The political situation in Honduras has been weighing heavily on our minds. the world's governments seem to be working on very different information than we have through our sources in Honduras. Recently the US appears to be softening their stance and perhaps taking the first steps to reducing it. In any event, here are three posts from the director of the Episcopal school for homeless children in Tegucigalpa. They paint a quite different picture from what we get through the newscasts in Canada.
From Rev. Rich Kunz
Executive Director, El Hogar Ministries, Honduras
3 August 2009
Those following the news in Honduras already know that the situation here is not resolved yet. Zelaya had put out a call to supporters to gather in Nicaragua to form a "peaceful militia" to escort him back to power. Several hundred folks answered that call, most of them poor farmers. They are doing exercises and learning to march, living on very little food and with scant shelter. These are people who believe that Zelaya is committed to helping the poor, and have made great sacrifices to join him. They have no weapons, and are a far cry from the well armed revolutionary groups that are still present in places like Columbia.
Zelaya, meanwhile, is no longer staying with them. He is back in Managua, preparing for a trip to Mexico this week.
Demonstrations continued on a daily basis last week, with one of them devolving into violence. Quite a few people sustained injuries, and one man, a teacher, was shot and eventually died. Once again, there is argument about how he was shot. The army claimed to be using rubber bullets, and this death was from a "real" one. On his way home from that teacher's funeral, another teacher was stabbed to death. This appears to be have been done by the gangs, however. The police now have a representative who is meeting with the demonstrators to come to agreement about the nature of the protests in order to prevent further violence from occurring. The government has announced it will no longer tolerate vandalism or the prolonged blocking of roadways. The demonstrators, many of whom are from one of the teachers' unions, have announced two protest walks. One group will start in San Pedro Sula, and one in Tegucigalpa. Each group will walk to the opposite city, a trip that will probably take at least five days. They have promised to walk on the side of the road, and not down the main roadway.
The U.S. suspended the diplomatic visas of four government leaders, and Spain has announced that it will not recognize the government that results from the November elections, since the elections are being held by an illegitimate government. A lot of foreign aid has been canceled, and the road blocks and the dearth of international visitors have left the country more impoverished than ever.
The present President has asked Arias to send a representative to Honduras to listen to the different groups here, including church officials, business people, human rights activists, etc., so that a more informed solution to the crisis can be found.
Quite a few people are coming to the conclusion that no matter what happens, it will be a tough six months for Honduras. No one believes that Zelaya is pushing so hard to return just to serve out the last few months of a lame duck presidency. They believe if he returns, no matter what he signs, he will continue to push hard for constitutional changes and closer relations with Chavez, and that he will use the groups that are demonstrating now to pressure the country into going along with those things. On the other hand, if he does not return, the diplomatic and economic sanctions that have already begun will just get worse.
There is lots more, of course, but I write this to give you a general idea of the background in which we are operating. It is also important to say that often it feels like things are totally normal. The level of protest activity has fallen considerably, and most Hondurans are just trying to go about their lives. Last night Barbra and I went out for our Sunday evening ice cream at the Baskin Robbins across from the Presidential Palace. The place was crowded with families and couples. There were a few soldiers patrolling across the street, but even that close to the center of government, things seemed pretty routine.
>>>>>>>>> (Information on life at the school omitted)
So, we begin another week, hopeful that a peaceful and just solution can be found to the current crisis, and thankful for all God's blessings on us in the midst of it! Please keep up your prayers!
July 29, 2009
The focus of the political crisis in Honduras has really shifted away from Tegucigalpa for the time being. Zelaya has set up a kind of headquarters in a little mountain town in Nicaragua, close to the border, and says he is gathering supporters for his next step. The towns in the department of El Paraiso are feeling the impact of this, laboring under a curfew that some days has amounted to a type of house arrest. There are stories about people hiking through the woods to join Zelaya, and sleeping with little food or shelter on both sides of the border. Depending on the sources, there are either thousands, or about three hundred, of these supporters.
Here in the city things are settling into a routine. Every day a group, largely composed of the teachers who have still not returned to their classrooms, forms and then marches to a designated point in the city. Yesterday it was Mall Multiplaza. The marches have been largely peaceful, although every day some tires get burned, and the demonstrators leave behind buildings defaced with graffiti.
I had a blessedly normal day yesterday. I was able to drive out to the Institute without any incident, and saw that classes were functioning very nicely. There were two women from an agency that offers technical assistance to schools, and I got to meet them and hear about some of the curriculum materials they had available. (They were very impressed, BTW, with our Institute!) At El Hogar things were bubbling along very nicely, with the children all in their classes. I did not get to the farm yesterday, but I am hoping to visit there tomorrow. They are far enough outside the town of Talanga that they have had very little disruption during this past month.
