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July 3, 2009
Honduras coup was 'answer to prayer' for many evangelicals
Last Sunday's removal of president Manuel Zelaya by the Honduran military has drawn strong criticism from the international community, uniting such disparate voices as Barack Obama and the United Nations with Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro. Yet evangelicals in Honduras tell CT that the majority of the Central American nation -- including its Protestants and Catholics -- are in favor of the removal of Zelaya, though not necessarily of the military method.
"It's sad to see the OAS and the UN forcing Honduras to take back this president," said Maria Elena Umana-Alvarez, a well-connected Honduran evangelical. "We feel that what has happened is a reply to the fervent prayers of so many Christians. For many of us, it's not a coup, but the rescue of our country and our democracy."
Below the jump is an analysis of the situation offered by ASJ, a Christian social justice organization in Honduras.
The events surrounding Zelaya have caused evangelical church leaders, traditionally apolitical, to make initial steps into the realm of political activism. The week before Sunday's ballot box showdown, leaders of the main Honduran evangelical associations, including Oswaldo Canales, Rene Peñalba, Misael Argeñal, and Evelio Reyes, led peaceful demonstrations calling upon Zelaya to stop his efforts to change the Honduran constitution and focus on more-pressing domestic concerns, such as the aftermath of May's 7.3-magnitude earthquake. Evangelicals were involved with another large rally on Tuesday.
The 'coup' comes during the peak of the summer short-term missions season in Honduras, causing some missions groups and churches to either come home early or cancel planned trips.
Umana-Alvarez, who hosts a number of missions groups each summer, said caution this week is advisable amid the uncertainty of how nations such as Venezuela and Nicaragua will respond to Saturday's expected showdown between the OAS-backed returning Zelaya and the interim Honduran government that refuses to accept him back.
However, she said that canceling trips altogether this year would be an overreaction at the expense of Hondurans in need of the water projects and other works planned by missions groups.
Photo by Eleana Borjas Cuello.
Below is an analysis offered by Dr. Kurt Ver Beek, Calvin College professor, and Andrew Clouse, communications specialist with the Asociación para una Sociedad más Justa:
Political leaders from around the world are racing to be the first and loudest to condemn this past Sunday's coup in Honduras. Everyone from President Obama to Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, from the United Nation's general secretary to Fidel Castro, are denouncing the coup, threatening sanctions and calling for the return to office of ousted President Manuel Zelaya. Yet why are so many Hondurans, including key evangelical leaders, so divided about the coup and Zelaya's return?
It all starts with the constitution. The Honduran constitution has 379 articles - and all but four can be reformed. It's one of these four non-negotiables that's causing all the fuss. The article states that a Honduran president cannot be re-elected. Ever. One four-year term is the only shot a president can have. Nearly all Latin American countries wrote this into their constitutions during the 1970s and 1980s in an attempt to avoid their presidents' tendency to use second terms to consolidate power and stay in office permanently.
So starting with president-turned-dictator-turned-fugitive Alberto Fujimori in Peru, and more recently including Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, Evo Morales in Bolivia, Rafael Correa in Ecuador and now a little closer to home - Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua and Zelaya in Honduras - Latin American presidents have sought to reform their constitutions to permit re-election. In the last few years Venezuelan president Chavez has been building ALBA, a block of Latin American presidents designed to challenge the U.S. hegemony in the region. His country's oil income in the form of finance grants, loans and political advisors serves as the carrot to entice presidents to join ALBA. And predictably enough, six of the nine members of the ALBA countries have or are trying to reform their constitutions to pave the way for their possible re-election.
Honduran president Zelaya began a full-out effort to reform the constitution in March of this year by announcing a referendum to be held Sunday, June 28 - the day the coup took place - to determine whether the people wanted an assembly called to rewrite the constitution before presidential elections in November. Almost immediately, the country's political, economic and many religious leaders began lining up against this effort. The Supreme Court ruled the referendum illegal; the Congress voted to sanction the president; the attorney general's office began investigations into possible charges; both political parties - including the president's own - condemned his actions; and church leaders like Evelio Reyes, pastor of one of the largest evangelical churches in Honduras, began holding high-profile prayer vigils each morning in front of government offices.
