OPINIONS & EDITORIAL |
OPINIONS & EDITORIAL |
| Monday, March 30, 1998 Online Edition 99 |
Environment undervalued by mankind By CLAUDIA QUINTANILLA Special to Honduras This Week The environment...it seems to pop up everywhere these days from ties and T-shirts to tuna cans and aerosol sprays, and just about everything in between. Protecting the environment and nature conservancy have become one of the biggest trends of the 20th century. Campaign advertisements of all sorts are plastered with environmental friendly images and themes and all of a sudden kids know more about trash than the average middle-aged adult. However, if you (like me) haven't been suffering from hunger pains for more than a day and your house isn't under 10 feet of water, you're probably beginning to ask yourself: what's the big deal? I don't blame you. By definition the price of a product or service is the cost at which something is obtained. In the case of the environment, there are an endless amount of goods and services it provides: rain, wood, fertile soils, minerals, temperature regulation and tourism attractions, to name a few. Unfortunately, economic policies in many countries around the world have failed to integrate the environmental production costs of these goods and services into their market prices, resulting in a large scale abuse of our natural resources and a lack of understanding of the true importance of nature conservancy. For example, the state agency in charge of providing potable water to the Honduran population, SANAA, has not considered charging a natural production fee for water that would reflect the never ending work of the water cycle and its continuous recharge of freshwater sources; and so as water basins are being degraded at increasing rates due to the expansion of agricultural lands and the extraction of fire wood, and as less water flows into dams and watersheds making freshwater sources scarcer day by day, we are all still paying the same price for the consumption of potable water. Furthermore, industries big and small are free to discharge their wastes into nearby water sources, diminishing water quality for human consumption and elevating its production cost even more. Consequently, we don't realize that both the quantity and quality of the available water is diminishing and there aren't any reasons to make us feel motivated to save water or to use more efficient water-using appliances. "At the present rate of deforestation, the forest resources of [Honduras] will be exhausted in less than a quarter of a century. Another example of an underestimated resource is detailed in the following extract form the Spanish version of Ecology, Environment and Development: Growth vs. Conservation Debate by Theodore Panayotou, member of the Harvard Institute for International Development and professor of the Economics Department of Harvard University: "The results of the failures of those politics can be seen clearly in Honduras. At the present rate of deforestation, the forest resources of that country will be exhausted in less than a quarter of a century. To be more precise, Honduras has witnessed the large scale destruction of its pine forests and broad-leafed trees. As a result of this serious deforestation, it is calculated that the annual loss of soils to cultivated crops is 10,000 hectares. Furthermore, the resulting water basin destruction has taken on a high social and economic cost, in terms of mud accumulation, floods, diminishing life spans of dams and the loss of productive capacity. The insecure land tenancy, as well as the inefficient price fixation of the forest resources have been singled out as the primary causes of the deforestation in Honduras. The policies of the Honduran Forestry Administration (COHDEFOR) have encouraged excessive extraction rates and have buffered the force of long term investment in the forest sector. Moreover, the campesinos who are neglected access to fertile land recur more and more to cultivation on marginal lands, making use of destructive techniques such as slash and burn agriculture." At the core of this problem lies the government -- lack of regulations, law enforcement, incentives and long-term planning, as well as subsidies and corruption are all part of a complex web that describes the ongoing battle between mankind and earth. It won't be until we give nature its true value in this new era of free trade that we will ensure the prosperity of generations to come, giving way to the flourishing of a new form of mankind in the present, a better species that harmonizes humans with natural resources, as well as with economic growth. |
Chaos in the cities Thousands of automobiles circulate daily in the nation's major cities. These automobiles, combined with a lack of enforcement of even the most basic traffic regulations, causes a daily chaos for city drivers. Gas station owners must drool with delight over the long lines of traffic, which move at a snail pace through the streets, sometimes standing still for long periods of time. The expense in gasoline, oil, and car parts is only the minor problem. The major problem is easily visible and affects car owners, pedestrians, birds, dogs, and trees. It is the gray smog that forms over the city. Public transportation in our cities consists of buses and taxis. There is no alternative transportation such as subways, trolleys or horse drawn carts. Buses often travel at high speeds unsafe for city streets, and taxis make their own traffic rules as they form a fourth lane on a two-lane street or stop in the middle of the street looking for their next fare. The majority of these cars and buses are old, and in very poor mechanical condition. They circulate without any kind of emissions control. The only kind of control exercised by the traffic police is periodic roadblocks. Instead of ticketing vehicles with black smoke rolling out the back, however, these roadblocks only fine drivers who have not paid their vehicle registration fees. They also cause an entirely new level of traffic jam. It is time for the municipalities to start implementing and enforcing stronger controls over the vehicles traveling in our cities. The drivers and vehicles used in public transportation should be regulated, to provide safety to users. It is also time for stricter emissions control over all vehicles.