Politically there is a lot going on behind the scenes. The congress and the supreme court are looking carefully at the agreement proposed by Arias. An investigation is underway to determine the meaning of the mysterious list of organizers and dollar amounts, along with the signed receipts. The US has revoked the diplomatic passports of four prominent government officials. (Apparently their tourist visas are still valid.) Zelaya's wife, having passed on the offer the military made to fly her to her husband, is still trying to journey across the border. The economic costs of road blockages and canceled aid and closed borders are being tallied. Restaurants, taxis, hotels, and shops are all feeling financial strain.
But Hondurans are very resilient, and are doing their best to carry on with life as normal.
Once again, I am grateful to our dedicated staff, who have managed to hold normal classes at all three centers almost every day. When I compare that with the prolonged closure of the public schools, I am doubly grateful to our staff, who see this not as just a job, but as a ministry in which they share. Please continue to hold us in your prayers, and pray for a just and peaceful resolution to this crisis.
22 July, 2009
At our staff meeting yesterday, the directors were joking that last week there were only three educational institutions open in all of Honduras; El Hogar, St. Mary's Institute, and the Agricultural School. It is not so far from the truth. The teachers' unions here in Honduras have devoted themselves in the past few weeks to demonstrating on behalf of the deposed president, and have provided much of the person-power for those demonstrations. Many people here feel that it is one thing to strike for better pay or educational conditions, but a very different thing to strike in order to press a political position. They feel that the children and young people of Honduras have been used as pawns in a political power struggle. Our teachers have shown their dedication and resourcefulness in the last few weeks, consistently showing up and providing an education for our students. I have talked with some of them, and their political opinions cover the full range, but whatever their individual views, they are following through on their commitment to our children and young people.
This week, for the first time, we are suspending some classes. The Institute is located off of one of the main roads in Honduras, and that road has been shut down repeatedly by demonstrators. Those organizing for the return of Zelaya have announced a general strike and a shutdown of the country for Thursday and Friday this week. We decided together that we do not want to put either teachers or young people at risk by trying to get them to the Institute those days. This afternoon, when classes have finished, those students who live close by will go to their homes for the weekend. Those who live far away will stay at the Institute with a skeleton staff. A few who have nowhere to go will come and stay at El Hogar. At El Hogar, the teachers that need to travel are being invited to temporarily move into the volunteer house, so they do not have to be out on the streets. Classes there will continue as normal. We are still in discussion about the best course for the Agricultural School. They are more isolated, and the teachers stay there anyway, so it is not as much of an issue. But we do not want anyone having to travel during this time.
It is hard to say what the next few days will bring. The general strike and shut down which has been announced is of concern. I have heard from a few people to avoid going out on the streets during such a strike, as the potential for violence is real. This is especially so if, in fact, outside agitators have been brought in to provoke confrontations. So far, the military and police have been remarkable restrained in their responses to protests. I have seen them circulating through the crowds, greeting people, smiling, and enjoying snacks they bought from the local vendors. One thing that Hondurans are clear about is the right to peaceful protest, and this present government, although under great pressure from within and without, has pledged to preserve that right. (This is in contrast to what Zelaya continues to tell the world - that there s currently a repressive bloodbath going on in Honduras.)
There are conflicting reports about whether negotiations are on or off, whether Zelaya is returning today or Friday or once there is a settlement, and about almost everything else. Lots of posturing is taking place by both sides. I think the one certainty is that there is a lot of talking going on behind the scenes. Late last night the current government approved a budget (something never produced by Zelaya), which I take as a good sign. I think Zelaya will be eventually returned to office, but under constraints, such as having to conform to the budget which has been approved.
Zelaya continues to indulge in colorful rants. He claimed yesterday that he would return today, by a route he would not divulge. He said, "Only God can stop me now, and he will not, because He is not on the side of the coup mongers! God is on my side, and my return will be spectacular!" He is also claiming that the full sized statue of himself, and the twice-life-sized oil portrait, were not his doing, but were gifts. There was an interview with the artist who did both, who affirmed that Zelaya was, in fact, the one who commissioned both works, but that he still owed money on both.
Humor is starting to catch up with this situation. One email is a proposed farewell tribute, thanking Zelaya for what he has accomplished. It mentions, among other things, that before him most Hondurans had never read the Constitution, and now they have. It also thanks him for bringing together, for the first time, the Roman Catholic and Evangelical churches, who put out a joint statement in opposition to his policies.
