TUESDAY, APRIL 13, 2010
Nicaragua News Bulletin (April 13, 2010)
1. Central America: meetings and cancellations2. European Union invited to send observers for presidential elections of 2011
3. Appointments: new levels of acrimony
4. Ruth Herrera resigns from ENACAL
5. U.S. accepts removal of some claimants from list of property claims
6. Maternal deaths decrease by 25%, but work remains
7. Ben Linder's dream has transformed life in region surrounding El Cua
8. Punta Huete airport revived
1. Central America: meetings and cancellations
Beginning a series of meetings and aborted meetings which had observers scratching their heads, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega met with Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom on Apr. 8 and Honduran President Porfirio Lobo on Apr. 9. But a meeting between Ortega, Colom and Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes in Guatemala City to discuss the revival of the Central American Integration System (SICA) was cancelled when Funes said he could not attend. Meanwhile, a meeting of parties of the left from Central America and the Caribbean held in Managua condemned the human rights violations of the Lobo government of Honduras. And Central Americans reported having second thoughts about negotiations of an Association Accord between their countries and the European Union which resumed after Honduras rejoined the talks.
The Nicaraguan government said that the meeting with Colom was “to prepare the best climate possible for the reestablishment of harmonious relations in the whole Central American area” under the umbrella of the SICA after that unity was broken with the June 28, 2009, coup in Honduras. Porfirio Lobo was elected president of Honduras in elections held in Nov. 2009 but his government is not recognized by many nations, including Nicaragua. The other Central American nations have recognized the Lobo government, however.
Ortega met with Lobo the next day in Managua and afterward said, “We need to take up again the reactivation of [SICA] with an eye to strengthening the unity of the Central American region.” The two signed an agreement to reactivate a bilateral commission on fishing and other questions in the Gulf of Fonseca which the two countries share with El Salvador. Most media outlets considered the meeting and the signing of an agreement between the two nations as an “unofficial recognition” by Nicaragua of Lobo's government.
However, the meeting between Colom, Ortega and Funes in Guatemala to discuss the reactivation of SICA was postponed when Secretary of Communication of the Presidency of El Salvador Ronaldo Robles said that President Funes had scheduling problems. According to the Guatemalan government, the Salvadoran president was held up by “health problems.” The meeting had been organized by President Colom of Guatemala.
On April 10 the Encounter of Parties of the Left and Social Movements of Central America and the Caribbean met in Managua. Among those attending were the hosting Sandinista Party of Nicaragua, the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) of El Salvador, the Workers' Party of Mexico, the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity (URNG), the National Popular Resistance Front of Honduras, the Broad Front of Costa Rica, the Communist Party of Cuba, and the Hostos National Independence Movement of Puerto Rico. The final declaration of the meeting stated, “We recognize the National Popular Resistance Front as our principal reference point for democracy and social justice in the sister Republic of Honduras and commit ourselves … to the international campaign in support of the convoking of a Constituent Assembly to return constitutional order to that country.”
Meanwhile, negotiations continued on an Association Accord between Central America and the European Union with the EU wanting an agreement ready to sign on May 18 in Madrid on the occasion of the EU-Latin American/Caribbean Summit. However, some Central American governments are leaning toward a postponement. The Nicaraguan Chamber of Commerce (CACONIC) on Apr. 8 said that the accord should not be signed if the Europeans do not improve their offer of access for important Central American products. And non-governmental organizations demanded a suspension of the talks. The Mesoamerican Initiative for Trade, Integration and Sustainable Development (CID Initiative) released a declaration saying that the talks favored European interests and they should be suspended. The Another World is Possible Nicaraguan Social Movement announced a march for April 16 that would present a declaration to the EU representative in Managua and to President Ortega opposing the accord because of its negative impact on “the human rights of our peoples.” (Radio La Primerisima, Apr. 7, 8, 9, 12; La Prensa, Apr. 9, 10; Tortillaconsal.com, Apr. 11)
2. European Union invited to send observers for presidential elections of 2011
The government of Nicaragua has formally invited the European Union to send observers to the November 2011 general elections for president and members of the National Assembly. Mendel Goldstein, EU representative for Central America, said that the EU would send at least 100 observers who would arrive in Nicaragua two weeks before the elections. In what Radio La Primerisima called “a clear interference in [Nicaragua's] internal affairs” Goldstein also said that for future elections to be considered free and fair, “clearly there need to be different magistrates on the Supreme Electoral Council.” The EU suspended budgetary support funds for the Nicaraguan government when fraud was alleged after the municipal elections of 2008. Goldstein said that the EU was close to making a decision whether this useful funding, which can be used to support any part of a nation's budget, will be renewed. He said, “I think that in May or June we, including the EU, The Netherlands, Finland, Switzerland, and Germany will have to decide what to do with this assistance.” (Radio La Primerisima, Apr. 8; El Nuevo Diario, Apr. 8; La Prensa, Apr. 9)
3. Appointments: new levels of acrimony
In recent days the apparently endless process of appointing 25 high level officials (including magistrates of the Supreme Electoral Council, justices of the Supreme Court, and others) reached even higher decibels of argument and acrimony. Two weeks ago we reported that the Special Commission on Appointments of the National Assembly had completed its interviews of candidates for the posts of Human Rights Ombudsman and Comptrollers and recommended that Omar Cabezas be reappointed and were likely to recommend the reappointment of Comptrollers Luis Angel Montenegro and Guillermo Argüello Poessy. On Apr. 7, however, it was reported that there was movement in the Commission not to recommend the reappointment of any of them because they have remained in their posts after their terms had expired. And, on top of that, Ramiro Silva, chair of the Commission, said that he thought that the Constitutional Liberal Party (PLC) wanted to call again for nominations for all of the posts including the Supreme Electoral Council and begin the process all over again. Silva said that could mean it could go until the end of the year and could even mean that “the same officials would run the elections of 2011 and that would be very dangerous for the democracy of this country.” Carlos Langrand of the Nicaraguan Democratic Bench (BDN) said, “Those who talk of a second call for nominations are pushing for the chaos to become even more profound.”