Had the president done a better job during his first three years in office, his efforts may have been more popular. However his administration has been plagued by ineffectiveness and myriad accusations of corruption. During his first year in office, his administration received over $4 billion in debt forgiveness - with the chief condition that any money not spent on debt was to be invested in reducing poverty. Many organizations, including Christian NGOs, worked for over a year to define how this money could be best invested. However, Zelaya ignored their efforts and instead tried to buy votes by spending 70 percent of the money on raises for teachers and health workers, and the rest on ineffective but politically powerful "cash coupons" for the rural poor. Zelaya has also failed to deliver on promises to build houses, promote land reform, build a new international airport and fight corruption. In the meantime, he has used public funds to finance a pro-government newspaper and TV station, flashy TV and radio ads and pro-government demonstrations. Zelaya did move beyond rhetoric early this year when he impetuously hiked the minimum wage by 60 percent. The raise was desperately needed, but its overnight implementation in an already-struggling economy led to thousands of minimum-wage job losses as many businesses found it impossible to make payroll.
In short, Zelaya's record is dismal. And that fact has led many Hondurans, including most evangelicals, to be relieved to see his ineffective and corrupt administration come to an unexpected end. Pastor Evelio Reyes, in a speech to support the new government said, "We cannot tolérate these kinds of actions. No country in the world puts up with these types of barbarities, and Honduras won't either because we have dignity."
But the president does have his supporters. Despite his decidedly non-leftist background, Zelaya has managed to gain the support of some of the most radical social groups in Honduras by funding their organizations and protests and promising them seats at the constitutional assembly that would have rewritten the constitution. These groups are expert mobilizers and are now returning the favor by leading the increasingly violent protests seeking Zelaya's return to office.
But other, less radical Hondurans and church leaders also disapprove of the coup. First, the rhetoric Zelaya used during the last three months to promote a rewrite of the constitution touched a nerve for many Hondurans, including evangelicals. Zelaya's speeches as well as very professional TV and radio ads (designed by Venezuelan advisors) argued that the 70 percent of the Honduran population who live on less than $2 a day have seen little benefit from 20 plus years of democratic rule in which a political and economic elite have run the country and everything in it for their own illicit gain. Zelaya said it was time to hear the "voice of the people" and that reforming the constitution was a good first step in getting that voice heard. This message resonated with the poor and those, including many Christians, concerned about issues of poverty and injustice. Mario Cantor, an evangelical pastor in a marginal urban community, said this:
"The majority of people who supported the cuarta urna (the "fourth ballot box") believed that the constitution needed to be reformed to be more inclusive. According to some, the constitution excluded certain sectors of the community. So they believe that there is a need to create a constitution that allows the people to have more participation in the country´s decisions. Zelaya himself was talking about a more equitable society, where distribution of wealth is fairer, talking about the common good, as Jesus did."
In addition, many Hondurans and Honduran Christians are uncomfortable with the military's role in Zelaya's ouster, fearing a return to the situation of the 1970s and 1980s when the military was clearly the power behind the president. This was an era of fear, violence and corruption that few Hondurans care to relive. They argue that like him or not, if Zelaya was breaking the law, he should have been charged and tried instead of forcibly removed from his home and flown to Costa Rica. And they are uneasy hearing reports of suspended civil liberties and protesters detained.
They want the democratic system to work the way it is supposed to. As megachurch pastor Rene Peñalba stated, Zelaya's goal "in itself was not bad, but he got the method wrong. And I would say the same about the other side. [Zelaya] deserved to go to trial, but they got the method wrong. Both sides got it wrong."
While the fear of an oversized role of the military is understandable, it seems clear that they were an ambivalent partner in the ouster, directed by a small but powerful political and economic elite. Although initially Zelaya's allies in carrying out the referendum, the military has shifted since there was clearly little enthusiasm for the task. Just days before the referendum, Zelaya fired the chief general and the rest of the general's staff quit in solidarity. Zelaya and his supporters staged a dramatic showdown at a military warehouse to get the ballots while the military stood silently by. And most obviously, while the military carried out the arrest and flew Zelaya to Costa Rica, they did not seize power but immediately installed the president of Congress as President of the country.
What's clear among all the conflict is that all the existing powers in Honduras - the ruling elite, the Zelaya administration, and the military - show by their rhetoric that they recognize what most ordinary Hondurans want - to live in a country where their voice will be heard and where true democracy and rule of law flourish.
