TJ's BuyRoatan.com Blog

A 'coup' in honduras? nonsense.

TEGUCIGALPA, HONDURAS - Sometimes, the whole world prefers a lie to the truth. The White House, the United Nations, the Organization of American States, and much of the media have condemned the ouster of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya this past weekend as a coup d'état.

That is nonsense.

In fact, what happened here is nothing short of the triumph of the rule of law.

To understand recent events, you have to know a bit about Honduras's constitutional history. In 1982, my country adopted a new Constitution that enabled our orderly return to democracy after years of military rule. After more than a dozen previous constitutions, the current Constitution, at 27 years old, has endured the longest.

It has endured because it responds and adapts to changing political conditions: Of its original 379 articles, seven have been completely or partially repealed, 18 have been interpreted, and 121 have been reformed.

It also includes seven articles that cannot be repealed or amended because they address issues that are critical for us. Those unchangeable articles include the form of government; the extent of our borders; the number of years of the presidential term; two prohibitions – one with respect to reelection of presidents, the other concerning eligibility for the presidency; and one article that penalizes the abrogation of the Constitution.

During these 27 years, Honduras has dealt with its problems within the rule of law. Every successful democratic country has lived through similar periods of trial and error until they were able to forge legal frameworks that adapt to their reality. France crafted more than a dozen constitutions between 1789 and the adoption of the current one in 1958. The US Constitution has been amended 27 times since 1789. And the British – pragmatic as they are – in 900 years have made so many changes that they have never bothered to compile their Constitution into a single body of law.

Under our Constitution, what happened in Honduras this past Sunday? Soldiers arrested and sent out of the country a Honduran citizen who, the day before, through his own actions had stripped himself of the presidency.

These are the facts: On June 26, President Zelaya issued a decree ordering all government employees to take part in the "Public Opinion Poll to convene a National Constitutional Assembly." In doing so, Zelaya triggered a constitutional provision that automatically removed him from office.

Constitutional assemblies are convened to write new constitutions. When Zelaya published that decree to initiate an "opinion poll" about the possibility of convening a national assembly, he contravened the unchangeable articles of the Constitution that deal with the prohibition of reelecting a president and of extending his term. His actions showed intent.

Our Constitution takes such intent seriously. According to Article 239: "No citizen who has already served as head of the Executive Branch can be President or Vice-President. Whoever violates this law or proposes its reform [emphasis added], as well as those that support such violation directly or indirectly, will immediately cease in their functions and will be unable to hold any public office for a period of 10 years."

Notice that the article speaks about intent and that it also says "immediately" – as in "instant," as in "no trial required," as in "no impeachment needed."

Continuismo – the tendency of heads of state to extend their rule indefinitely – has been the lifeblood of Latin America's authoritarian tradition. The Constitution's provision of instant sanction might sound draconian, but every Latin American democrat knows how much of a threat to our fragile democracies continuismo presents. In Latin America, chiefs of state have often been above the law. The instant sanction of the supreme law has successfully prevented the possibility of a new Honduran continuismo.

The Supreme Court and the attorney general ordered Zelaya's arrest for disobeying several court orders compelling him to obey the Constitution. He was detained and taken to Costa Rica. Why? Congress needed time to convene and remove him from office. With him inside the country that would have been impossible. This decision was taken by the 123 (of the 128) members of Congress present that day.

Don't believe the coup myth. The Honduran military acted entirely within the bounds of the Constitution. The military gained nothing but the respect of the nation by its actions.

I am extremely proud of my compatriots. Finally, we have decided to stand up and become a country of laws, not men. From now on, here in Honduras, no one will be above the law.

Octavio Sánchez, a lawyer, is a former presidential adviser (2002-05) and minister of culture (2005-06) of the Republic of Honduras.

For roatan, it's business as usual...

Amidst the sensationalism the media spews throughout television and newspapers, I assure you it's business as usual in most of Honduras with businesses, banks and tourism operating as just another day.  And there seems to be a calm peace over the Islanders like never before.

Here in Roatan, Carnival Cruise Lines brought their ship in to port as scheduled this morning and tourists are clambering in taxis, tour buses, and scooters to get their place on the beaches, the attractions and the beautiful natural rainforests Roatan has to offer.  There are no military visible on the streets,  limited police presence, and no signs of any civil unrest whatsoever!

