. Surely, a name, a vulgar diminutive, would give her substance. But she has been forgotten. Insanity has mercifully yanked her from the clutches of reality and the State -- Pontius Pilate wrapped in its blue-and-white toga -- has washed its hands and disavowed her existence, for she is real, irritatingly so, the symbol and the victim of the society that spawned her. Shunned, loathed, she inspires revulsion, not pity, for she is unrepentant, defiant in her grotesque cardboard palace, amid the detritus, the scraps of metal, the offal on which she feeds, the useless memories that haunt her still, come rain or come shine, come hell or high water.

Her partner-in-grime, ageless, toothless, burnished and furrowed by the sun, homeless and mad, too mad to construct her own shelter, sits by her side or steals forty winks on the naked pavement. Wielding a yard of rubber tubing, or and old broom, she chases after man and ghost with equal fury, a menacing fist, raised against taxis and snickering children, striking the ground with anger and bewilderment -- no, with exasperation, spitting at passers by, pelting them with invectives. Sometimes folly crests like an open flame and a torrent of tears drenches her grandmotherly face. Overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of her frustration, she calms down, tunes in it seems, ever so briefly on the world around her, then resumes her silent vigil, a lifeless gaze now focused on an all-consuming void.

One morning, last week, the police came and destroyed the Dali-esque paper string and plastic scaffolding her friend had erected. The woman protested but the scions of law end order prevailed. Trampled by uncaring feet, the decimated remains of her flimsy abode were carted away to the nearest dump. Compliments of "la Municipalidad," she was allowed to occupy the sidewalk and fend for herself.

Up the road, in the narrow, windswept, slop-splattered alley that hugs the flanks of St. Michael's Cathedral, a man writhes in madness-filled agony. Frothing at the mouth, his eyes on fire, he crumbles to the ground and lets out a blood-curdling wail. Wallowing in garbage, he claws at the demons that torment him. Thrashing about, he rolls into the gutter and narrowly misses being hit by a passing car. Safe behind whitewashed walls, the faithful are in church, treated to the grand spectacle of the mid-day mass. "Nearer to Thee my God," they intone, unmindful of the all-pervading godlessness in which they dwell.

Around the corner, a cripple flaunts his disfigured frame on the very steps of City Hall. Across the street, a young woman breastfeeds her newborn as the three older daughters -- sired by three different men -- learn the beggar's trade.

Which are the mad, I reflect, and which are the meek who inherit the wind? As I ponder the question, a headline catches my eye and I read about corruption in high places: five cases of abuse of authority; three cases of dereliction of duty; seven cases of bribery; a like number of fraudulent procurement schemes; two unjustifiable terminations of employment; and one case involving the solicitation of kickbacks.

In La Nueva Capital, it's business as usual. For the countless castaways that swarm the entrails of Tegucigalpa, the more things change, the more they stay the same. For them, calvary is the shortest distance to oblivion, not beatification.

Quipped a cynic, a Honduran TV producer from Producciones de Television following a sumptuous breakfast press conference sponsored by the United Nations at the Libertador Plaza:

"... The World Bank could empty its coffers in one fell swoop and you'd hardly notice the difference. Giving aid to this country is like pouring water through a sieve. The only predictable constant is that the rich will continue to thrive while the poor get poorer ..."

lt took two hours the other night -- during which every available TV channel and every millimeter on the megaHertz and kiloHertz wavelengths were monopolized -- for members of Congress to explain that Honduras had run short of money for the victims of Hurricane Mitch.

A day later, 3,100 Israeli-made Galil assault rifles arrived at Soto Cano Air Base aboard a Russian cargo jet. Czech-made anti-riot CZ revolvers "and other items" have also been purchased by the impoverished Honduran Government.

Article 107's reform could bring more tourist bucks to Honduras

By HOWARD ROSENZWEIG

The reform of Article 107 of the Honduran Constitution by the National Congress has raised a number of important issues and has ignited passions both for and against.

The reform will make it legal for foreigners and foreign corporations to purchase lands and own infrastructure on the Caribbean and Pacific coasts, all islands, as well as lands bordering Honduras' neighbors of Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador. Previously the purchase and granting of free and clear title to foreigners in these areas was prohibited by the constitution.