Carlos Hernandez, president of the Association for a More Just Society, a Christian social justice organization in Honduras, argues, "As Christians we need to make the legal systems work for everyone - from the poorest Honduran to the most powerful. So first of all, Zelaya should return to the country and there should be a full investigation into his actions. If he has broken laws, he should be tried and sentenced - not sent to Costa Rica without a trial. Second, we should also push for an investigation into who was responsible for this coup and they should also be investigated and tried. It is only then, by showing that neither side is above the law and that neither side can take the law into their own hands, that we can show the world that justice for all is possible, even in Honduras."
Comments
Manuel Zelaya was attempting to highjack democracy! He attempted to run a referendum that counteracted the Constitution. This is illegal in Honduras and in the Constitution it called for his immediate removal. The Supreme Court demanded the military remove him from office; it was not a military coup. His removal was also approved unanimously by Congress. This is how a true democracy process is supposed to work when its leaders break the law! I think what Americans should be asking is why Obama is supporting a leftist who wants to be come president for life!
Several days before Zelaya’s removal he had sacked the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs (military) for not carrying out his illegal demand to distribute ballots for his self-called referendum to expand his term of office indefinitely. The Supreme Court then ruled that he did not have the authority to call for his own personal referendum and it was illegal. The Constitution states that a President is limited to one term only. The Constitution provides that if any President or Vice President tries to change this they shall be removed from office immediately and not be allowed to run for any public office for 10 years.
More Facts:
• The referendum ballets got printed in Venezuela, surprise.
• He wanted the Army to run the election, they rejected.
• He was replaced by the leader of Congress a person from his own party as required by the Constitution.
• The Supreme Court and Congress unanimous on his removal.
Posted By: ken | July 3, 2009 10:08 PM
Do you call yourself christians?
it's okay with christian to oppress people's right and silent the media?
Shame, shame, shame!!!
Posted By: Jose | July 4, 2009 1:31 PM
Excellent assessment. It is unfortunate that Pres. Zelaya would be such a prototypical caudillo of the Latin American mold that he would allow himself to drag Honduras into this mess. Now everyone is stuck between a rock and a hard place- Zelaya is a political martyr and radicals can only gain from this, but he did need to go.
Posted By: Brian Cumings | July 5, 2009 12:27 AM
I spend time in Honduras and can vouch for the fact that the Church is very supportive of the legal replacement of the President by a new President done legally by his own party after the exile.
I find elheraldo.hn very useful for current news including statements from the Cardinal and other Church groups. (Use google translate for this URL if necessary).
A comment. You can see from the sea of blue in photos of the constitutionalists that they are a very peaceful majority. The red group on the other hand are aggressive carry clubs wear masks set fires attack soldiers and reporters. Enough said.
I am proud of the Honduran people. The little country that could.
Posted By: tripletango | July 5, 2009 8:16 AM
I live in La Ceiba, Honduras and it has been very depressing watching the international news lie about what is happening here. Our rights have not been suppressed and we are free as usual. However, that is NOT what Mel and his group, including Chavez, wanted for us. Chavez closes all TV and radio stations that don't agree with him, they are also forced to play his propaganda daily! Why do those in the international community not see this? Why can't they tell that most of the unfavorable news of Honduras is from the networks in Venezuela and Cuba? And CNN is using the footage from them as well.
Wake world, your country might be next. But not us, NEVER.
Gonzo
Posted By: gonzales | July 5, 2009 9:39 AM
I am a missionary in Honduras. When there is a flood, I get my feet wet and help the people, Chavez and Ex President Mel Zelaya do not. When there is a hurricane, I distribute food and care for the sick, Mel Zelaya is never there EXCEPT for photos.
I remember clearly when a load of foam bed matresses arrived at a flood site, all the photos were taken and then they were "taken to a warehouse to be distributed" or so said Mel's right hand congressman Eleazer Juarez. The truck drove off, the same matresses were shown at another flood sight, more photos and then the matresses were never seen again. Forget the poor, get the publicity.
Posted By: Anna | July 5, 2009 10:50 AM
My wife and I are also missionaries in Honduras. We live in a very remote part of Honduras, accessible only by airplane or boat.
The first time I saw Mel Zelaya was in a political commercial against his campaign that showed the parallels between his speeches and those of Daniel Ortega and Hugo Chavez. They were almost identical, word for word.
I believe he planned this entire charade from the beginning of his term in office for the purpose of overthrowing the government immediately or becoming a political martyr with plans to eventually garner enough international support to restore him to power regardless of what the country's people wanted or did to resist his efforts.