Flights continue their normal schedules and tourists are everywhere.  Restaurants and shops are open for business and eager to assist travelers with their vacation needs.  It's a beautiful day in Paradise... and we're loving it!

Swearing in of "legal" provisional government until november elections

Roberto Micheletti has been sworn in as President of the Republic of Honduras and has appointed his provisional cabinet... all with the blessings of the Honduran Congress, the Legislate and the Honduran people.  Remember, general elections are scheduled for November 29th and they WILL take place!

With all the misinformation in the news media about the events unfolding here in Honduras, my friend and American developer, Dan Taylor, sums it up nicely...

"The sun shines bright on this new day with the expulsion of the former President Zelaya.  In spite of what the press is saying, this is a great day.  Zelaya had aligned himself with the communist leaders of the region and was moving the country in that direction.  Of course, this made the investors and the business owners of the country very nervous.  He started making agreements with Leftist governments without congressional approval and wouldn’t listen to the judicial or legislative branches of the government who opposed such things.  The government, both parties, and business decided to tolerate his antics, knowing that it would end at the end of his elected term.  The final straw came when he decided to change the constitution.  One of the items he wanted to change was the term limitation.  If he ran over items in the constitution, he could include things that prevent confiscation of private lands by the government – a real concern to investors.

 He decided to hold a referendum to garner support for his changes to the constitution.  Both his party and the national party agreed in principle to amend the constitution in ways that made sense for the country but not to do it to help those in power.  Zelaya took actions that were opposed by the Supreme Court and also by the Congress.  He believed that he had control of the military, a supply of funds from Chavez in Venezuela and could do as he wished.  When he told the military that he wanted them to help in the referendum that had been deemed illegal by the Legislative and Judicial branches of government, he was in effect telling his military leaders to break the law.  They had vowed to protect and defend the constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic and felt that they were not required to comply with an illegal order in conflict with the constitution.  Zelaya fired the military Chief of Staff and the Secretary of Defense and the other senior officers resigned in support of the position of the Chief of Staff.  The Supreme Court told Zelaya that there were reasons that he could fire the Chief but not for failure to obey an illegal order and told Zelaya to reinstate him. 

 Then a lot of political pushing and shoving took place and the government decided to expel Zelaya, which they did yesterday. 

 The Constitution describes the order of succession that takes place when a leader is no longer able to perform his duties.  This order was followed and the President of the Congress was designated to fulfill the duties of President until the regularly scheduled elections in November.

 There was no military coup, the military were the tool of government and there was a peaceful transition of government.  CNN and other news outlets are quick to describe the action as a grasp for power, which is a story that fits the picture that many hold when they think of Latin American governments.  This was anything but that.  This was a government, all parties and branches working together, trying to prevent a tyrannical ruler from running roughshod over the constitution for his own purposes – trying to prevent a ruler from taking the country down the road to communism.  This issue is so important to the nation of Honduras that for the first time in its history both major parties and other minor parties were galvanized in support of this necessary change.  In a country of over 7 million people with 4.5 million voters, the silent majority is in support of the government action. 

 They are not silent out of fear but out of agreement that right has prevailed.  There are hundreds of Zelaya supporters seen on TV, not even thousands but those crowds make better press than a well researched and documented story.  Much of the press needs to take another class in responsible journalism and not just take the side of a story that is easiest to sell.  Don’t be led down the path of ignorance - today is a great day for the Republic of Honduras!"

Dan Taylor is the developer/owner of Keyhole Bay, West Bay, Roatan

A great victory for democracy!

 

   After a struggling battle against the very people who elected him, Honduran President, Manual (Mel) Zelaya has been ousted from power at the hands of the elected Congress.  Charged with crimes of treason, illegal activities, squandering government coffers and trying to dismantle and single handedly re-write the Honduran Constitution, Zelaya was arrested from bed this morning and deported by law to Costa Rica by the military, under the direct orders of the Supreme Court and backed 100% by Congress.