The reasoning behind the reform was simple, any major European or North American hotel or resort chain will think twice or three times before investing in a country that cannot provide a secure legal and judicial framework that will protect their properties and investments.

According to the Honduran Minister of Tourism, the reform could generate some $500 million in investments, primarily in the form of hotel and resort construction, centering on the Caribbean North Coast and The Bay Islands. It should be remembered, that in this post-Mitch economic period, such investments will be crucial to the reactivation and future long-term health of the Honduran economy.

The logic behind the push to develop more high-quality hotels and resorts, according to tourism officials on the island of St. Croix, is that "Hotels are vital to stimulate an economic chain reaction: more hotels mean more tax dollars to promote tourism, which would in turn lead to more visitors, more airline flights from foreign countries, where most visitors come from, and eventually lower fares."

Tourism on St. Croix, as in the rest of the Caribbean, is a crucial part of its economy. With a population of only 60,000, St. Croix received 111,000 airline passengers and 126,000 cruise ship visitors in 1998. It is interesting to note that St. Croix was blasted by Hurricane Hugo in 1989, which left 90 percent of the island's buildings damaged and more that 20,000 homeless.

Now, how does all this translate to Honduras where tourism generated a paltry $150 million in 1998? First, the tourism sector has the potential to become the number one source of dollars, topping coffee, bananas, cultivated shrimp and wood products. Honduras boasts a very strong product offering: reef diving, white sand beaches, a premier Mundo Maya archeological site, live cultures (Miskitos, Chorti, Lencas, Garifuna, and others) and colonial cities and towns.

Returning to the reform of Article 107, it is obvious that the construction of quality, appropriate, and environmentally sustainable tourism projects, whether they are owned or not by Honduran nationals or foreign corporations, will lead directly to an increase in tourism toward Honduran shores and provide a jump start to the tourism sector as a whole.

Opposition, however has been expressed by some indigenous groups, such as the Garifunas, who live primarily along the North Coast. Living in small seaside communities, the Garifunas have for 200 years lived a tranquil yet poverty stricken life of benign neglect on the part of the Honduran government. The land problem has always been an unresolved issue, and most Garifunas living on the coast lack legal land titles.

It is precisely here that problems begin, for many on the coast fear they will be forced to leave their lands in order to make way for resort or hotel construction. The government, on the other hand, has stated that any lands to be used for tourism projects by the private sector will not lead to the removal of indigenous peoples. The problem is a tough one. How to protect the legitimate rights of native peoples living in areas that have potential as tourism projects?

So where does this leave Honduras? If we listen to the hundreds of demonstrators who protested the reform of Article 107, then we can conclude that it will deal a death blow to indigenous peoples. If we heed the calls of the Ministry of Tourism and the private sector, Article 107 will mean the jump starting of an up-and-coming tourism sector in Honduras.

Whatever side of the coin comes up, it is clear that tourism will play a key role in the coming years. Will it be an economic cure all? Of course not. Will it provide jobs? Of course. Will it bring much needed dollars into Honduras? Surely. Will there be conflicts on the North Coast between the native peoples and foreign and national developers? Yes.

To see the potential benefits that tourism can offer the Honduran economy, we need only look as far as our neighbor to the west, Guatemala, which received some 700,000 tourists who spent some $400 million. Could Honduras use an additional $300 or $400 million pumped into the economy? The answer is obvious.

In Copan Ruinas, for example, some 100,000 annual visitors from around the world contribute enormously to the economic well being of hundreds of families in the town and surrounding villages. From the corner pulperia, which sells bottled water and chips, to tourists to the luxury four-star hotel properties, the tourism pie gets divided up.

The issue comes down to this: Tourism has brought jobs and bucks to a small, isolated, rural community and many townspeople use this money to provide education for their children, put food on the table and a roof over their heads. Does it really matter whether or not the new hotel going up or the new restaurant that just opened is owned by a foreigner or a Honduran? Not really. The important point is that investment is taking place, that jobs are created, that sustainable tourism takes hold and blossoms, providing more investment, more jobs and greater prosperity.