Also on Apr. 7, the leadership of the National Assembly decided not to bring to debate by the full Assembly the bill which would declare null and void a January decree by President Daniel Ortega allowing officials to remain in office until their successors are named. The Sandinista members of the leadership were joined by a deputy from the Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance (ALN), Alejandro Ruiz. Ruiz then became the target of a frenzy in opposition circles where he was denounced as a traitor for collaborating with the Sandinistas.
National Assembly President Rene Nuñez announced that the continuation of officials in their posts until their successors were appointed was supported by Article 201 of the 1987 Constitution as amended in 1990. Auxiliadora Acosta, editor of the Legal Digest of the Assembly, said that, while the article from 1990 does not appear in the current published version of the Constitution, after a full search they could not find where it had been repealed or amended. Opposition figures said that the article referred to a very specific moment in time when elections dates were changed. They noted that that was why it was dropped from published versions of the Constitution and therefore, it was not legal to apply it to the current moment. (El Nuevo Diario, Apr. 7; Radio La Primerisima, Apr. 7; La Prensa, Apr. 9)
4. Ruth Herrera resigns from ENACAL
Consumer advocate Ruth Herrera on Apr. 8 resigned her post as president of the Nicaraguan Water and Sewer Company (ENACAL), a state company. At a press conference she said, “My decision is political. President [Daniel] Ortega understands that since last year I have been asking for a change. …. He has a high opinion of our work and he understands my reasons.” She went on to explain some of those reasons: “I take the decision at this moment to leave because I reject, I oppose the interventionism of Dr. Gustavo Porras with the corrupt unions which have been sacking and robbing. There are unions that are have a responsible attitude but there are some unions that feel supported by the position that Dr. Porras has had in the FNT [National Workers Front]…. This type of interference in the administration of ENACAL Ruth Selma Herrera Montoya will not accept.”
Herrera said that she would turn her office over to a transition commission with a report and in an orderly fashion, adding that she was sure that the President would name someone who would continue the “work that we have been doing.” She said that she would continue to fight corruption as she has for years and that the struggle did not depend on a government post.
Santos Martinez, an ENACAL union leader, said that the only thing that the union did was defend their rights in the face of repressive measures that Herrera applied throughout her administration. Leoncio Roque, leader of another ENACAL union, accused Herrera of nepotism and of covering up corruption within ENACAL administration. Omar Mercado of the same union said that Herrera was fired after a meeting to open a dialogue about a new collective bargaining agreement failed. Roger Barrantes, legal advisor of the Jose Benito Escobar Sandinista Workers Central (CST-JBE), said that documents showing corruption under Herrera's administration would be presented to the transition commission headed by Salvador Vanegas, an advisor to President Ortega. Minister of Labor Jeannette Chavez said that her office would function as a mediator between ENACAL and the unions. (Radio La Primerisima, Apr. 8; La Prensa, Apr. 9, 10)
5. U.S. accepts removal of some claimants from list of property claims
Attorney General Hernan Estrada said that the United States government has accepted the removal of 12 people from the list of U.S. citizens claiming compensation for property lost under the Sandinista Revolution in the 1980s. Estrada said, “We have achieved the elimination from the list [of these people], something that hadn't happened before; it was a case of people who shouldn't have been on the lists, among them people who put in their names just because they had been naturalized U.S. citizens and they wanted to be compensated.” Estrada credited the effective work of a Bilateral Commission composed of Nicaraguan and U.S. officials. “We are purging the lists,” he said, adding that basic criteria are used including the legitimacy of the claim, whether or not the person has been previously compensated, what the percentage of the person's interest might have been in the company in question and other factors.