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| Monday, March 23, 1998 Online Edition 98 |
Political,
religious diehards band to scuttle children's rights pact Right-wing groups and conservative religious alliances are joining forces to thwart efforts by the U.S. Senate to ratify a landmark human rights treaty signed by 191 out of 193 nations: The United Nations' 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child. The only other recalcitrant nation is Somalia, a nation lacking a legitimate government. Jo Becker, Advocacy Coordinator for Children's Rights Projects the New York-based Human Rights Watch, says that chances of ratification any time soon are nil. "This is very troubling. It reflects negatively on the U.S. We are all the more perplexed because the U.S. contributed several proposals that were incorporated in the final document." Becker and others point a finger at Senator Jesse Helms, the right-wing ultra-conservative lawmaker from North Carolina. So long as he remains chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, she believes, the Convention is doomed. "Helms is the gate-keeper to all international treaties, and he shares views with the religious right in the U.S. He probably wields more power than the President." The stalemate is viewed with alarm by human rights monitors worldwide. They fear that refusal by the richest nation on earth to ratify the treaty could send a subliminal message to the poorer signatory nations of Latin America which, while invested with honorable constitutions, have a notoriously imperfect judicial system and a blemished children's rights record. "Working in Central America for a U.S.-based organization whose mission is to promote the most basic of children's rights and to imbue local governments of their responsibilities can be frustrating," says Bruce Harris, Executive Director of Casa Alianza, the preeminent children's rights advocate. "Governments point to the U.S. and its own unwillingness to ratify the Convention. They can justifiably argue that when 25 percent of the children in the richest nation on earth go hungry, something must be seriously wrong. The fact that most of these children are black or Hispanic may be further explained by a strong undercurrent of political arch-conservatism in America." Adopted by the U.N. General Assembly in November 1989, sweeping, uncompromising and loophole-free, the Convention makes member states legally accountable for their actions toward children. It was open for signature in January 1990. It came into force in July. The charter stipulates among other things that: every child -- anyone under the age of 18 -- has the right to life, and countries shall insure, to the fullest, child survival and development. Under the Convention, primary education shall be free and compulsory, and discipline in school must respect the child's dignity. The charter also recognizes the right of children "to be heard." The United States signed the Convention in 1995 but the document has no legal status there without Senate ratification. Senator Helms claims that the treaty "forces its way into the relationship of a parent and child, and should not be considered in federal legislation, let alone international pacts." Helms joined 24 other Senators in co-sponsoring legislation asking President Bill Clinton not to submit this "very unwise document to the Senate for ratification." Helms has the backing of a dozen ultra-conservative groups, including the elusive but influential extreme-right-wing John Birch Society, the Family Research Council, Concerned Women of America, the almighty Christian Coalition, the self-anointed shepherd and arbiter of morality in America and the Rutherford Institute. [The Rutherford Institute is funding Paula Jone's lawsuit against President Clinton and is widely believed to be taking part in a right-wing conspiracy to bring him down]. Individually and collectively, these groups are doing battle with about 350 non-governmental organizations (NGO) that have been relentlessly pushing for ratification. The NGOs include Amnesty International, the American Red Cross, the U.N. Association of the U.S.A., Children of the Earth, UNICEF, the Child Welfare League of America, the Pearl S. Buck Foundation, the Children's Defense Fund and the American Bar Association. While backers of the Convention are strong in numbers, the opponents control the Senate votes. "[Anti-Convention] groups are well funded, organized and coordinated," says Susan Kilbourne of the National Committee for the Rights of the Child, "and they have successfully motivated their members to lobby against it. Senate staffers report that for every letter of support, they receive one hundred against." Indeed, the Convention has been the target of a merciless smear campaign designed to misrepresent it as "the most dangerous attack on parental rights in the history of the United States," "the ultimate program to annihilate parental authority," and "the most insidious document ever signed by an American president. Anti-Convention propaganda include pamphlets describing the charter as "a radical, dangerous document that will guarantee unlimited government interference in family life." The language of the document clearly states that it is a policy framework, not a code of parental conduct. Nor does it provide for investigations or prosecutions against parents and guardians. Sandra Nunez, co-author of a newly published book on the legal rights of children, "And Justice for All," said the future of children's rights rests in the hands of the State, the parents and children themselves. "The difference between this century and past ones is that children now have a real opportunity to speak on their own behalf and to make the world a better, safer and more equitable place for themselves," she said. Article 3 of the Convention stipulates that the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration in all judicial and administrative actions concerning children, and that a child capable of voicing personal views shall be entitled to be heard in judicial and administrative proceedings. Article 6 declares that every child has "an inherent right to life." The preamble calls for "appropriate legal protection, before and after birth." Parties to the Convention agree not to pass laws or take actions that contravenes the treaty. Convention foes point out that it would create conflict between state and federal governments and deny parents ultimate authority on issues affecting children. What they are really saying is that by prohibiting capital punishment for anyone under the age of 18, the treaty would in effect overturn the constitutional threshold for executions set at age 16 by the Supreme Court. "Once again the U.S. is a pariah in the eyes of the world." says Casa Alianza's Bruce Harris. "We must put aside the interests of a minority extremist right wing fringe, and focus on what is best for children everywhere. I truly believe that the vast majority of Americans would support the U.N. Convention if they understood it. I am equally convinced that the rest of the world would follow the U.S. lead. Local politics are often forged by international example." As Carl Van Doren said, "the race of men, while sheep in credulity, are wolves for conformity." W.E. Gutman is a Connecticut-based investigative journalist and a frequent contributor to Honduras This Week. |
Through an executive order, President Flores has called the bluff of civil service employees who abuse their right to use government vehicles. The decree restricts the use of government vehicles to work hours and work-related labors. It will also be obligatory that each vehicle be marked with the emblems and license plates of government vehicles and the "MI" plates, which are issued to international organizations, will be restricted to only those institutions that have this diplomatic category. It past years it has been very common to see vehicles with government plates parked near the beaches during the Holy Week vacation, without any respect for the Honduran taxpayer who is footing the bill for a public employee's family vacation. Government vehicles also drop kids off at school and park at the university when government employees are at their second job, teaching university classes. The vehicles are also often seen covering the route from Tegucigalpa to San Pedro Sula, and anyone who owns a car knows that it is cheaper to take the executive level bus or even fly than to pay the gas bill for an individual car. The government hires drivers for these vehicles, which could logically be a control mechanism, but these drivers are often people with very little education and are not willing to risk their jobs by refusing to drive the vehicles on personal errands. In other countries there is a more practical solution of letting officials who have cars drive themselves, and take all the responsibility for their actions. Control of the use of government vehicles could save the country part of the expense of purchasing, fueling, and maintaining a large fleet of vehicles. But without the assistance of the Traffic Police, true control will be difficult. Administration of a government is a difficult task, often with poor lines of control over many of the extended arms of bureaucracy. The law must be applied to every person who can be proven to have misused their privileges. There must be a more strict enforcement of the regulations regarding the use of government vehicles. Or government telephones, or government paper clips. Only in this way will the public servant realize that they are being paid to serve, not to abuse benefits.
