by Manuel Zelaya
-The neoliberal economic model has failed, and we need social
policies for the disadvantaged in our society. That's why I aim for a
new model of development, and part of my administration supported me in
that endeavor. But the neoliberals simply want to expand their wealth,
and they have no interest in the country's development. A few large
companies dominate the Honduran economy. This plays into the hands of
multinational corporations, which control the market, thereby creating
even more poverty.
-More than 1,000 people were arrested and are
now in prison, and four young people were killed in a protest march. I
am afraid that even more people have died. We don't know exactly what
is happening in the country. The coup leaders control most of the media.
In
a SPIEGEL interview, ousted President Manuel Zelaya, 56, discusses the
coup in his native Honduras, the lack of intervention from Washington,
his political ties to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and his hopes to
unseat the regime by peaceful means.
SPIEGEL: Mr. President, you
have now established your headquarters in northern Nicaragua, only a
few kilometers from the Honduran border. Will you attempt, as you have
already done several times in recent weeks, to return to Honduras on
your own?
Zelaya: I could go back across the border today or
tomorrow, but I'm being threatened. The coup leaders want to murder me,
or at least arrest me, as they have done once before. I want to prepare
for my return in a peaceful way. Hondurans should know: I am prepared
to resume control of the country at the appropriate moment. For now, we
are organizing the resistance.
SPIEGEL: Your Costa Rican
counterpart, President Oscar Arias, has unveiled a peace plan designed
to reinstate you. Do you have faith in a negotiated solution?
Zelaya:
We accept the Arias plan. Negotiations are the only way. But it will
only work if the international community increases its pressure on the
coup leaders. It has to make sure that coups don't become an epidemic.
That would jeopardize security and stability on the entire continent.
If coups, revolutions and uprisings were to spread throughout Latin
America once again, the United States and Europe would also pay a high
price.
SPIEGEL: Under the peace plan, you would be required to
give up some of your power. For instance, you would no longer be able
to appoint your own ministers ...
Zelaya: I accept that. I'm a politician, and I'm tolerant.
SPIEGEL: Do you see an opportunity for dialogue with the new regime?
Zelaya:
International pressure would have to be increased for that to happen.
It affected the coup leaders when Washington suspended their diplomatic
visas, and the sanctions are also taking effect. In many ports, goods
coming from Honduras are no longer being unloaded. The German firm
Adidas, along with Nike and clothing manufacturer Gap, have announced
that they will cancel orders from Honduran factories unless democracy
is restored.
SPIEGEL: Your supporters claim that the US
ambassador and influential right-wing politicians in the United States
were told about the coup in advance.
Zelaya: There were many
rumors leading up to the coup, as well as unusual military movements.
I'm sure that the Obama administration knew about it, but it didn't
agree to the overthrow.
SPIEGEL: The secretary general of the
Organization of American States (OAS) and US Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton have criticized you for your attempts to return to Honduras on
your own, by crossing the Nicaraguan border. Aren't you just provoking
further violence with such actions?
Zelaya: They don't know
anything about the suffering of the Honduran people, and the sacrifices
Hondurans are making to bring me back. The military coup has turned
into a dictatorship. It is oppressing the people and committing massive
human rights violations. Hillary and the OAS should find out more about
that.
SPIEGEL: The US government has condemned the coup. Was that too lackadaisical for you?
Zelaya:
US President (Barack) Obama is sincere, but he is not acting decisively
enough. He ought to pursue the coup leaders more resolutely so that
such coups don't happen again.
SPIEGEL: The Honduran congress
and the country's highest court accuse you of having breached the
constitution. You wanted the people to vote directly on whether a
decision to convene a constitutional convention should be voted on in
the November elections.
Zelaya: But that isn't a reason to stage a coup right away. I didn't commit a breach of the constitution.
SPIEGEL: Will you insist on a constitutional reform if you return to Honduras?
Zelaya: I want to actively involve the people in democracy. This is a historic process, and it cannot be stopped.
SPIEGEL: One of the reasons you want to amend the constitution is so that you can be reelected, or so the accusations go.
Zelaya: I have never tried to do that, nor will I, because the constitution prohibits it.
SPIEGEL:
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is one your key supporters. That's why
you are suspected of trying to create a populist regime similar to his.
How much influence does Chavez have on your government?
Zelaya:
Absolutely zero. These accusations are just a trick to divert attention
away from the coup leaders' true motives. Chavez is the scapegoat. In
fact, the USA is the one intervening in Honduras. Seventy percent of
Honduran exports go there. We have a military, trade and immigration
treaty with Washington.
SPIEGEL: But Venezuela supplies discounted oil to Honduras, which makes you dependent on Chavez.
Zelaya:
That's another of those lies. Venezuela covers only 15 percent of our
oil needs. American oil companies bring in 85 percent.
SPIEGEL: You are also considered an admirer of Fidel Castro. How is your relationship with Cuba?