Estrada said that the goal was to finish the list as soon as possible but he was not certain that this could be done in the term of this administration. “What is happening is that we are left with the most complicated, difficult cases where people are asking for compensation for nostalgic value or they have the support of a [U.S.] senator or representative, or have important influence here in this country; all this makes [these cases] more difficult,” he noted. He said that he had met with aides of members of the U.S. Congress who had given him tips on how to address some of the complicated cases. He also added that he felt that Nicaragua would again obtain the waiver indicating that progress had been made on the property issue so that aid from the U.S. could continue, as required by U.S. law. (El Nuevo Diario, Apr. 6)
6. Maternal deaths decrease by 25%, but work remains
Over the last three years, the maternal death rate has continuously decreased, from 107 maternal deaths in 2007 to 94 in 2008 and 90 in 2009, according to Nicaragua's Ministry of Health. MINSA released data indicating that for the first quarter of 2010 compared with the same quarter last year, deaths decreased 25%. The Ministry noted, however, that there remained much work to be done in improving maternal health throughout the nation.
The causes of maternal death continue to be the same, said Dr. Maribel Hernández, director of the Bertha Calderón Hospital, including post-birth hemorrhaging and obstructed births. But she emphasized that greater complications can be avoided by seeking medical attention, and by following doctors' hygiene and nutritional recommendations. Hernández explained further, "Responsibility for seeking active and ongoing care throughout the pregnancy does not solely fall on the mother. It is also her spouse's responsibility." Although the government has taken steps toward educating nurses, one of the primary causes for maternal death, especially in rural areas, is poor access to health services for pregnant women. In many cases, husbands have not permitted their wives to seek medical help due to a lack of male education on the topic and issues of machismo. This theme was covered in depth at the recently held First Forum on Maternal Health in Managua at UNAN. (La Prensa, Apr. 10; Radio La Primerísima, Apr. 10)
7. Ben Linder's dream has transformed life in region surrounding El Cua
Benjamin Linder, a 27-year old engineer from Portland, OR, was surveying water flows in preparation for building a mini hydroelectric project to bring electricity to the small, isolated community of El Cua, on April 28, 1987, when a US-funded contra force murdered him and his two Nicaraguan co-workers. Ben's dream has been carried forward over the years by friend and fellow engineer, Rebecca Leaf, founder of the Benjamin Linder Association of Rural Development Workers (ATDER-BL), and members of the community. The association continues to work in the region constructing small hydroelectric projects. In 2007 the government of President Daniel Ortega inaugurated a hydroelectric project in neighboring El Bote that is producing 900 kilowatts of electricity. ATDER-BL provides technical support and has helped organize residents to construct 58.3 kilometers of electric lines including digging post holes, making the poles, and stringing the wire.
Today the area is transformed. According to Mayor Raul Acevedo Lara, 20% of the 52,000 residents of El Cua, in the municipality of Bocay, now have light and electricity for other uses. Members of the communities, interviewed by El Nuevo Diario, repeatedly confirmed that their lives have been improved in a multitude of ways by the coming of electricity. Numerous small businesses have formed, family income is up, access to food is improved thanks to refrigeration, value is added to products produced in the area, schooling is not limited to daylight hours, communication with the capital is improved and information about government services such vaccination campaigns by the Health Ministry, and programs such as Zero Hunger is more widely accessible. Many homes now have televisions and even satellite dishes. Internet cafes have brought access to the world of information. Religious leaders, while happy about the improvements brought about by electricity also point out that it has brought taverns and slot machines as well.
Engineer Juan Enrique Morales remembered that, at the time of Linder's arrival, El Cua was a community of barely 30 homes. “Benjamin was an electrical engineer who appeared in the area with the desire to help the people,” he remembered. “He saw that there was no permanent light in El Cua and the communities, and he felt, understood, that that was everyone's dream.” The headstone of Linder's grave in the public cemetery of Matagalpa includes the inscription, “The light he lit will burn forever.” (El Nuevo Diario, Apr. 7, Apr. 8,)
8. Punta Huete airport revived
A project is nearing completion to refurbish and upgrade Punta Huete national airport, also known as “Panchito” airport. It is an aging airstrip in San Francisco Libre, on the North side of Lake Managua. The air strip was constructed during the 1980s for the military but never used during the war. Its only use in recent years has been by the military for helicopter flight training. Today work is proceeding to restore the overgrown runway and to upgrade the aging infrastructure in order to provide Managua with a second major civilian airport.
One of the major reasons to establish a new civilian airport for Managua is that the existing Augusto C. Sandino International Airport sits right on a seismic fault line. It was heavily damaged in the 1972 earthquake and overwhelmed in 1988 by Hurricane Mitch. Punta Huete, with its 3,000 meter long, 45 meter wide runway, will provide an alternative to Sandino airport in the event of a national emergency or overcrowding. (El Nuevo Diario, Apr. 11)
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