Article 107's reform will enable Honduras to become a player in the world tourism arena. If Honduras fails to enact the reform, we will be doomed to our traditional role of being a spectator, while our more dynamic and foresighted neighbors to the west and south enjoy the benefits that tourism has brought to their economies.

Economic slowdown

By JOAQUIN MEDINA OVIEDO

Honduras' economy is entering a phase full of political and economical uncertainties. Predictions concerning the GDP's growth rate during the year fluctuate within a negative range of 2 to 6 percent.

Inflationary tendencies are in the offing, both sectorially and from a macroeconomics perspective. In fact, Finance Minister Gabriela Nunez has already warned that tax revenues will also be down substantially and consequently the fiscal deficit, heretofore under control, will jump to 7 to 8 percent of the GDP.

To make things worse, banana and coffee -- traditional leaders in the nation's export earnings -- will face a steep drop in production, which will place them well below the maquila sector and tourism as generators of much-needed dollars.

In this context there is little doubt that the lempira's exchange rate will endure significant pressure, the Central Bank's international reserves notwithstanding.

All these elements provide a gloomy economic outlook in which a reversal could only be achieved by the efficient handling of international aid and loans, primarily a governmental task; and the efficient and prompt allocation of financial resources by the financial system, primarily a private-sector responsibility.

There is reason to believe that efficiency levels could be substantially improved. Of late government officials have displayed extreme sensitivity upon the receipt of good-intentioned professional advice concerning their post-Mitch behavior, while many bankers are already ducking for cover, suggesting that the brunt of the risk of new loans, particularly in the agricultural sector, should be the responsibility of the National Production and Housing Fund (FONAPROVI).

Under these circumstances, it is hard to see how the nation could successfully meet the economic slowdown already beginning to emerge in different sectors of the economy, particularly if politicians and bankers continue to deal with the crisis in a manner reminiscent of the phrase "business as usual."

GARIFUNA MUSEUM NOT DAMAGED

Dear Editor:

I've just read Wendy Griffin's article about the Garifuna Museum, and I feel bad!

I'm the owner of the place where the Garifuna Museum is located, [and] I can assure that there was no flooding, no water, nothing has been damaged at all.

I know the Garifuna Museum needs money, and from the beginning I've been supporting them, but in a dramatic situation like the [one following Hurricane Mitch] where thousands of people really need help, we have the obligation of not using the disaster, telling lies to resolve our problems.

I hope the Ministerio de Turismo, will help the Garifuna Museum to survive ... but this has nothing to do with Mitch!

Alessandro D' Agostino
garifuna@hondutel.hn

Monday, February 8, 1999 Online Edition 144

President Flores has named as the new minister of defense Edgardo Dumas Rodriguez, a well-known lawyer from the North Coast, who has formerly been the ambassador to Great Britain, the United States, and Italy. Mr. Rodriguez is well known internationally.

The new minister has a history of advocating courageously in different forums that within a democratic society the military needs to function within, and not outside the civil society.

At this historical moment when the military forces are once again being returned to their rightful place within the civil society, and a disastrous situation over-turned that was established 35 years ago by then President Ramon Villeda Morales, we look back with both anger and regret at the many abuses of power that an uncontrolled military has visited upon the Honduran people.

Even though the newly named minister will have authority over the military, this does not mean that the later has been stripped of authority or prestige. It will have a relative degree of autonomy.

Without doubting the capacity of Mr. Rodriguez, his task will not be easy, even if the military appears to be docile. They are a powerful and much conflicted organization with vast business interests, intense internal conflicts, and constantly raging power struggles. There are high expectations that this power bloc can be re-organized, re-oriented, and re-directed, and that the damage inflicted on its very foundation by ambitious and unscrupulous men can in some measure be undone. Nothing less than a re-definition of the nature and purposes of the military is acceptable, and if this is not accomplished to the satisfaction of a society that has no great reason to love it, there will soon be heard a call for complete abolition.

