WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2010

Nicaragua News Bulletin (June 16, 2010)

1. US continues to intervene in Nicaraguan politics
2. Development projects take root throughout Nicaragua
3. Bishop says the Church should stay out of politics
4. Unprecedented indigenous land titling in the Caribbean
5. Former FSLN leaders call for "null ballot" in next year's presidential election
6. Mayor's dismissal roils political waters
7. Nicaragua among the least violent countries in Latin America

1. US continues to intervene in Nicaraguan politics

Although recently the country seems to have shown some restraint, the US continues to attempt to exert influence over the political future of Nicaragua through so-called civil society groups backed by Washington's funding, Alfredo G. Pierrat, Nicaragua correspondent for the Cuban news agency Prensa Latina wrote last week. While some aspects of US policy toward Nicaragua seem to be changing, there is little proof that the US will halt its traditional pestering of the Sandinista government. Indeed, some changes in policy may simply signify a change in strategy, Pierrat said.

While Ambassador Robert Callahan and State Department officials have maintained a surprisingly low public profile, what is apparent is the continuing proselytism directed at the roots of Nicaraguan society, with the goal of building a base to transform political thought and action into corporate-friendly US model of "democracy." The US is promoting this model through civil society groups in Nicaragua that receive their funding from the US National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and US Agency for International Development (USAID). For example, last June, 33 students graduated from a diplomacy and social leadership school organized by the Movement for Nicaragua (MpN). The MpN receives funding from the NED and has been critical of the Ortega administration. In 2006 an International Republican Institute (IRI) staff person bragged to a Nicaragua Network delegation that the IRI had "created" the MpN. The IRI is one of the core groups of the NED.

The National Democratic Institute (NDI), another NED core group, funds programs, "with the goal of avoiding the situation in which Nicaragua keeps paying the price for being governed by improvised leaders, who lack the necessary information to be guided by democratic practices," according to its own propaganda. For the next five years the NDI will focus on programs to help train the future leaders of Nicaragua, training that does not include FSLN youth. NDI will provide "technical support" for anti-Sandinista parties aimed at strengthening their ability to win elections. They also conduct a program which awards a degree in "Leadership and Policy Management" to develop young anti-Sandinista political leaders.

During the Organization of American States meeting June 15 in Peru, two members of Nicaraguan "civil society," including Maria Jose Zamora, president of the NED-funded Hagamos Democracia, called for OAS intervention in Nicaragua under the Inter-American Democratic Charter. Their appeal was rejected by OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza because there has not been a "rupture in democracy." He did cite a lack of "institutionality" and called for election observation by the OAS next year.

The recent nomination by US President Barack Obama of Mark Feierstein as the new USAID Deputy Assistant for Latin America and the Caribbean set off alarm bells in Nicaragua and throughout the hemisphere. Bolivian President Evo Morales threatened to expel USAID from his country if Feierstein is confirmed. "If USAID continues to work as they are now, I am not going to hesitate to expel them, because we are dignified and sovereign and we won't allow any interference," Morales said.

Feierstein is particularly controversial in Bolivia, because in 2002 he acted as a strategist in the electoral campaign of now former Bolivian President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada (aka "Goni"). "Goni" has taken political asylum in the US, with Feierstein's help, to avoid trial in Bolivia for the deaths of 60 people (during "Gas War" protests) for which he was forced to resign and flee the country. In Nicaragua, Feierstein is accused of running a dirty NED campaign during the 1980s to topple the Sandinistas; a campaign which succeeded in the 1990 election. He was later the director of the NDI's Latin America and Caribbean project to manipulate election results in favor of pro-US candidates. (Radio La Primerisima, June 8, 13; El Nuevo Diario, June 9; La Prensa, June 9)

2. Development projects take root throughout Nicaragua

With the help of the Sandinista government of President Daniel Ortega and civil society organizations, a variety of important development projects are taking place throughout Nicaragua. For example, the government has undertaken a project to improve the housing of poor families in Managua in the aftermath of the recent torrential downpours. In the latest phase, three homes have been completed and there are plans to complete 22 more by next week to meet the needs of some of the poorest families hit by the rains.