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OUTRAGED BY GUTMAN AGAIN Dear Editor: I am a little behind in my reading, and so I hope that I am not the first to be outraged, again, by Mr. Gutman. In particular the Feb. 21 article in which he expressed his opinion that, "Moonlighting in the service of death adds valuable extra cash to a policeman's pay." Well of course! Naturally it is to be expected that if a country has a police force composed of citizens of a culture such as that of Honduras that the idea that they will murder for a little extra spending money is a reasonable assumption. Gives new meaning to "mad money." I sure hope that the tourists, heck the world in general, doesn't discover that in Honduras the average citizen would just assume kill you for $69.00 than not. Or is Mr. Gutman trying to imply that the police force was raised from birth in some segregated compound so as not to have developed the same cultural morals as the society in general? This would explain why the police would kill you for a few bucks, but the common citizen would not. I tend to believe, or at least I want to believe, a third theory that if killings are being done by members of the police force, then it is just that; some individuals that happen to be police officers who are evil or corrupt and kill for money. In the same vein of reason it is also true that some individuals who are not in the police force kill, or rob banks, because they are corrupt or evil. The only real distinction that I would make is that when a police officer is caught breaking any law he has violated the public trust and should receive the most severe punishment available. "Honduras This Week" should be praised for being such a free press that it allows articles of such diverse opinion, even when they insult and offend the very culture and people that created the atmosphere that allows the paper to exist. JS Davis |
| Monday, March 16, 1998 Online Edition 97 |
A 12 percent
program... Last week, the vice minister of Finance made an announcement that was, he says, misconstrued by a local radio station to mean that the increase was a fact, when it is only a possibility. Three hours later he was fired. This alternative planted by the official is obviously one of the possible sources of income being studied in the search to cover the Lps. 1.8 billion deficit left by the Reina administration. The sales tax works in two ways: it raises revenue and limits the amount of consumption. And the consumption of imported products is a macroeconomic nightmare because it pressures the government to continue devaluating the lempira, which seems to have learned to walk like a crab: only backwards. Two things are of serious concern here. First the necessity of our finance officials to be just like someone else, using the justification that whatever happens in the other Central American countries should be good for us, too. But when we strive to be like our neighbors we lose our competitive edge because the positive aspects of Honduras are not being valued. Second, we must begin to enforce the taxes that we have instead of looking for new taxes. In general, there is much tax evasion in Honduras, and culturally we are not accustomed to paying adequate taxes. Although there have been improvements in tax collecting methods, a lack of continuity has inhibited the good intentions. The general public is also disillusioned because they do not see their tax money at work. Our country needs to have a well-defined personality that provides benefits to the future investors. Having only a 7 percent sales tax is one of Honduras' advantages over its neighbors. The government must seek other sources of income that will not alter the national economy so drastically. Graffiti: the menace of urban poetry
By MELANIE WETZEL Graffiti exists in every major metropolitan area in the world. Due to some universal rule, maybe found in our DNA, graffiti generally addresses one of two topics: politics and social angst. There is a third topic -- the "I was here" graffiti, but it is not usually very expressive. All gang graffiti is included in this third topic. The National University here in Tegucigalpa is practically wall-papered with Ernesto "Che" Guevara quotes. Well, not the whole university; as one classmate mentioned, "There's none of that at the law school. They're all too conservative." But enter any room in, say, the Social Sciences building and someone will have left a message from the Che. In the personal opinion of this author nothing goes better with a political science class than "As long as our war cry reaches a receptive ear -- CHE." It keeps you grounded. There was a slogan written on a wall in the center of Tegucigalpa at the time of my arrival here. After having passed by it many times, my poor Spanish only allowed me to decipher "Hondurans," "tranquil," and something about fear. After several more sightings, and several more Spanish lessons, the meaning finally became clear: "Hondurans...so passive it scares me." I had to admit I liked it. It had all of the qualities of classic graffiti -- thought provoking, original and in a highly visible location. But one cannot be in favor of graffiti in a general sense. Picture the humble homeowner who uses his Christmas bonus to paint his outer wall a lovely shade of peach. He is for one moment the owner of the most beautiful outer wall