In recent months, Zelaya, (elected as a right wing advocate) has moved further and further to the Leftist side with the coaching, financial support, and prodding of "Mentor" Hugo Chavez.... well known opponent of the United States, leftist dictator, Communist and friend of Iran and Russia.  Chavez has been "moulding" Zelaya to forcibly remain in power in Honduras by amending the 1982 Constitution which would allow Zelaya to remain in office indefinitely.  Sound familiar?  Chavez did the same thing in Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador and Nicaragua in recent months and Zelaya was his man in Honduras.

Pushing his referendum vote, ruled illegal by Honduras Supreme Court, National Congress, the Armed Forces, the Attorney General's office and other Government agencies, Zelaya was ordered to end his Wannabe Dictator run..... but failed stubbornly to accept defeat.  Defeat from all facets of the Honduran populous, including businesses, workers, land owners, foreign investors and the very government institutions alike.  He was told that if he continued to push for Constitutional change (he even admitted he wished to re-write the Constitution to that of Venezuela's) he would be committing treason.  He ignored the law, actually taunted the courts and the Electoral Tribunes.... and "paid off" volunteers to support him and his illegal cause.

Today, Congress proved to the world that no one is "above the law"... not even a President.  Hats off to the people of Honduras!!  You've saved this country!  Viva Democracy!  The interim President, Roberto Michelleti announced today that general elections WILL go on as scheduled this November!!

Here in Roatan, today is unlike any other... the sun is shining, boats are pulling water skiers, the beaches are full of white, red and brown tourists.... and God is once again, smiling down on our little, but democratic nation!

Carnival cruise ship port full steam ahead

     Looking like they'll come in ahead of schedule, Carnival Cruise Line's new Roatan port, Mahogany Bay is moving ahead at record pace.  Construction of buildings, moorings and dock facilities is well underway and heading for completion by early fall.  A number of companies, both local and foreign have joined forces to complete the work, according to our source, and everything is on schedule.

Mahogany Bay, located just 10 mins from the existing Cruise Ship Terminal in Coxen Hole, is a $30M construction project housing a state of the art Terminal, restaurants and shops, administrative offices and business relating to tourism.

Island earthquake strongest in 100 years

At 2:30 am Thursday morning, I awoke suddenly to my bed and more importantly, my whole house shakin and thunderin.... having been through a number of small tremors on the Island, I believed it to be merely another aftershock from a quake in Guatemala or Salvador.  After going out onto my deck (posthaste) and peering down at my "bubbling" swimming pool, I realized this was no aftershock... but the real McCoy!!  At 7.1 Magnitude, this 'strongest in 100 years to hit Honduras' quake's epicenter was just 27 miles from where I stood.  It seemed like the shaking went on for minutes.... but I think it was about 40 seconds or so...  My home is concrete, so it certainly didn't feel like a 7.1, but I'm sure it DID to some of my friends and people I've spoken with, living in wood homes...

The power went off during the quake and stayed off for a short time (a few hours).  My generator kicked in and I was once again grateful for this "luxury".  I went online to the USGS earthquake-as-they-happen website right away to learn of what I just went through.  Real time earthquake monitoring... a very cool site.

Maybe it's because we're on an island, and maybe because the island is floating (don't quote me), but Roatan really did not receive any damage from the quake.  Most people reported broken dishes and picture frames, clean up of jostled items off shelving, and the odd broken water pipe or crack in the wall, and nobody here got seriously hurt, and very few structural problems...  For Roatan, Thursday was business as usual.. tourists were sun tanning, dive boats were full, restaurants were grilling fresh caught lobsters... you'd never guessed we were at the center of a 7.1!

The damage you see on TV is footage taken on the mainland... most damage due, in part, to inferior construction... (walls with little or no reinforcement bars), posts not connected to beam system... things that may save some money up front, but can be far more costly in the long run... or in a 7.1 for instance.  It could have been tragically worse... but it wasn't!

