My father has been punished for helping Honduras

After the removal of my father by a military coup sanctions against the regime are vital

By Xiomara Zelaya Published 17 September 2009

Following the removal by a military coup of José Manuel Zelaya on 28 June, the people of Honduras have been engaging in a peaceful struggle for his restoration as president, for their rights, and for the convening of a constituent national assembly. Much is said about a possible military intervention by the Venezuelan president, Hugo Chávez; of a supposed wish by President Zelaya to perpetuate himself in power; and of Zelaya's alleged crimes, but these are all being used simply to mask the real reasons for the coup.

Since his election, my father has promoted the idea of "citizen power": the involvement of citizens in the decision-making process. He promoted the Citizen Participation Law, giving the people the right to use surveys, plebiscites and referendums to participate in decision-making. From the beginning, the media criticised his ideas, proposals and actions. Sometimes they called him mad. They accused him of ignorance. They branded his government ineffective. Later they called him populist, and now they say he is a communist and fugitive from justice.

In government, my father fulfilled his campaign promises, starting with cuts in fuel prices. This caused direct confrontations with the major oil multinationals. He denounced the plundering of the state electricity and telecommunications enterprises, which had been forced into bankruptcy. He worked for their recovery and to avoid privatising the few remaining state firms in a country where some 80 per cent of our resources have been privatised.

My father confronted the media. He condemned the media owners' contracts, exemptions from taxes, concessions worth millions, and illegal businesses such as firearms supply firms. He also achieved free education for all children, guaranteed school meals for more than 1.6 million children from poor families, reduced poverty by almost 10 per cent during two years of government, and provided direct state help for 200,000 families in extreme poverty, supplying free electricity to those members of society most in need.

His government raised the minimum wage by 80 per cent and, after 16 years of economic stagnation, achieved historically outstanding growth levels. Agriculture - in a country dependent on imports for 70 per cent of its grain - has been strengthened. The production of a wide range of grains has been developed. With ALBA (the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas, a regional trade group led by Venezuela), the state bank has been capitalised. Domestic employees have been integrated into the social security system, a co-operation agreement has been signed with Petrocaribe (a regional energy trading organisation), and the social conscience of the country's citizens has been boosted.

In a country where ten families control 90 per cent of the wealth, the Supreme Court of Justice and the national congress had easily manipulated our constitution to put it at the service of the dominant families.

In response, the president proposed a referendum, to be conducted in the November general elections, to determine whether a review of the constitution was required. This provoked an immediate reaction.

Manuel Zelaya wanted to hold an opinion poll to gauge public opinion on his proposal. Groups in power felt threatened by this and used their resources to try to prevent the initiative. The Supreme Court declared the poll illegal - a move which was itself illegal. The media tried to instil fear into the people, saying that the president's intention was to remain in power, and they began to use the image of President Chávez to try to link my father's opinion poll with socialism and communism.

Those in power thought it would be easy to silence the people after the coup. But 78 days later, resistance continues on a large scale. Even in the face of military and political repression, including assassinations by the coup regime, peaceful resistance continues every day in villages and neighbourhoods across the country. The leaders are persecuted, but they do not stop fighting.

Representatives of the de facto regime, its consultants and its media have shown the world their clumsiness and lack of principles every day. The coup has been rejected by the entire world and the regime is isolated by the international community.

Sanctions against the coup regime are vital. In addition, its planned "elections" this November must not be recognised. The voice of the people of Honduras must be heard. The country is being exploited by a group of people who benefit only themselves by dominating state institutions, and use force to ignore the wishes of the great majority of Hondurans.
The struggle of Honduras is a struggle for all nations.

Xiomara Zelaya is the daughter of Manuel Zelaya, the ousted president of Honduras

View the discussion thread.

10 comments

Fri, 2009-09-18 12:32 — Calvin Tucker

This excellent article by Xiomara ‘Pichu’ Zelaya smashes through the lies and propaganda of the coup regime and the right wing media. I had the pleasure of interviewing Pichu in July whilst we were pinned down on the open road by the soldiers, snipers and hooded gunmen of the Honduran dictatorship.

Despite facing almost daily attacks by the army, including assassinations, torture, rape and drive-by shootings, the unarmed resistance which unites unions, social movements and the ethnic black and indigenous populations is growing in strength. Not a single day has passed since the coup without demonstrations, blocking roads, strikes and other protests. In response, the coup regime has unleashed a wave of repression against the unarmed population.

Of the people I spoke to or interviewed during my visit, one was subsequently the victim of an attempted assassination, three have been beaten up by the army and police (one hospitalised with broken bones), and one followed by the army and knifed. The morning after I interviewed Pichu, the mutilated body of a young protester was dumped close by where I had been, and where Pichu and 300 others still remained. I believe it was left there as a warning.

You can read about it here: http://21stcenturysocialism.com/article/honduras_the_hooded_face_of_dict... (note: both Zelaya’s wife and daughter share the same first name)

The anti-coup media (one low budget satellite TV channel and two radio stations) have been attacked by raided by the military, had their bank accounts and advertising cut, acid poured on their transmission equipment, their signals interfered with or cut. Yet somehow they have managed to continue broadcasting.

Well done to the New Statesman for publishing this article. President Zelaya was not trying to become a president-for-life. But if this improvement in the standard of journalism at the NS is down to guest editor Ken Livingstone, then let’s make him editor-for-life!

Fri, 2009-09-18 17:34 — gringoresidente

Perhaps my ideology does not align with this magazine, but I am shocked to see this article and the opinions that followed this article.

Large portions of the so-caleld Mel supporters were paid using illicit funds, some linked directly to Chavez. I am a Honduran resident of 8 years, and I know NOT A SINGLE HONDURAN of the hundreds of Hondurans that I am lucky to have as friends that support Mel or feel what happened was a coup.