We are pleased that such a talented gentlemen has been chosen to assume this responsibility; an individual, who, supported by his friend President Flores, will be a strong presence within the government.

The Honduran military should now prepare itself for peace, and should cease its futile and pretentious activity of attempting to conjure up little regional wars in order to justify its own existence. There is a battle that needs to be fought internally, and this is the war against corruption and criminality, as well as the struggle to maintain the integrity and self-respect of Hondurans against all attempts to draw us into various illegal and immoral activities that are very lucrative for national and international operators.

Our military should be permanently involved in a struggle to maintain the unity of our national family, and to see to it that peace and tranquillity, as well as justice, are the law and reality of the land. We emphasize that peace and tranquillity cannot be maintained where justice does not exist.

We being avid subscribers to your newspaper as well as loyal advertisers, and have been reading every word concerning Mitch, tourism, reconstruction efforts and individual Island reports. We are sad to see that thus far you have overlooked the beautiful Island of Guanaja.

It is nice to read that Roatán was virtually unharmed and that Utila is rallying from the storm but nothing has been reported or printed about the outstanding efforts by the people and businessmen of Guanaja.

From the very moment Mitch departed after realizing it could not destroy us, we put every man woman and child to work cleaning up and restoring what we could. At Bayman Bay Club, we hired 50 men and taught them how to safely use chain saws. We cut and carried for weeks on end until we could navigate the property to see what was left.

Within three weeks we were open for business with good, pure hot and cold water, 24-hour-a-day electricity from our own generators and with our kitchen upgraded and putting out the finest Honduran food this side of Ricardo's in La Ceiba. We watched as God sent pure rainwater to cleans the plants and trees so they would sprout new leaves and flowers. We watched the iguanas and wish-willies and hummingbirds return and marveled at how the birds and animals of the Island managed to survive such a storm.

Now we need your help to alert the world that we are alive and well on Guanaja. Please send reporters, send photographers, send scuba divers, we are proud of our resurgence and want everyone to know they are needed and welcome guests to Guanaja.

I recently attended the "Dema" show in New Orleans and watched the surprise on the faces of dive shop owners and travel agents as they entered the Honduras section. There were displays and representatives from Cocoview, A.K.R., the reef House, Bayman Bay Club, several others and the Honduras Tourist Bureau. "We thought Honduras was out of business," said the interested trades people. We did our best to assure them we were up and running and that our diving was better than ever. They responded with promises to put us back on their available lists but, of course, we were only reaching a small percentage of the world's travel people.

We need bulletins from the Minister of Tourism office inviting everyone to come and see for themselves. Enough of the doom and gloom articles and reports from the press. We need them to admit we are in the running for the world tourism market.

While we were working at Dema, someone came in with a front page article in the Times Piqueine, the local New Orleans newspaper. It had pictures of Posada Del Sol looking very barren. It had misquotes from a La Ceiba taxi driver saying it used to be beautiful but now it is ugly, ugly and why would anyone come to Honduras. I personally asked him about it and he violently denied saying anything like that. It is called sensationalism and the

papers seem to thrive on it. We need follow-up stories by those same reporters and we are asking them to do just that.

A guest arrived at Bayman and told us they had to go to the Mexican Consulate in Houston to obtain their travel visas for Honduras. While there [consulate officials] tried to talk them out of coming here, telling them about how the Island was destroyed and how epidemics were running rampant and how humans and animals were still in the waterways and that tourism would not return to Honduras for at least two years.

They came anyway because our U.S. office assured them they would be safe and could actually get to the Island because Honduras does have airlines that fly between the Islands. They were very pleasantly surprised at our first class accommodations and world class diving.

General Manager

Bayman Bay Club

Guanaja, the Bay Islands

The U.S. depression of the 1930s was no Hurricane Mitch, but the country was in ruins, so FDR set up the "Work Projects Administration" and the Civilian Conservation Corps to put people to work.

What if the Honduran Government took some of the aid money they are receiving and gave everybody who wanted or needed to work a job fixing the roads and bridges and whatever? Hondurans are hard workers and I bet they would welcome such jobs more than waiting for a food truck to come by. Just a thought.

