Open letter from Jorge Varela, Honduran Enviromental Activist

COUP D’ETAT DISGUISED AS “SUCCESSION”

Jorge Varela Márquez / International Goldman Prize 1999

A glimmer of hope for redeeming the extremely poor and humble people of Honduras is dying out. I write from a strictly personal view and assuming responsibility for my opinion on what has happened in Honduras. First some history:

The constitution of a country is a document prepared by members of congress to regulate the life of a people. It is something that is considered sacred and afforded the utmost respect, protection and obedience on the part of all citizens. But this noble document has been tarnished by those same Congress members who developed it, leading one of them to say "the Constitution is pure babosada (babosada = silly, stupid ...)” and another: "The constitution can be violated as often as necessary." And in keeping with these statements, a few groups who have enriched themselves by applying bits and pieces of rhetoric to their own convenience, have seized the country's political and government system for their own benefit.

Groups of businessmen and bourgeoisie govern the actions of the two traditional powerful political parties of the country. These groups name, finance or facilitate the ascension of their cronies into Congress, who once established act under the dictates of business interests serving as their sources of power. Using this Congress, they introduce laws, decrees, agreements, treaties, contracts ... and block any provision that goes against their own interests. Also significantly, they appoint the members of the Supreme Court and the Attorney General's Office, and the National Commissioner for Human Rights. If these appointees wish to remain in office, they need to be in good terms with Congress and of course to tacitly submit to those groups in power. In addition, these "factual" groups as the president, now out of power, Don Manuel Zelaya calls them, have lawyers who "advise" the Armed Forces exerting a conservative influence over them, to the extent that most or almost all the coups d'etat that have occurred in Honduras, have been initiated or encouraged by those power groups operating in the shadows. What is worse, these groups have realized that there is a "fourth estate" and have also taken over the mainstream media, thus keeping the population under a strict and daily indoctrination against any opinion that could damage the status quo, hence the systematic criminalization of any person or idea that questions the current system.

And that was the mortal sin of President Zelaya, against whom all the infrastructure referred to above has been launched with all the fury of a wounded hyena. Zelaya wanted a "public consultation" aimed at asking the people if they agree with the current Constitution. Such consultation was attacked from the start by the groups in power, who with surprising speed convinced the Attorney General, the Supreme Court, The National Commissioner of Human Rights, the Voting Comission (formed by the main political parties), the National Congress and others to declare the initiative illegal, although it was not binding, ie it was only a poll of public opinion.

It was at this moment that many of us decided to exercise our right to say whether or not we agree with the constitutional change. We had not done so before because the poll was non-binding so we felt it unnecessary to invest much time and thought in this discussion. As things were, the media did not believe in the President’s campaign, although it was supported by grassroot groups. But when we realized that powerful groups along with the church were launching a furious attack against an administration that had rebelled against them, we decided to voluntarily and freely give our opinion on the "consultation." But the Armed Forces, under pressure from the "factual" groups, by the power structure under them, and by the intense media campaign aimed at derailing the President, prevented the exercise of the constitutional right of the people to be consulted, and with the force of the weapons that the people themselves have given them, carried out an unequivocal "coup d’etat" and not a shameless "succession" based on a false letter of resignation attributed to President Zelaya.

Now, why the terror of those groups to the above consultation? ... Maybe because some members of congress could be found responsible of passing unconstitutional laws such as the Mining Act to name a case? Perhaps because from the presidency of Congress they have attacked fundamental constitutional articles that today they defend with their lives such as art. 107 to name one case? Perhaps from that position they have defended a corrupt Attoney General’s Office accused of corruption by its own attorneys? Perhaps because they have coerced the Supreme Court to "interpret" the "constitution" in their favor, such as the prohibition that the President of Congress (Micheletti, who was overwhelmingly punished by voters in primary elections) or a Vice President of the Republic (Elvin Santos) run for president?...

Why are they terrified of public consultation? ... Perhaps because the degree of disgrace they have brought to the Constitution and the institutions they now claim to defend makes them vulnerable to a genuine popular consultation, and exposes them to a true change from the "representative power " of themselves, their families and lackeys, to the participative power of organized groups of civil society who have seen dashed their hopes to participate in state institutions that decide the destinies of the people?

While at other times we have defended the Constitution in the streets and in those times we have succeeded, the groups in power have always cleverly turned things in their favor. In the face of that reality, I have felt old and have stayed away from those types of actions. But even at the expense of my well-being and personal safety and that of my family and friends, even knowing that I expose myself to personal vilification false and induced, today I’m sending my personal public protest to the world for an act so vile and despicable perpetrated against the people by the groups in power and the bourgeoisie. Today, they subjugate us using the traditional instruments of domination. Today I join in solidarity with my Honduran brothers and sisters who expose their lives in protest because a glimmer of hope is dying out.