We are tired of this whole ordeal. In a democratic country a president is elected by the people. This for the purpose of serving those same people. I don't see Mr. Zelaya serving anything or anyone other than himself and/or possibly his "buddy" Hugo Chavez. If his desire is truly to serve the people of his country then he should stop, assess where he is at with this effort now, and then ask himself if there is anything he can do to make the situation better in Honduras without trying to force anyone to do what they are not ready to do, such as restore him to office. A good start would be to beg forgiveness from the Honduran people and ask to be allowed to return to his country and face any charges that might be raised against him.
As for President Barrack Obama, what has he to gain from assisting President Zelaya in this crisis? Is his support of Zelaya truly for the good of the people of the United States, or is it simply to not be seen as a hypocrite later when he attempts to do the same thing? Regardless of his reasons, he has enough problems in the United States to deal with. He should not be involved in the Honduras issue at all.
Posted By: Miskitomon | July 5, 2009 9:43 PM
This is wonderful! We in the US need our military to oust our own communist dictator Obama then he needs to go to jail for high crimes and treason.
Can we hire the Honduran military?
We are being suppressed here in every way.
Posted By: NH | July 6, 2009 12:32 AM
This is wonderful! We in the US need our military to oust our own communist dictator Obama then he needs to go to jail for high crimes and treason.
Can we hire the Honduran military?
We are being suppressed here in every way.
Posted By: NH | July 6, 2009 12:32 AM
As a Catholic lay missionary in Honduras,I appreciate your effort to provide some background, especially the comments from Dr. Kurt Ver Beek and Andrew Clouse.
The diocese of Santa Rosa de Copán has come out strongly against the coup and its statement bears reading.
The problem, as I see it, is an unjust system dominated by two mostly corrupt parties. Neither Zelaya nor Micheletti have clean hands.
Pray for us.
Posted By: John | July 6, 2009 10:09 AM
"...Dictatorship was averted. Chávez threw a fit. The U.S. agreed with Chávez. Wait, what?
When Iran burst into the global spotlight because of its fraudulent elections which were a mockery of democracy, the Obama administration worried about ‘meddling’ in other nations’ affairs, and so the U.S. didn’t say a word. But when the Honduran people worked to preserve their constitution and their nation by ousting a president who disregarded his country’s Supreme Court, defied Congress, fired the General of the military because he wouldn’t comply with Zelaya’s power-grabbing demands, and threatened to change the Honduran Constitution (which only Congress can do, not the President), the U.S. spoke out immediately.
Anytime we in the United States see democracy run amok, we wince. We’d like for democracy to replace rulers, not coups. But “democracy†isn’t working very well in Iran right now..."
More here: https://www.mindreign.com/en/mindshare/World-Politics-and-Current-Events/Democracy-2c-not-Ch-c3-a1vez-2c-in-Honduras/sl34045952bp297cpp5pn1.html
Posted By: rick | July 6, 2009 10:36 AM
I am disturbed by the argument some seem to be making that the coup was justified because Zelaya was out of line. There are two issues here: one is his conduct, which was clearly questionable, but the other is how to deal with that. The ends don't justify the means. Yes, he was a bad leader, but that doesn't mean a society should abandon the rule of law to get rid of him. A military coup is no more democratic than modifying the Honduran constitution.
Ask yourselves: would you support a military coup to remove a leader who represented your own political views, if he or she wanted to be elected to a second term? I doubt it.
Posted By: irene | July 6, 2009 6:56 PM
Well, unfortunately Honduras hasn't been a democracy for very long and now there is an elected person trying to get the country back to living under a nondemocracy type government, it seems to be the history of South American countries. Perhaps this time we can give credit to the military being on the side of keeping a democracy instead of obeying the man (remember Cuba) of the moment. It's easy looking at another country trying to keep a democracy when we live in a country that has been a democracy for over 200 years with honest elections. Our military hasn't had to worry about overthrowing our government not even in the Civil War. The military had a honest Lincoln to obey. We have been forunate to not have been thrown into the necessity of counting on our military to keep our democracy. My Best wishes to Honduras staying a democracy with a democratic loving military.
Posted By: original Anna | July 6, 2009 9:46 PM
This was not a military coup, both their Supreme Court and their Congress followed the rule of law to stop this guy from becoming another banana republic dictator. Where was the international outrage at his attempt to subvert the Honduran constitution??? Twice now Obama has chosen to align himself with would-be dictators - first in Iran and now in Honduras. ????