Austin, Texas

By ERLING DUUS CHRISTENSEN

We were watching the Super Bowl at the Iguana Rana restaurant on Boulevard Morazan. Early in the third quarter, the picture went off the set, and then after about a minute of static, there was the Honduran flag waving in the breeze, and a moment later, President Flores was on the air. A deep groan of despair passed through the place. Everyone realized in a painful moment of recognition what this was. The administration was once again in the act of compelling all Hondurans who watch television to sit through 30 minutes of what is without any doubt at all nothing but crude political propaganda.

In the days and weeks following the hurricane, it did not seen inappropriate for the government to commandeer the air waves in order to communicate with the people. That effort to comfort and inspire could be seen as taking precedence over anything else television or radio had to offer. Even now, Super Bowl or no Super Bowl, a half hour devoted to serious information and discussion might be justified as a genuine effort to address and illuminate important issues. But this Sunday evening program deserves no such consideration or commendation. It is just the garden variety manipulative political garbage, and no amount of flag-waving or high flown political rhetoric will lift it above that status.

Obviously, Mr. Flores has decided that the hurricane can be used to generate a rich lode of political capital, so what purports to be dramatic footage of Honduras and the hurricane is in reality nothing less than a lengthy and unsurpassed photo-op for the president. Its real story is not Hurricane Mitch at all, or Honduras, but President Carlos. When he is not being portrayed giving an interminable speech, he, and his photogenic wife are seen in one scene after the other patting the heads of smiling children, embracing old campesino ladies, visiting hospitals or shelters, shaking hands with enthralled and marvelously humble-looking poor folk. He is never portrayed with other Honduran politicians, members of his extended family. He is seen as frequently as possible with President Clinton, however, in footage where Clinton seems to be listening attentively as the Honduran president speaks.

There can be no strong objection to politicians using such floss and fluff as this in a campaign. It is done all the time. But we are not aware that Mr. Flores is running for anything at the moment. What we do know, however, is that when he takes over the nation's television and radios on Sunday evenings to glorify himself he is abusing power, and is violating a fundamental precept of democracy, which is freedom of choice. Hondurans ought to be free to be able to watch television on Sunday evenings without having to watch political propaganda from the government. If that freedom can be taken away, then so can many others.

There has been considerable discussion about lengthening the presidential term, or simple legislating a second term for Mr. Flores so as to avoid a lengthy, costly and distracting presidential campaign when the nation needs to focus on reconstruction. The president proclaims his lack of interest in this, saying that he is eager to complete his term and go back to normal life. The longer he can be made to seem a modest and unassuming man who has been raised up by the benevolent spirits in a time of national crises to carry the burden of leadership the better for him, of course. But modest and unassuming men do not violate the democratic rights of the people; dictators, or would be dictators, do.

It would be, perhaps, the greatest devastation of the hurricane if, just as Hondurans are escaping the tyranny of the military, they allow themselves to be gathered into a new semi-constitutional dictatorship, however benign. President Flores has shown that he has great political ability, and there is a general perception that he is doing an exceptional job. But he does seem a very ambitious man, and it may be that his commitment to democracy is suspect.

Monday, February 1, 1999 Online Edition 143

Old dream of union renewed
As has been said, "people who are crazy enough to truly believe they can change the world are the only ones who can do so."

For a long time it has been maintained by many that Central American union provides the best and most efficient prospect for economic success in this region, located in the center of America.

As is well known, U.S. President Clinton will be visiting Central America soon and will be meeting with the various presidents of the five countries. They will be renewing their request for a free trade agreement between the United States and countries of the region.

Minister of Commerce Reginaldo Panting asserted recently that the free trade agreement between the United States, Canada, and Mexico has given momentum to a substantial increase in industrial activity in Mexico, and predicts that similar results could be achieved in Central America.

In the same vein, the president of the Chamber of Commerce in Guatemala, César Estrada, strongly agreed with Mr. Panting, and expressed his hope that a similar condition could be established here.

To make possible this aspiration it is required that trade barriers and other impediments to cooperation between the sister republics of the region be eliminated, and that complete integration, including political unity, be achieved.