in the neighborhood; it brings him joy every time he sees it. Until he comes out one morning and sees that the lovely expanse of peach has inspired Miguel to declare his undying love for Graciela in big black letters. And the homeowner knows that this sight will greet him every day for the next year, until he can afford to paint again. It doesn't take much traveling in Central America to realize that a certain percentage of the spray-painted messages are directed to foreigners, and not as a welcome message. "Down with gringos," "Deport the US Military," and "Contras OUT," can be seen in the market, the bus station and other locations with highly visible walls and a lack of security. This is possibly the most important thing one learns in international travel: not everyone thinks that we are as cool as we think we are. But a expression of more common Central American feelings toward the North can be seen painted on a wall in Belize: "Gringos go home...and take me with you." |
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK Dear Editor: Stephen Leavell EMBASSY'S STATEMENT ON GAYS QUESTIONED Dear Editor: Well, I am going to quote an excerpt from the U.S Embassy in Tegucigalpa regarding this subject: "There is no official persecution of homosexuals in Honduras. A number of senior Government and Ministry of Foreign Affair officials in the present and prior administrations have been quite open about their homosexual orientation without any apparent adverse effect in their careers. Honduran working class culture contains certain elements of 'machismo' hostile to overt public display of male homosexual affection, but Honduras has the reputation of being the most tolerant country in Central America regarding affectional preferences. Gay nightclubs function openly in the three major cities, and local religious figures periodically denounce the public and official tolerance toward homosexual behavior. Public officials respond that this behavior is legal." Well-based reports from international human rights groups contradict this statement. I wonder where the U.S. Embassy receives their information as murders of homosexuals continue in Honduras as well as police assaults, and violence toward this minority group? Hector Gonzalez |
| Monday, March 9, 1998 Online Edition 96 |
National university teaching undemocratic principles
By WENDY GRIFFIN Among the objectives of the Honduran public school system is to teach democratic principles. However, foreigners may be unaccustomed to the democratic principles that are taught here. Have you ever noticed little boxes asking for collaboration in voting for the reina or the madrina (godmother) of a school? These elections are organized before the village fair or Independence Day (Sept. 15). The candidates are given small pieces of paper or cardboard divided into many squares. Each square is a vote. Each candidate and her parents try to get people to buy as many votes as possible. The child who sells the most votes wins. Most well-to-do parents will buy many votes for their child so she may be queen. Have you seen the pictures of these young queens in Spanish-language newspapers? Society photos and announcements are frequently paid for. In this way school children learn important lessons, such as if you want to be recognized, to be someone in this town, you must have money. Most children learn they are out of the running at an early age. This scene is reenacted in a different scale at the university level where different student groups or frentes give away caps, notebooks and other items in return for support in critical student elections. BACKROOM MANEUVERING The two principal student groups at the National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH) are the United University Democratic Front (FUUD) and the University Reform Front (FRU). FUUD is the conservative group that has for many years been associated with Nationalist Party friends and allies of Oswaldo Ramos Soto, a former UNAH rector and presidential candidate. During Ramos Soto’s term as rector, the FUUD became a tool to prevent student activism associated with protests in the society at large, such as demonstrations against U.S. presence during the Contra war, support for unions, and protests against human rights violations including the temporary and permanent disappearance of student leaders. University and high school student groups used to meet frequently with union leadership and other groups such as the Visitacion Padilla Committee for Peace and the Committee for the Relatives of Detained-Disappeared Persons in Honduras to analyze Honduras' situation and to plan actions, particularly before the May 1 labor day parade. One technique frequently used to destroy the power of labor unions is to hold "parallel elections" of leaders who have been coopted by the powers that be (economic, elite, military, etc). At the UNAH this had happened with the so-called leaders of student groups who are paid salaries by the university. More than one so-called student leader has already been a university professor at the time of his election to represent students. La Prensa reported that one recent FUUD leader was family to both the past and current rector. These paid student leaders are an important tool of control for the rector because student representatives have 50 percent of the vote in UNAH's decision-making bodies.