Mel Zelaya was personally involved in the scandals that rocked Hondutel, and his presidency is a stain on the history of Honduras.

Fri, 2009-09-18 23:39 — hlmm

Why she doesn´t tell about she used the presidential plane to go to see concerts in southamerica, how is brother buy a $500,000 without working, and his dad use $10,000,000 for its hobbies it´s horse it´s Harley Davidson (please give a break, if you really want to help your citizens you ust prove your are honest and intachable), yes Honduras needs changes but a corruot leader that tries to stay in power is not the solution

Sat, 2009-09-19 00:17 — jmartinez

First of all your father was punished for helping himself not Honduras, there is overwhelming evedince of the lifestyle he chose to live during his presidency. He had 3 years to help the poor in Honduras and he did not do anything, instead the lavish lifestyle you and your family lived makes it clear that he helped himself and not Honduras. The millions spent on Hotel suites, your brothers fancy cars and motor cades, his horses and I could go on . Prove to me that you lived this way before your father was president and I will shut up. 90% of the honduran population does not want him back. You father raised the minimum wage, yeah hurray for that! but it is not his money to give away! thanks to that ,many many many people are out of work because business were forced to cut their personnel by half becasue they could not afford to pay such a big increase in their payrolls (who ever herad of an 80% increase? ) that is insane and he was just trying to buy votes! to add insult to injurry your father led this country into such an instability this past year flirting around Chavez and the 4th ballot that we lost a lot of investments and therefore lost even more jobs.
The only thing I can credit your father with is having woken up our patrotism and the love I now hold for this country. I voted for your father. He had my respect. He lost it as quick as it came. Now I am loosing all respect for your mother who is still with him. Why hasn`t she gone to see him?????
I understand he is your father and family sticks together, but stop fooling the rest of us, specially the ignorant and uneducated people of Honduras the ones who you and your family including your father are taking great advantage of in this fight. If he really loves them and wants to fight for them then he should not be asking for Honduras to be punished.
P.S every one flew to washington to meet Bush, even grandma and grand kids???? how tacky is that??

Sat, 2009-09-19 00:38 — hlmm

ja not trying to stay in power, just see him saying it , he is not a white dove as he is showing the world

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sl9hDg_nGIU

Sat, 2009-09-19 03:17 — TheRealHondurasNotLies

- OK, fair enough, the girl has a right to speak her mind. But lest not forget
- Zelaya was one of the most corrupt presidents of Honduras (according to transaprency international)
- He was pushing for a referendum deemed illegal by the Honduras supreme court 13-0 (including his own party)
- The referendum was and obvious bid for reelection, demed by a judge, and this barred him for 10 years from serving office.
- His thugs stole at least 2 milion US$ from the Honduras Central Bank, at his orders.
- His lavish lifestyle, renting luxury suits for 3 years in 5 stars hotels, 20,000$ suits, private jets, private parties, expensive horses, all paid with Honduras Tax Payers Money, are a total denial of his bid to "Help the Poor".
- The referendum was already rigged, as he had less than 30% popularity by June 2009 (according to CID Gallup Polls).

- So hey, you can say a mass on behalf of Zelaya, but he is no friend of Democracy or the Poor.

- I believe the true title of this article should be "My Father was Punished for Helping Himself!"

Sat, 2009-09-19 05:29 — hondurena2

only you believe this bunch of lies...jaja you make me laugh

Sat, 2009-09-19 23:40 — thomas7

Paying attention to what this pseudocomunist says is just wasting time and energy. They (Zelaya's family and "friends") only fight is for the money they had and were wasting to their own interest. This is just pure hipocresy, and anyone that supports it is either realted to them or was just enjoying the happy life they were leading with Honduras tax payers money. They say they love Honduras??? That just makes me laugh, they only love the $$$$ Honduras gave them. This is just a soap opera. An the Us supporting them? Well, one thing may be because they sympathize with the Chavez regime, even though they say they support democracy, and one other thing may be because their ambassador in Honduras was Zelaya's friend, and wouldn't be unlikely that he had "business" in the goverment too. So if you call this poor Che Guevara's wannabe a good writer, then she should not be writing politics but fairytails with bad endings. For the Mel's fans, the people whom want comunisism for Honduras, same people that destoys private property, and profanates Honduras symbols, they should all go to live to Cuba.... or Venezuela. I hear Mel has some properties in Venezuela, go take them away from him!

Sun, 2009-09-20 06:24 — nsr777

What does anybody expect to here from the daughter of Mel Zelaya; is their anybody out there that would expect her to speak bad about her father? Please... MZ wanted to remain in power, he said it himself, and even though flying him out of the country in "pajamas" may have not being the proper procedure, it was the one route that produced less dead MZ followers, so if he really loves the people like hi pretends, he should be thankful.

Thu, 2009-09-17 21:09 — ALE

Zelaya has been the best president of Honduras, he is very socially sensible, what make his government to be involved in social project, association with the ALBA, which is not more than the countries from Latin-American help themselves, we had like 2,000 teacher helping adults learn to read and write, we had Cuban doctor´s giving free consults. That´s why this past September 15 millions of people was in the street protesting for his restitution

Ten families are not scare of the poll, what they are scare is than the ordinary people can say not to their dirty tricks, many of them don not pay taxes, they made a law to be tax-exempt, some other times with the help of previous governments they had condoned their electricity and telephones bills by millions of lempira’s all this didn´t have while Zelaya´s in power, so they gather together Money to pay militar´s and make their paradise come back but their paradise is over know everybody knows who they really are ENEMIES of our wish to develop our country.