The largest obstacle to Central American union is and has always been Costa Rica, which traditionally has had little interest in this idea. One reason for this lack of interest is that Costa Rica presently dominates the Central American market, and is afraid of losing a lucrative economic position in the region.

Costa Rica understands that in the long run they would be better off if they could compete in the large South American market as well as the growing markets of the Caribbean, but these are difficult nuts to crack and would require the unified power of all Central America. The Ticos are reluctant to give up their advantage in Central America for the greater prospect, apparently adhering to the old adage "a bird in hand is worth two in the bush." They have also established a wide ranging free trade agreement with Mexico, but the security and advantage thus derived could not withstand a situation in which Costa Rica became economically and politically isolated in the Isthmus.

The petition of the presidents to Mr. Clinton enjoys much support and offers promise for the future. A free trade agreement would allow us to capitalize on those things we have to offer the entire hemisphere, good port facilities, low taxes, and a plentiful and enthusiastic work force.

The United States should look with favorable eyes toward cooperation and union in Central America, and help us to achieve this long withheld dream, and in the context help us to achieve an improved standard of living for our people.

Welcome to Central America, Mr. President, and please give us the benefits of your great and perceptive empathy and intelligence, as well as your unique capacity to effect economic and social change.

The market girl

By CHRISTIANA CASEBOLT

Special to Honduras This Week

They say a picture paints a thousand words. Let me draw you a picture with my words, I'll try to keep it under a thousand. I am drawing a little girl named Jessinia. She is 10 years old, and lives with her aunt in Tegucigalpa. She is also a business lady, that is, she has to work selling pasas (raisins), piojos (little hair clips), super glue, or whatever item it might be to help her aunt make a living in the market Las Americas.

Although ten, Jessinia has not yet graduated from the first grade. Before Hurricane Mitch hit, she attended an informal school located in the second story of one of the buildings in the market. That is where I had the pleasure of meeting her.

The school is a project run by the Center for Development of Youth and Family (CDJF) where I am a volunteer. The school's aim is to provide children like Jessinia, los vendedores (the vendors), a place to come and be in a safe environment; while at the same time hopefully learning some basic skills. For many of them just learning the alphabet and numbers from one to 10 was difficult.

However, Jessinia was different, more advanced. She glowed with enthusiasm the day when she had finally mastered the concept of multiplication in double digits. I probably first took a liking to Jessinia because of her habit of greeting each of her profesoras with a hug and a kiss every morning. During my short time in the school we became close. She was mi favorita.

Then Hurricane Mitch hit. For at least a week everything stopped, and when the capitalinos (citizens of Tegucigalpa) came out of hiding, the market was in ruins. That part of the city was classified as contaminated because the polluted Choluteca River had left mud half a story high throughout the market. For the first few weeks following the hurricane everyone who had to pass through the market, would do so as quickly as possible, holding a handkerchief over their noses to try and avoid the horrible stench.

During this time I wasn't able to see Jessinia. The school was "out of business" and I was stuck in the office. When we would see the other children from the school, I would ask if they knew where Jessinia was, but they didn't know. Some thought that she might be in an albergue (shelter), but they weren't sure. I was worried to hear that because if she was in an albergue that would mean that she had lost her home, but there was nothing I could do about it.

In the office, we continued to sort donations and get them out to areas where the damage was greatest. On Dec. 18, we had a Christmas party for the children from the market. Still Jessinia didn't show up. One of her classmates, Victor, did, however. As soon as the festivities were over he said, "Okay. Let's go, back to selling." That is the mentality of these children. They understand well that they have to sell to survive.

Then suddenly, the next Monday Jessinia showed up at the office with one of her best friends, Vikki. She told me that Vikki had told her about the gifts we had given out the week before, so they had come to get her one; and besides they were selling in the streets near the office that week. We were both very happy to see each other after the separation.

By chance, the two girls were both interviewed that day by Lourdes from Radio Tegucigalpa. Jessinia sat smiling happily at me while Vikki was asked about her life and family. Then it was Jessinia's turn. She was asked how many brothers and sisters she had, if they were by the same man, if she knew her father, what she was selling, and other questions. The answer that stuck with me the most was that she said one of her brothers, age 12, lives in the streets now because her aunt kicked him out of the house because he didn't want to help her sell.