Current UNAH rector Dr. Ana Belen Castillo is a relative of her predecessor, Dr. Rene Sagastume Castillo. She was the FUUD candidate, making her a shoo-in for the post since FUUD controlled 50 percent of the votes. After she became rector, she was also named FUUD coordinator. How can a university president and professor be the coordinator of what is supposed to be an independent voice of the students? RAJA RAJA The Honduran saying "raja raja" is the English equivalent of "You scratch my back, I scratch yours." This was very clear in the recent student elections at the UNAH. After FUUD helped Castillo become rector, she did everything in her power to help FUUD win the university elections. She did this by prohibiting other student groups, particularly FRU, from registering their candidates. It is easier to win when there are no legal opposition candidates. FRU leaders did not take their elimination from the elections quietly. They denounced this fraud to the press and the National Election Tribunal (TNE). When this failed to move the rector from her position, they tried to take over university facilities and thus prevent the "fraudulent" elections from taking place. This degenerated into violent skirmishes. The local Spanish press gave wide coverage to both the election of Castillo and the recent student elections. Since FUUD gave the rector her support, it is not surprising the rector is now giving her support to student groups by not supporting an initiative by university professors to reform university administration and eliminate student parity. Most faculty members would prefer a system, such as the one employed by the National Teaching University (UPN), in which students have just a few representatives on decision-making committees. According to the local press, only 80 votes were cast in the election due to FRU's opposition, but those elected are now "representing" 40,000 students. THE SHRIMP THAT SLEEPS... The saying, Camaron que se duerme, se lo lleva la corriente (The shrimp that sleeps is carried away by the current) means that if you do not pay attention to what your opponents are doing, you will be carried away by what other people want, not necessarily in your best interests. It is unusual that the country should have successive Liberal governments while conservatives dominate the national university. Many people believe this is just another symptom of the disorder the nation's largest university has fallen into, because salaries are so low (many professors make under $200 per month even with a master's degree or equivalent) that even serious professors cannot give much attention to the UNAH as they work two or three jobs just to make ends meet. HAVING CUELLO IMPORTANT Tener cuello is an Honduran expression that means "to have pull with someone or some institution." If student groups have cuello or friendship with the rector and other leaders, they can get things other students want such as more sections of classes (even if there is no budget for them), more students per section (even if there are no desks or chairs), and the employment of unqualified teachers. Student groups really do try to help students. This is how they get a following (pueblo) and votes. By having a close relationship with the administration, student groups have actually done well at what they intended to do -- help students. And since at some level, the status quo works, most of the interested people ignore the problems and do what they need to do -- work, study, and help their families and themselves. |
The City of
the Monkey Gods The desire to find the city grows, as history tells us that the residents of this area migrated from South America where gold was more prevalent. An impressive written account that dates from 1939 by Theodore Morde, "The Mysteries of the Mosquitia," describes the city of the Monkey Gods. "I am convinced that we have found the place where the legendary lost City of the Monkey Gods is located. This is a civilization older than the Aztecs or the Maya. We came upon the city after coming through the Mosquitia, through the thickest jungle, with wild animals waiting in ambush." For five months Morde led the expedition from the Museum of the American Indian of the Heye Foundation in New York, navigating rivers in small canoes and crossing the jungle with hatchets and machetes. According to the expedition members, high mountains form the base of the city. Nearby is a fast moving waterfall, that falls into the green valley of the ruins. Monkeys and birds are all around, curious to greet visitors. Morde does not reveal more about the city, in an attempt to keep his secret from other groups that were also seeking it at the same time. The author tells of the similarity between the City of the Monkey Gods and adoration of monkeys described in the Ramayana, the sacred text of the Hindus. Morde tells of the beliefs and ceremonies of the natives at the time of the expedition. The customs appeared to have changed and monkeys were no longer worshipped, although they did have one ceremony, the "Dance of the Dead Monkeys," in which they worshipped their ancestors. Today there is an Internet page where the curious can learn about the myth although much of the information is more speculation than fact. There are unlimited amounts of pre-Columbian art throughout Honduras. There are over 500 sites already located, though very few have been explored and others have been destroyed out of ignorance. Just last week, important archaeological treasures were stolen from the Copan Ruins. If Honduran government agencies cannot protect the most visible and highly protected of the archaeological sites, how can they protect the smaller and unknown sites from international pirates who have more money, better equipment, helicopters, and of course, higher motivation?