The Sandinista government, the mayor of Pantasma, and the Fund for Social Emergency Investment (FISE) worked together to bring potable water to the rural community of Pantasma, in the department of Jinotega. The project will benefit the town's 900 inhabitants. Bernilda Díaz, an area resident, said that she had started carrying water for her family at the age of 10. Now, finally at the age of 52, she is seeing her dream become reality. "Before, we sacrificed much, walking over half a mile each morning and afternoon with water on our heads...now we are happy because we have water in our homes," she said.

The Ernesto Che Guevara Medical Brigade of Cuba examined patients in the South Atlantic Autonomous Region (RAAS) at the Muelle de los Bueyes Hospital. They performed over 437,000 consultations and completed over 3,400 operations. They also assisted with a number of births and performed necessary caesarean sections. The Cuban medical staff worked alongside the Nicaraguans in their hospital, where clients are well-attended and did not have to pay for their treatment.

Thanks to a $12,000 investment by the International Rotary Club, San Benito will now have a health clinic to benefit its 5,000 people plus many others from the surrounding area. Rotary International also announced that soon it will begin construction of a health center in El Higueral. Moreover, six communities in the town of Santa Teresa will have new schools this year. The government is working with Architects Without Borders to rebuild and expand the schools. Currently, three schools are near completion. They hope to be able to inaugurate the schools by the middle of July.

The National Technological Institute of Agriculture (INTA) supplied 45,000 small farmers with high quality rice, beans, corn and sorghum seeds. This not only helps to guarantee that these families will harvest food for their own consumption, but also helps to insure Nicaraguan food security. Lastly, The Sandinista government, through the Institute of Rural Development (IDR) and working alongside a number of other organizations, is undertaking a plan to introduce micro-irrigation systems. The projects will incorporate some 28,000 small family farmers in 34 municipalities in 10 departments. (Radio La Primerísima June 9, 13; La Prensa, June 14)

3. Bishop says the Church should stay out of politics

Bishop of the Diocese of Granada Jorge Solorazano criticized religious leaders who meddle in political topics by speaking favorably of some parties. By his estimation, this results in damage to the population. He says that the government has an established role and the church has its role, which is to proselytize and send missions [into the rural areas] without giving opinions on the left or the right. "When we begin to confuse these roles it produces much damage. For this reason, as bishops and priests we need to complete our mission as it is."

Solorazano's comments come after criticism of President Daniel Ortega by Fr. Neguib Eslaquit of Dolores. They also follow the actions of Esteli Bishop Abelardo Mata, vice president of the Nicaragua Catholic Bishops Conference, who served as mediator and cheerleader between the Liberal party factions of Eduardo Montealegre and Arnoldo Aleman to try to unite them in opposition to the Sandinistas in the next presidential elections. However, Mata appears to have given up, discovering as have the past four US ambassadors, that Liberal Party unity is a will-of-the-wisp.

Bishop Solorazano also added, however, in reference to President Ortega's possible bid for reelection, "History is a teacher. We see what has happened with those that have been reelected in Nicaragua. Everyone knows it. It isn't necessary that I say it, and I don't want to appear as though I am against the government or anyone else. We just look at history, at who has been good and who has been bad." (La Prensa, June 12)

4. Unprecedented indigenous land titling in the Caribbean

On June 9, Attorney General Hernan Estrada stated that Nicaragua will comply with President Daniel Ortega's wishes and complete the titling of indigenous communal land on the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua by the end of this year. Upon completion of these titles, the government will have issued communal titles for more than 22,000 square miles of land. When accomplished, this feat will be an historical vindication for these indigenous communities which have fought for their ancestral lands for so long, according to Estrada.

Estrada also emphasized the difficulty of the feat, noting that the area is remote and often stormy. "This indicates the dimensions of this job, and the giant magnitude of the job of this government and of President Daniel Ortega," he said. Indigenous land titling is something that the Sandinistas fought for even in the 1980s when they held power, he noted.

Estrada said, in addition to these difficulties, it was of great importance to first understand the distinct culture and lifestyle of the indigenous people. He pointed out that this was the case for communities on the Pacific coast, as well, where the government has been in the process of learning about the particular context and the indigenous groups' potential and right to develop themselves on their own lands. He stressed that next year land titling would be completed for the Mosquitia. The remaining land will become national forests. Today, there are six pending titles. "We will have this concluded by the end of the year," Estrada said. (Radio La Primerísima, June 10)