Through it all neither of the girls acted sad about their situation. In fact Vikki laughed during most of the process. And both girls answered that they didn't want to have babies with more than one man as their mothers had. When asked why not, they replied, "Porque es muy feo." (Because it is very ugly.)

After the interviews were done I got to talk to Jessinia more. I asked her what they were doing for Christmas. Nothing special, just selling was the answer. When I asked her what she wanted for Christmas she thought for a minute and then replied, "Una Christiana," (that is my name)! When I asked her again what she really wanted she said that a stuffed animal would be good.

That day, in the office, we sat chatting together embraced the whole time until she had to go to sell. I felt as if I had been reunited with a daughter. Although she is nothing to me by blood, I wanted to be able to be with her always and take care of her. That is the hard part because I can't. She is living with her aunt, and will probably continue selling in the market maybe all her life. If she received a decent education things might be different, but I doubt her aunt will ever let her enroll in a real school because she has to sell.

So, all I am able to give her is my love and time while I am here in Honduras. The day after we were reunited of course I also gave her the best stuffed animal I could find.

The natural superiority of women?
Gender stereotypes must be broken to achieve progress

By ERLING DUUS CHRISTENSEN

The results of another philosophy test are in at the bi-lingual school where I teach. It is absolutely no surprise to discover that all the top grades have been achieved by girls. Out of about 44 students in two separate classes, about a dozen students will get an A, and all but one of them will be girls. Of course, there are more girls than boys, a result of many of the later flunking out along the way.

It might be supposed that this situation is an anomaly, unrepresentative of things in general. But I have enough experience in Honduras to justify a firm conviction that girls are overwhelmingly better students than boys in this country. More importantly, the difference does not appear to merely be the result of girls studying more, or trying harder to please parents of teachers. On the contrary, it seems to me an inescapable fact that the girls are fundamentally more serious and more intelligent.

Coming to such a conclusion on the basis of empirical observation is very far, however, from providing an explanation, or suggesting consequences. I launch into those difficult waters with reluctance.

At the outset I must dismiss the theory which argues the natural superiority of women. Girls in school, the argument goes, are only now getting the chance to show what they can do. This is seductive, to be sure, but not persuasive.

In my relationships with students I have gone to some trouble to understand the different experiences and expectations that boys and girls grow up with in this country. Superficially, there does not appear to be a dramatic difference, but in reality the difference is considerable. Girls are pampered much more, they are dressed up to be little queens. They feel more loved, more important. At the same time, they are expected to be more responsible, and are given much less freedom. Boys, on the other hand, enjoy much less attention, are more insecure, but at the same time are given far more freedom to roam, to explore, to be adventuresome.

Girls make friends with two or three close confidants, and are individuated in the process. Boys usually travel in groups absorbing a much more powerful peer group identity, and little individuation takes place. At some important level, it is assumed that boys will be irresponsible, and lacking in seriousness. Girls are in training for being the strength and wisdom that will hold the society together. Boys are in training for cutting as wide a swath as possible. Superficiality is virtually a requirement for the roll they are expected to fill. Girls are expected to love, boys to play at love, whilst being ensnared reluctantly in its foliage.

It is from this dynamic then that there emerges the fact that girls grow up to be more serious and intelligent women than the men that boys grow up to be. But it is also, unfortunately, from this cultural pattern that those same boys grow into a superficial, but ever so playful manhood, grow up to be the people with power in the society.

Power is not passed on to those who are the more intelligent and responsible members of the society, but rather to those who have trained from early youth to be adventurers, playboys, and all around good fellows. That is why so many children in Honduras grow up in a home without a father. And why so many people in positions of power are both incompetent and dishonest.

There is a solution to the problem I describe, but it is not easily achieved. What is necessary is two things: girls must be given a much larger freedom, and boys must be subjected to higher standards of responsibility. The breaking up of gender stereotypes is as critical for the progress of Honduran society as anything can be.