After our staff meeting we stopped by some of the El Hogar classes. The Prep students were working on learning mechanical drawing as a way to teach angles. Jose Arturo had his English class learning to tell time. Another teacher had her spelling classes out on the sidewalk, divided into teams, writing the words she called out with sidewalk chalk. Also, yesterday was the birthday of Dona Tona, who has been the cook at El Hogar for 30 years. We took her out for some good Chinese food.
Please cherish, and do not take for granted, the peace you enjoy in the US and Canada! And keep us in your prayers.
July 20, 2009
No villain need be. Passions spin the plot,
We are betrayed by what is false within.
George Meredith
As we enter the fourth week of the political struggle here in Honduras, there is still no resolution in sight. The weaknesses and oversights and self-interest of all sides are becoming more obvious as time goes on. The present government, of course, was wrong to simply remove the president by force in such a theatrical way, without affording him due process. This method of confronting his illegal actions cost them the support of the world community. The Organization of American States and other world bodies were wrong to cast this as just another military coup, and demand Zelaya's unconditional restitution, as if he could simply step back into office as if nothing had happened, and as if Zelaya held no responsibility for the actions leading up to his ouster. Their stances had less to do with the welfare of Honduras than with their own political fortunes. Much better if, at the beginning, there could have been a more measured response, calling both sides to account for their violations of due process.
You have probably read that the talks broke down yesterday with no agreement reached. Arias had presented a proposal. Apparently some good discussion came out of this, but without an agreement being reached. Zelaya's side claimed that he agreed to the proposal, although in a news conference he himself rejected two key conditions:
that he form a "reconciliation" government made of participants from all sides, and that he desist from trying to change the constitution. The present government has rejected Zelaya's return to power with amnesty for all political crimes committed. They want him either out of power, or willing to be put on trial for what he has done. They also want any agreement to go through both the supreme court and the congress, since what is at stake is the constitution. They argue that an extra-constitutional process is not the answer to a constitutional crisis.
Arias has asked for three days to meet with the present government's delegation, and hopes to restart bilateral talks on Wednesday. Zelaya's delegation has declared that the talks are over, and that he is planning his return to Honduras regardless.
His supporters in Honduras are meeting today to plan their strategy for the week. Their announced intent is to block roadways, paralyze commerce, and "shut down" the country on Thursday and Friday.
Meanwhile, investigations continue to uncover misuse of funds, etc. by Zelaya's government. I must admit that in a country where one out of four children is suffering from malnutrition, and the hospital has not been able to pay its electric bill, it breaks my heart when I read of the millions of dollars spent illegally. I have a huge pothole in front of my building (David Letterman jokes about a pothole so big it has its own convenience store.) which has grown in size and depth for months. (The neighbors have piled large, brightly covered objects in it to warn oncoming motorists! I recently found out that also in my neighborhood there was a phone center set up to push the illegal referendum. This operated for over a year with government monies supplies illegally, and had fifteen full time employees making calls. A tiny fraction of that money could have bought some asphalt to fill our pothole.
Perhaps the funniest thing to be uncovered so far is the life-sized fiberglass statue of Zelaya that he himself commissioned to be set with four other similar statues of great Honduran heroes.
Although people are trying to live their lives as normally as possible, and there are times I have to shake myself to remind myself all this is real, the stress is wearing people down. The demand for psychiatric services has tripled since this began. This has been disruptive enough that business owners are suffering, and people are in turn losing their jobs or seeing decreases in their incomes. Parents are struggling to take care of children that would normally be in school. (That includes the El Hogar staff, many of whom have children in the public school system.)
Our classes have been disrupted because teachers cannot get to their jobs. Our volunteer program, which provides relationships for our children and teachers, valuable person-power, potential new sponsors, and financial support, is on hold. We are eager for a resolution, but live with anxiety because it is so close to turning violent.
So, each day we set out to do as much as we can on that day. Young Cristian, who had surgery just a week ago, is back in class, looking very hardy and healthy. On Saturday, I stopped and saw some of our students helping some of their elders to learn to read as part of our adult literacy program. Other children were playing soccer, or launching homemade parachutes made of plastic bags with sticks tied to them. Others were listening to an impromptu guitar concert by one of our teachers. Some of the children were able to go out to a park yesterday, since demonstrations were on hold for a day.
I ask your continued prayers for us in the week ahead.
Rev. Rich Kunz, Executive Director, Honduras