Posted By: Ken | July 7, 2009 8:17 AM
Honduras' constitution in 1982 was a very important step towards a democratic form of government and a step away from the military dictatorships that had plagued Honduras' previous efforts at democracy. Zelaya's attempt at railroading through a revision of the non-amendable article of the constitution was the most serious threat to Honduran democracy since the constitution was adopted and free elections were implemented.
Even though I am a "gringo" on the outside, I am "puro Catracho" on the inside. I grew up in Honduras as a missionary kid. I remember the military coups, the "Soccer War" and the three member "junta" government.
To characterize the ousting of Zelaya as a military coup is a disservice to the reality of the situation. This is a true test of the integrity of the constitution and a test of the balance of power. Zelaya operates more like a dictator than a president - especially in the call for a referendum on the unamendable part of the constitution (i.e. restricting the president to a one term office).
Honduras has undergone radical change in its government since the era of military rule and coup d'etats. It is truly impressive to see the military supporting the constitution and its upholding by the congress. I do hope that our president and secretary of state retract their previous position and instead align themselves with freedom, integrity, and a true expression of democracy.
Posted By: Daniel | July 7, 2009 10:23 AM
Let's pray for peace and hope for the best.
Posted By: Josiah Garber | July 7, 2009 2:22 PM
If you dont think they had the right to overthrow him, you dont think there should be an America either.
How easily we forget the oppression this country was under when it was beholden to Britain.
Posted By: Renee Linnen | July 8, 2009 11:53 AM
I, a born again Christian disagree with the article in a few things, Most of the evangelicals are against Zelaya, they support the new goberment and they were the first to march against it. They were among the first to call it as it it. A bunch of Atheist, liers, using the poor people, inmorals without values, followers of an antichrist filosofy such as socialist and communists. The confederation of Evangelical Churches were united in this by almost 100 percent. Remember that there are some Social and Justice organization that call themselves Christians as well as the communists.
Posted By: Cesar | July 8, 2009 6:43 PM
It is very sad to already see some so simplistas and full commentaries full of prejudice and from the past; as it is possible still to say that to be communist he is equal to not being Christian? Then to be capitalist it is to be Christian?
That analysis us it rather takes to emphasize our ignorance beyond that the kingdom of God goes behind of the actual political and economic systems…
It is not certain either that 100% of the evangelical are in favor of the coup ; ther are a good percentage that we do not agree with the civic-military coup, nor either in agreement with the management that President Zelaya was making; nevertheless that does not justify at any moment the coup d'etat.
I invite to my friends missionaries who coexist in Honduras that they listen its people…
Alexander P.
Posted By: Alexander P | July 9, 2009 12:31 PM
When I am not working on WHO/PAHO projects I have for many (approx. 14) years been a volunteer health care worker here in Honduras...
Perhaps this should be the message:
I do not care what is his name- neither the color of his politics nor the names of his friends... all I want is a fair chance for me, my children, my family to lead a dignified life; a life free of poverty and prejudice.
A country where if I behave as a good person and a loyal citizen there will be no obstacles to a productive and satisfying future.
No matter where we are (physically &/or philosophically) may we and all those that are precious to us have a peaceful weekend.
Quizás éste debe ser el mensaje: No cuido cuál es su nombre ni el color de su polÃtica ni los nombres de sus amigos… todos lo que quiero son una ocasión justa para mÃ, mis niños, mi familia para llevar una vida dignificada; una vida libera de pobreza y de perjudicar.
Un paÃs donde si me comporto como una buena persona y ciudadano leal no estará ningún obstáculo allà a un futuro productivo y satisfecho.
Sin importar en donde estemos (fÃsica y/o filosóficamente), que todos nosotros y nuestros seres queridos tengamos un pacifico fin de semana.
Posted By: MIchel Bessette | July 10, 2009 10:39 AM
Zelaya violated article 239 of the honduran constitution, thus taking himself out of office if you read the language of that article, he fired the army cheif which can only be done by the congress and surpreme court-article 279. Honduras stood up for its self. they dont want to be a puppet state of Chavez. the army simply arrested a krook- article 272 & 313.
Posted By: Branwen | July 11, 2009 1:17 AM
I love how these ignorant American Protestants, with their high school Spanish and wads of cash, come to a country that has been Catholic for around 500 years, and presume to teach us Christianity. Why don't you people go to the Mid-East or India and convert non-Christians. Or better yet, stay in your own country, with its rampant immorality and heal thyself, physician!
Posted By: Johann | July 15, 2009 11:04 AM