Zelaya:
We have very good relations, just as we do with Europe and the United
States. I have no problems with any country in the world, only with the
economic elite in Honduras, which is getting rich at the expense of the
poor. I don't want to drive them out. I just want them to change their
attitude. The wealth must be more evenly distributed. The political
parties that have ruled Honduras for the past 100 years are merely
defending the economic elite.
SPIEGEL: But now you and coup
leader Roberto Micheletti belong to the same party. You are both
considered part of the upper class, and you yourself come from a family
of wealthy cattle farmers. When did you discover your heart for the
poor?
Zelaya: It was a long process of developing awareness. The
neoliberal economic model has failed, and we need social policies for
the disadvantaged in our society. That's why I aim for a new model of
development, and part of my administration supported me in that
endeavor. But the neoliberals simply want to expand their wealth, and
they have no interest in the country's development. A few large
companies dominate the Honduran economy. This plays into the hands of
multinational corporations, which control the market, thereby creating
even more poverty. I believe in entrepreneurship and economic
liberalism. But things have to become more equitable, which is why we
must amend the laws.
SPIEGEL: What happens if your efforts to return are unsuccessful? Will you call upon the Hondurans to rebel?
Zelaya: Under the constitution, the people have the right to resistance and rebellion if someone assumes power by force.
SPIEGEL: But that creates the threat of civil war.
Zelaya:
There is the same danger if the coup leaders prevail. If that happens,
we could face a long conflict, because we will not be brought to our
knees. We are not afraid of their guns. The military in Honduras has
only 7,000 men. If we were to take up arms, we would quickly drive away
those few soldiers. But we want to unseat the regime in a peaceful and
honorable way. Women, children, young people, students, workers - we
have all joined forces in a civil front against the coup. Even my
80-year-old mother is taking to the streets and offering peaceful
resistance.
SPIEGEL: The coup regime claims that there is in fact little resistance, and that there have been hardly any dead or injured.
Zelaya:
More than 1,000 people were arrested and are now in prison, and four
young people were killed in a protest march. I am afraid that even more
people have died. We don't know exactly what is happening in the
country. The coup leaders control most of the media.
SPIEGEL: Are the armed forces behind the coup government?
Zelaya:
The military is divided. Many young officers oppose the coup. They
could rise up against the military leadership any day.
SPIEGEL: Will you put the coup leaders on trial when you return to Honduras?
Zelaya: Of course. There should be an international trial, to discourage copycats.
SPIEGEL: What happens with the elections planned for November? Would you agree to early elections?
Zelaya:
They can take place tomorrow, as far as I'm concerned, but I will not
participate. I am working on a big plan for social reforms. We are
merely changing the strategy, but the struggle continues.
Interview conducted by Jens Glüsing. Translated from the German by Christopher Sultan.
Anyone who has reached the highest political office and plan to change the Constitution to allow an extended term or terms in office should be despised.
We have seen the manner in which the Singapore Constitution has been bastardised beyond the original intended spirit in the drafts that were approved and accepted by the generation before us.
The Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez had already made so many changes to the Venezuelan Constitution that he has now monopolised Venezuelan Politics in the same manner that the PAP has gained a slow and pervasive control over the political life of Singapore and Singaporeans.
Should we trust the attempts of the deposed Honduran President for attempting to change the Honduran Constitution to allow himself to continue as President - beyond the period that he had already served ?
It is a shame if Singaporean will support the deposed Honduran President which will be indicative that we condone the similar acts of bastardising of our Singapore Constitution by the PAP that allowed them to have a monopoly on Singapore Politics.
Should we trust the attempts of the deposed Honduran President for attempting to change the Honduran Constitution to allow himself to continue as President - beyond the period that he had already served ?
His explanation:
SPIEGEL: One of the reasons you want to amend the constitution is
so that you can be reelected, or so the accusations go.
Zelaya: I have never tried to do that, nor will I, because the
constitution prohibits it.
Then he proposed to hold an advisory referendum as to whether the population thought it a good idea to convene a body to revise the constitution. The oligarchy shouted that this was an attempt by Zelaya to change the constitution to make it possible for him to have a second term. But since the referendum was to occur on the day his successor would have been elected, this was clearly a phony reason.
http://www.agenceglobal.com/article.asp?id=2067
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/7
It is a shame if Singaporean will support the deposed Honduran President which will be indicative that we condone the similar acts of bastardising of our Singapore Constitution by the PAP that allowed them to have a monopoly on Singapore Politics.
But he wanted to hold referendum, PAP where got hold referendum? That is clearly different case.
The Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez had already made so many changes to the Venezuelan Constitution that he has now monopolised Venezuelan Politics in the same manner that the PAP has gained a slow and pervasive control over the political life of Singapore and Singaporeans.
I consider that U.S disinformation.
Why the U.S. Government Hates Venezuela