5. Former FSLN leaders call for "null ballot" in next year's presidential election

Monica Baltodano, National Assembly Deputy and President of the Sandinista Rescue Movement (MPRS), called on voters to cast a "null ballot" in next year's presidential election if Daniel Ortega runs for re-election. The MPRS, led by former guerrilla commander Baltodano and legendary commander of the revolution and former FSLN National Directorate member Henry Ruiz (Modesto), is comprised of former Sandinista militants who left the party after the 2001 election. They are what used to be called the "Democratic Left" of the Sandinista Party (FSLN). In 2006 the MPRS allied with the Sandinista Renovation Movement (MRS) which split from the FSLN in 1994 and has veered to the right, supporting Liberal Party candidates in the 2008 municipal elections. The MPRS is the only opposition party that is critical of the Ortega government from a consistently Left perspective.

In an assembly of the MPRS last week, journalist Onofre Guevara, president of the Movement Against Fraud and Reelection said, "We [Nicaraguans] have a type of curse. We travel forward and we always return to the same place." Other speakers said Nicaragua has the curse of caudillismo (strongman-ism) in which leaders try to hold on to power. Journalist Danilo Aguirre said that in some ways President Daniel Ortega is "worse than the Somozas" because the Somozas at least passed the presidency around within the family rather than seeking reelection. The Nicaraguan constitution prohibits reelection, but that provision was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, setting up the possibility that Ortega will run again in 2011.

Baltodano said that other parties' participation in the elections legitimizes those elections. "To go to elections where Ortega runs as a candidate, squashing the Constitution, is to validate those elections," she said. In an interview with La Prensa, Baltodano rejected a leading question saying, "We don't need an armed struggle to toss out Daniel." She called for a "struggle in the streets" to change the consciousness of Nicaraguans away from support for strongman leadership. (El Nuevo Diario, June 12; La Prensa, June 14)

6. Mayor's dismissal roils political waters

The removal on June 7 of the mayor and vice-mayor of Ciudad Sandino by the city council set off a fire-storm of criticism last week of the Sandinista Party (FSLN) and President Daniel Ortega. Roberto Somoza, FSLN mayor, was apparently removed due to charges of nepotism and failure to expend project money awarded by the national government. Both officials are Sandinistas, as are their replacements. Somoza appealed for calm in the municipality and accepted his removal from office. He said, "I want to say to my brothers, comrades of the heroic municipality of Ciudad Sandino, that we have to advance step-by-step with the development and strengthening of this process of citizen participation." According to Nelson Artola, president of the Social and Emergency Investment Fund (FISE), Somoza will become an official of FISE.

Somoza's acceptance of his removal did not stop a storm of criticism from much of the political class including Vice President Jaime Morales Carazo who criticized the manner of removal on the basis that, though a person runs as the candidate of a party, when elected, that person holds authority based on the will of the voters. Christian Democrat Deputy Augustin Jarquin, who votes with the Sandinista bench in the National Assembly, announced a National Assembly investigation into the removal of mayors and vice-mayors. He likened the removal of Somoza to the coup in Honduras against elected President Manuel Zelaya calling it "equal to Micheletti." The Council of Citizen Power of Ciudad Sandino and evangelical Christian leaders also sent letters of protest. Msgr. Silvio Baez Ortega, auxiliary bishop of Managua called for the rule of law "where power is subservient to the law." Monica Baltodano, president of the Sandinista Rescue Movement, accused the Ortega government of "verticalism."

On the other side of the issue, Managua Mayor Daysi Torres said, "Sandinista mayors must accept what the party sends them because the offices are not theirs, but the Sandinista Front's." Council of Communication and Citizenship Coordinator and First Lady Rosario Murillo announced that amendments to Law 40, the Law of Municipalities, will be introduced in the National Assembly. (Radio La Primerisima, June 8, 10 12; El Nuevo Diario, June 8, 9, 12, 13; La Prensa, June 14)

7. Nicaragua among the least violent countries in Latin America

According to the Global Peace Index, produced by the Institute for Economy and Peace, headquartered in Australia, Nicaragua is the third least violent country in Latin America. However, the index also revealed that Latin America was among the regions in the world with the largest increase in violence relative to the results of the previous year. This was in large part due to organized crime, homicides and domestic violence. Nicaragua was ranked 64th in the world, after Uruguay (24th) and Costa Rica (26th) regionally. Colombia was ranked the most violent country in the region at 138th. Among world rankings, New Zealand was found to be most peaceful and Iraq continued as most violent. (La Prensa, June 9)
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