TUESDAY, JULY 05, 2011
Nicaragua News Bulletin (July 5, 2011)
1. Catholics fast for “wisdom”2. Managua councilman fined for slander
3. Leon Cathedral declared World Heritage Site
4. Chavez' illness provokes concern
5. Highways blocked by protesters
6. HIV positive Nicaraguans demand new law
7. Remittances from Costa Rica reduce extreme poverty
1. Catholics fast for “wisdom”
At 6:00am on Thursday, June 30, Catholic churches throughout Nicaragua rang their bells calling the faithful to what the Church had named the Day of National Fasting for Peace in Nicaragua. Rene Sandigo, Bishop of Chontales and Rio San Juan, said that the Church was calling for a fast “so that the faithful can receive from God the wisdom to discern the correct path for themselves and for society.” He went on to say, “We know very well that the country is living through moments when it needs illumination and we believe that it is good to have recourse to this instrument [the fast] in order to receive this light from God.”
Granada Bishop Jorge Solorzano said that the fast was from 6:00am to 6:00pm and “We are fasting to ask the Lord for the wisdom to know whom to choose in the elections.” He added, “The Bible says that there are certain demons that can only cast out by fasting and prayer and certain evils that are only defeated by fasting and prayer.” Retired Bishop Bernardo Hombach, noting that fasting was a Christian tradition, said, “One of the problems [of Nicaragua] is that institutions are not functioning, above all those that guarantee justice in this country.” He added, “I am not referring to any political party or anything like that but what the country needs is for us to pray for peace and justice, without partisanship.” (La Prensa, June 30; El Nuevo Diario, July 2)
2. Managua councilman fined for slander
On June 27, criminal court Judge Ernesto Rodriguez fined Managua city councilman Luciano Garcia of the Constitutional Liberal Party (PLC) the equivalent of US$36,363 for slander and libel against Fidel Moreno, general secretary of the city of Managua and a Sandinista. Two months ago, Garcia publically accused Moreno of signing 31 checks for a total of almost US$160,000 that Garcia said were for fraudulent ends. Moreno countered by filing suit for slander. Judge Rodriguez said, “I consider this a grave matter since he [Garcia] damaged Fidel Moreno legally and [also] damaged his honor.” Along with the fine, the judge ordered Garcia to publish a retraction in the same newspaper where his accusations against Moreno appeared. Garcia said that his accusations were not proved false and protested the amount of the fine, noting that he only earns US$34,909 per year. The following day, Judge Rodriguez said that he had made an error in calculating the fine and lowered it by almost half to US$19,632.
Reactions were not slow in coming. National Assembly Deputy Agustin Jarquin, representing a party allied with the governing Sandinista Party, told the TV program 100% News that the judge had gone too far and said that Garcia could appeal his ruling. He said that a public figure would always be open to accusations and should not file suit against everybody who criticized him.
Liberal National Assembly Deputy Jose Pallais said that he would introduce a legislative decree giving amnesty to all those accused of slander and libel, including Garcia and another PLC city councilman Leonel Teller. However, Garcia said that he was not interested in amnesty, which analysts noted is usually used to help end a military conflict. Some groups around Managua began collecting money to help Garcia pay the fine.
Moreno, in turn, defended himself saying, “I have never heard a proposal from either of these gentlemen about the environment, about garbage, about streets, about public transportation; what I have heard from them is vulgarities and lies, and that is what has to end.” (El Nuevo Diario, June 28, 30, July 2)
3. Leon Cathedral declared World Heritage Site
The Leon Cathedral, built between 1747 and 1814, was added to the list of World Heritage Sites by the United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization (UNESCO) on June 28. UNESCO said that Cathedral “expresses the transition from Baroque to Neoclassical architecture,” adding that it is “characterized by the sobriety of its interior decoration and the abundance of natural light.” The church was designed by Guatemalan architect Diego Jose de Porres Esquivel. The World Heritage committee, with members from 21 countries, met in Paris between the 19th and 29th of June in Paris to decide which sites to add to the already existing 911 World Heritage sites around the world.
Vilma de la Rocha, director of the Nicaraguan Institute of Culture, said that for Nicaragua the recognition was very important and marked “a high point in the nation's cultural history.” She noted that the Cathedral is the largest in Central America and is the burial place of poet Ruben Dario, known as the “prince of Castilian letters” and the father of the literary movement known as modernismo. Also buried in the Cathedral are poets Alfonso Cortes and Salomon de la Selva, composer Jose de la Cruz Mena, and independence hero Miguel Larreynaga. Rocha said that an application for the Leon Cathedral to be considered as a World Heritage Site had been submitted in 2006. She stated that Nicaraguan authorities must now work to guarantee the conservation of the site.
Leon Bishop Bosco Vivas declared July 24 to 31 as a week of celebration of the new declaration and called for cultural and religious activities to mark the achievement. He stated that the inclusion today of the Cathedral in the list of World Heritage Sites is only possible because of the work of the indigenous of the Leon region who labored for 113 years to build the church.
Roger Gurdian, president of the National Autonomous University, said, “Although the architecture of the Cathedral has a great deal of Spanish influence, indigenous and Creole hands built it. This reveals the mixture of the two races and represents for Central America the biggest and most significant temple built in the tropics.” He explained that Leon was the first Catholic diocese of Central America and included Costa Rica, Honduras and El Salvador as well as Nicaragua.