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| Monday, March 2, 1998 Online Edition 95 |
Forests,
water, and electricity The government has taken steps to purchase energy from the national and international private sector. This is not the first time that the country has suffered from shortages of water and the energy, nor will it be the last until the government chooses to see the problem as a long-range concern, not a temporary fix. Projects such as a planned hydroelectric dam to be shared by El Salvador and Honduras, in which Honduras will provide the land and water source and El Salvador the financing, must be considered seriously in order to overcome not only this shortage, but future shortages that will surely come. There are also various projects planned by the private enterprise to produce this much-needed resource, taking advantage of the Cangrejal River in La Ceiba and the Rio Patuca. The cruel destruction of the forest is also a major cause of water shortages. Only a few weeks ago, a group of protesters in a rural area blocked the highway to protest the constant removal of wood from the forests surrounding their municipality. This would have passed by unnoticed had the news media not given a few words of coverage to the event. The La Tigra National Park provides nearly one half of the water used in Tegucigalpa, largely due to the fact that it is the only protected forest in the area. But in surrounding areas many farmers still use the age old slash-and-burn techniques before planting, which threatens these protected areas. The El Cajon hydroelectric facilities was often thought of as the solution to Honduras' energy needs. That was before the apparel industry boom and other industrial resurgence. Even though only 49 percent of the country has electricity, the industries that contribute to development consume much more energy. Government studies indicate that over 80 percent of electricity is consumed by the commercial and industrial sectors. We must now look at all possibilities for producing electricity: wind and solar generators, new hydroelectric projects and any other alternative production methods. Honduras cannot be dependant on imported fossil fuels for energy production. Even though national consumption is estimated at a maximum of 620 megawatts, this must not be our production goal. To attract foreign investment there must be cheap energy sources and to be cheap they must be abundant. Blackjack bargaining: applying the Pinochet paradigm By W. E. GUTMAN "The only prize the powerful care for is power," said Oliver Wendell Holmes. "What the general wants is not a bigger tent, but unfettered command." Astute commentary by America's eminent jurist; prophetic observation and ominous warning, taken from the pages of contemporary politics, to civilian regimes that buckle under military coercion and surrender them even limited authority. Take Chile. Under an agreement with the current democratically-elected government, Gen. Augusto Pinochet, commander in chief of the army, whose brutal 17-year dictatorship ended in 1990 after the deaths of over 3,000 political opponents, was scheduled to retire on Jan. 26. Pinochet changed his mind when legislators from the governing Christian Democratic Party filed a lawsuit to prevent him from becoming a Senator for Life, a Caesarian office he created to guarantee former heads of state -- and himself -- immunity from prosecution! Angry and brazen, Pinochet, who at 82 is the world's longest-serving military head, told President Eduardo Frei that he would not retire after all. He then threatened to use "compromising information" from secret military intelligence files against those who would prevent him from taking the Senate seat. The conflict has created a political nightmare for Frei. Since 1994 when he was elected, he's had to walk a fine line between controlling the ever-restive military and obeying constitutional provisions that grant the armed forces extensive power. Many Chileans support the military crackdown on leftists and hail the military regime's economic reforms which have brought Chile prosperity. Others demand that the military be held accountable for its transgressions and that criminal proceedings be brought against the culprits. A report circulated in 1990 documents 3,200 political assassinations and 1,100 disappearances, all at the hands of Pinochet's security services. It is no wonder that the general is so anxious to assume a Senate seat, a position that would offer him added protection from prosecution for the abuses committed under his watch. Anyone accused of human rights