Our hearts and prayers go out to all those affected from this quake.... let's hope it's another 100 years before the next one... God Bless

The age old "chicken or the egg" question

     Nearly all resort destinations go through it.  Some rather seamlessly.... and some rather painfully.  Roatan is turning out more and more like the later.  With growth in the tourism investment sector comes social and economical repercussions.  For instance, more construction = more jobs.  More jobs = more people looking for jobs.  More people = more infrastructure needed (roads, power, water, waste management).   The economic repercussions we're dealing with on Roatan these days amount to simple issues that a "proactive, tourism savy" government could easily find solutions for.  Unfortunately for Roatan's business people, pretty much all levels of government have just not been able to keep up with the changes occurring due to increased development here in the Bay Islands.  These simple issues like the availability of potable drinking water, delinquency, increasing power consumption/demands, immigration of unskilled/uneducated workers, over-population of barrios, un-enforced education laws, juvenile offenders are being replaced with topics like "more hotel rooms needed" , more tours for the cruise ships, bigger busses for transportation, more planes from the USA please.

It seems that Roatan has historically chosen to sweep it's social issues under the carpet and instead focus on bringing in more cruise ships.  The new Mahogany Bay (Carnival Cruise Lines) $30M port, for example, is well under construction using imported workers from Guatemala we're told.  The man behind this?  The Honorable Jerry Hynds, Congressman to the Bay Islands.  Why doesn't his project use the local work force instead of importing workers from neighboring countries?  Can you blame the Roatanians for opposing this type of development?  There has been no control over migration of workers and their families coming to the island from mainland Honduras over the past few years and now we are faced with an overwhelming number of unskilled workers looking for employment here.  

Our focus must be educating the work force right now! so that they'll be ready to work in these new ventures, hotels, ports being built.  We need to ensure that the labour force is "tourism trained" and that our islands are safe and secure for visitors.  Who said, "build it and they will come"?

Belize went through it in the 80's.  Jamaica, Hawaii, the Bahamas have also gone through similar struggles... it's part of development, I'm told.  Most places hide the social issues development brings with "band-aids" for as long as they can, until something brings change... some element of disaster or economic downturn sends the powers that be searching for quick term solutions that work.  Roatan is almost there.  We are so close.  We CAN be a tourist destination to be reckoned with.  But it's time for major reforms in our government... both local and in the Capital.  With this being an election year, we're hoping for big things!!

Easter party on the beach - roatan style!

     Each year while Semana Sante revelers are pounding the sands of West Bay with music, dancing and celebration of a week long holiday, Shelley and I are preparing for our annual Kid's Easter party.   This year, more than 40 children and parents took part in an egg hunt at Costa Tesoro, pot-luck lunch and snacks, water games in the pool, and just all around great socializing with good friends.

We were pleased to have visitors from Toronto, Canada, Parrot Tree Plantation and as far down the Island as Camp Bay, thanks Ollie & Gary and family!!  Roatan Bruce and Lorin joined in the fun along with their daughter, Kenya.... and a Happy Birthday wish to Bruce as well this past Sunday.   The kids sure enjoyed the festivities and the adults talked about the resurrection of Jesus Christ on that day, taking in the "true" meaning of Easter and what it means to us Christians....

Oh, did I mention that our boys stayed up extra late Sunday?   Probably had to do with the goodies inside the eggs.....  

Semana Sante (Holy Week) in the islands 2009

Probably the biggest holiday in Latin America, Easter is big on West Bay beach!!  More than 3,000 people took to the sand yesterday for cheap beer, sun-worshipping, people-watching and dancing to the collage of music blaring from resort to resort....  Even the cruise ship passengers, on Roatan for the day, joined in the festivities.... 

Parasailer finds sunken treasure ship off west bay

What started out  to be a $45 - 15 minute tourist activity has turned out to be one of the Caribbean's largest "treasure" find in history!!  Nancy White, vacationing on Roatan from north west Idaho, spied what she thought was a "dead whale carcass" from more than 100 feet in the air during a parasailing trip this week.  "Turns out, what she saw was a sunken Pirate ship containing more than 4 Million dollars in Spanish Dubloons", Marco Gonzales, director of Antiquities of Central America confirmed.

     "We're happy to find this (still to be identified) ship in such pristine condition", Gonzales adds.  We're told that due to the position of the ship, it was only detectable in the right sunlight and at the right altitude.  According to local laws, finders keepers says Ms. White and she is off on a private jet this evening to "locations unknown" to count her fortune.  White, a school-teacher back home, is delighted with her find.  "I'm not sure what to say.... but one thing is for sure", adds White, "this sure is one April Fools day I won't forget".  (That's the ticket, ya!)