Leon Mayor Manuel Calderon said, “This means that we have to accelerate investment in maintaining the basilica. This year we will bury the electric wires of the central park and the Cathedral. We have a budget for that from INTUR [the Nicaraguan Tourism Institute].” (El Nuevo Diario, June 28; Radio La Primerisima, June 28, 29; La Prensa, June 29)
4. Chavez' illness provokes concern
Nicaraguans expressed concern at the announcement by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez that he had had two operations that included the removal of a cancerous tumor. The daily newspaper La Prensa said “Dependence on Venezuelan aid could cause problems for the economy of Nicaragua if President Hugo Chavez were to lose power…. The uncertainty about whether Chavez will recover and if he will run in the 2012 elections has extended to Nicaragua.” Liberal National Assembly Deputy Oscar Moncada added with hyperbole, “This is the beginning of the end!” However, dissident Sandinista Deputy Monica Baltodano said that there would be no immediate effect because there were signed agreements between the two countries. She added that next year could, however, be different.
President Daniel Ortega sent a message to Chavez wishing him a prompt recovery. The message said, “Knowing well your commitment to service, your generosity, your life dedicated to building prosperity and happiness in this world, we do not doubt that the God of fraternity, of justice and of peace will secure for you this victory. In this July of the celebration of the Bicentennial [of Venezuela's independence], and with the commemoration of a heroic Venezuela, in Nicaragua we join you and your people in prayers and affection with full confidence in the restorative power of faith and love which you so greatly merit.”
Rosario Murillo, First Lady and Coordinator of the Communications and Citizenship Council, said that Chavez replied with a telephone call in which he thanked Ortega for his wishes and asked about the progress of the projects funded by the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (ALBA). (La Prensa, July 2; Radio La Primerisima, July 1; El Nuevo Diario, July 2)
5. Highways blocked by protesters
Protesters belonging to the Movement of the North, known as the “Won't Pay” Movement, blocked the highway from Rio Blanco to Matagalpa last week and on Sunday, July 3, threatened to block three points on the Pan American Highway if their demands for renegotiation of their debts to the microfinance credit institutions were not met. The leader of the movement, Omar Vilchez, said that 5,000 members of his organization were ready to stop traffic at key junctions at Somoto, San Isidro, and San Benito. Other demands of the movement include suspension by the Supreme Court of the evictions of 2,500 families whose properties have been foreclosed but who still live on them. Vilchez said that 13,578 families owe US$35 million dollars of overdue debt to the Nicaraguan banking system. He accused the microfinance institutions of usury because of the high interest rates charged. The protestors were set to meet with high level representatives of the financial system on July 1 in Rio Blanco, but the representatives never arrived.
There were encounters between protestors and truckers and bus drivers who were angry at the stoppage, with at least one argument leading to violence. Two drivers were detained. The police, in the main, prevented violence, but did nothing to remove the road blocks, saying they did not have orders to do so.
In June, the National Assembly passed a law regulating the microfinance industry. The legislation, to regulate the activities of institutions that together handle a total of more than US$200 million per year in Nicaragua, prohibited the charging of commissions and other additional fees as well as the capitalization of interest except after an agreement with the borrower based on a restructuring of the loan. The law did not, however, regulate interest rates. (Radio La Primerisima, July 3; La Prensa, July 3; El Nuevo Diario, July 2)
6. HIV positive Nicaraguans demand new law
Representatives from the Nicaraguan Association for HIV Positive Persons (ANICP+VIDA) are demanding that National Assembly representatives put reform of Law 238 back on the agenda. The amendments would protect the rights of people with HIV and have been in the Assembly's pipeline for over a year and a half. The reform originally received the support and interest from a number of legislators. It has now lost their attention, but AIDS activists say that the law as currently stands is outdated and needs to be changed. They promised marches and demonstrations to pressure National Assembly deputies.
In related news, authorities from the Ministry of Health, the Nicaraguan AIDS Commission (CONSIDA), UNICEF and organizations of people with HIV held a forum with children and adolescents to learn about their perceptions of the epidemic and see what solutions they suggest for the problem of discrimination against persons with HIV/AIDS. The Ministry of Health is also working with other governmental ministries and programs to combat discrimination through raising awareness and increasing knowledge about HIV/AIDS. According to CONISIDA president Enrique Beteta, in 2010 there were some 65 children suffering from the virus in Nicaragua, all of whom had been guaranteed free anti-viral medication by the government. (Radio La Primerisima, July 1)
7. Remittances from Costa Rica reduce extreme poverty
According to a study by the Academy of Central America, of the 237,000 Nicaraguans over the age of 18 living in the Costa Rica, only 45% send money home. They send an average of $134 monthly. Still, despite the fact that the amount of money entering the country is not huge, researchers say that the small remittances that are sent home help to mitigate extreme poverty in Nicaragua. In 2010, the remittances (which represent $163 million dollars) reduced extreme poverty in Nicaragua by 20% and moderate poverty by 17%, according to the study, which was financed by the Inter-American Development Bank, the International Organization for Migration, and Spain. Most of the money sent to family members from Costa Rica is spent on covering food, education and health costs. The study also found that the greatest dollar value in remittances sent to Nicaragua comes from the US. But, unlike the remittances coming from Costa Rica, most of the remittances coming from the US do not reach families that are in poverty, and are instead destined for wealthy or middle class families. (El Nuevo Diario, July 2; Radio La Primerisima July 1)
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