violations is shielded from punishment by an amnesty that the general himself imposed as a condition for democratic elections. But civilian authorities have allowed court investigations of military crimes to proceed. In a major blow to the military, officers accused of killings, kidnappings, torture, rapes and disappearances have been summoned to account publicly for their actions. As a Senator, Pinochet would be protected from such scrutiny because public officials are immune from civil prosecution while in office. Like Caligula, who boasted of having purged Rome of "traitors," Pinochet, who seized power in 1973 from lawfully elected leftist President Salvador Allende Gossens, is convinced that he restored democracy in Chile and insists he is its staunchest defender. Many legislators disagree and consider the former dictator's efforts to sit in the Senate, a body he kept closed for 17 years, a national affront. According to the Christian Democrats, "over 60 percent of Chileans are deeply troubled and angered that the former dictator, a man accused of genocide in Chile and abroad, is shamelessly trying to enter the Senate. Prospects that Pinochet would be held accountable for the atrocities of his regime increased recently when a Chilean court agreed to prosecute. But government officials and political observers say it is unlikely that Pinochet "or any other military figure" will ever be jailed for crimes committed during the dictatorship. The general's supporters maintain that efforts to prevent Pinochet from taking his Senate seat -- "a deliberate plot by left-wing conspirators" -- would "throw the country into a constitutional crisis." Familiar rhetoric. Predictions of doom by military men have always assured them a place in Latin American politics. Old soldiers do not die; they reinvent themselves. With any luck, they keep their hands in the cookie jar and claim executive privilege. A nation that cannot or will not subordinate its military to civilian control and hold its officers accountable to the same norms and principles expected of its citizens is a nation that will forever teeter between stagnation and chaos. For nations like Honduras, whose military -- dormant for now but not fully subdued -- insist that they alone are the stewards of democracy, the stakes are enormous. A point to ponder by the new administration. W. E. Gutman is a Connecticut-based investigative journalist and a frequent contributor to Honduras This Week. |
HTW GOOD SOURCE OF INFO Dear Editor: It saddened me to hear of Joe Dyer's experience with the ferry out of Texas, but it is good that HTW is available to serve as a source of information for others with an interest in what happens in or connected with Honduras. I have enjoyed your articles on legal and immigration issues. I have also liked the articles that makes it possible for me to gauge the value of services and have an impression about wage levels. Thanks. Adolf Hemmans ERRORS ABOUT TRUJILLO Dear Editor: The first mass in the New World was not said in Trujillo, but rather sometime during the first voyage of Christopher Columbus in 1492-1493. The first mass on the "mainland" of the Americas, rather than one of the islands of the Caribbean, was in Trujillo Bay, August 14, 1502. Mr. Clymire is correct in stating that Christopher Columbus did not attend that mass, being sick and staying in his quarters, but his son was not in charge. At the time his son was only a boy, and it was Columbus' brother who was, in fact, in charge of the festivities. Also, William Henry Porter, better known by his pen name of O.Henry, did not write "Cabbages and Kings" in Trujillo. Porter was not yet a writer when he came to Trujillo in 1895, fleeing charges of embezzlement in Austin, Texas. He would not write "Cabbages and Kings" until after he spent several years in a federal prison in the state of Ohio. Trujillo did, however, serve as the model for the city of Coralio in his book. These were just a few minor errors about Trujillo that I have continued to come across in many sources during my research, and I just wanted to make these small corrections. I look forward to future articles by Mr. Clymire, who should be commended for his excellent writing to promote the many attractions of Honduras. Taylor E. Mack, Ph.D.
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During the early 80s, university graffiti went beyond slogans and
"Che" quotes to include elaborate paintings that could almost be considered
works of art. Photo by Eric Schwimmer
Members
of UNAH's physics department provide details and explanations of the eclipse to students.
