Scorpions and Glueheads

Name: ProjectHonduras
Email: htco@juno.com
Date: 4/15/99
Time: 1:50:19 PM
Remote Name: 38.181.64.6
Remote User:

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This is the first of a series of articles about Honduras-related issues which are most being discussed on the Internet. As I develop a technique or a knack for summarizing this "underground dialogue", this writing will evolve into a weekly column. My intent is to highlight as many topics as possible and offer an occasional insight, without revealing too many of my personal biases.

The goal of the The Underground Dialogue is to gauge the mood and sentiments of people who have an interest in Honduras. It is my hope that the information can be put to good use by individuals and organizations in positions of leadership and influence to make a difference in the country.

During the past two weeks, I've monitored e-mail exchanges on the Hondo 1 and Catrachos-L lists on more than two dozen identifiable issues, ranging from scorpions in Tegucigalpa to the dismantling of old bridges in California for later reassembly in Honduras. I've taken the liberty of filtering out those discussions which seemed to go nowhere or were of a personal nature. This process left me with a total of eight issues.

The most popular and heart-felt discussion had to do with Fundacion Maria and concerns about that organization's management of international aid funds. Inquiries made to Fundacion Maria requesting a general accounting of the monies have, thus far, gone unanswered. It is this lack of responsiveness to the public which is fueling growing suspicion about the organization's professionalism and integrity.

The need to change Honduras' land distribution system and export-based agricultural economy was probably the most intellectual, informative discussion. Clearly, unless Honduras moves to industrialize and use the bulk of its arable land to produce crops for internal consumption, the country will remain dependent on expensive food imports and its' poor will continue to suffer from malnourishment. Arguments favoring the expropriation and redistribution of lands as a way to quickly move in this direction were viewed as too simplistic, with the obvious negative political side-effects.

There are thousands of homeless street kids in Honduras who are addicted to sniffing a glue called Resistol, manufactured by a company called Cyanamid Corp. These numbers have risen noticeably following Hurricane Mitch, leading to increased crime. In time, these addicts will become adults. Shouldn't be too hard to imagine the future consequences for Honduras. The addictive component in Resistol is a substance called Toluene. By the way, glue can be produced with other non-addictive solvents.

In response to the growing crime wave in Honduras and complaints by business leaders, President Flores has ordered 8,000 troops to help the police patrol the streets of the major cities. Seems reasonable enough. But the vast feeling is that this is no more than a temporary solution to a serious problem that is only in its infancy. Okay, so crooks are forced to take a holiday. Eventually, the soldiers will return to their barracks and the thieves and murderers will return refreshed and with a vengeance. Did you hear there will be no pay raises for the military and the police in the '99 budget... And we're betting on tourism to revive our country?

Honduras already charges a fee of $25 to leave the country. Now some bureaucrat has proposed that the government charge a $45 visa fee for those who want to go to Honduras. This is ludicrous. The point has been made that we want to attract people to Honduras, not chase them away. Whatever money would be made from the new charge would not come close to making up for lost tourism revenue.

Several unfavorable accounts by travelers who flew TACA to-and-from Honduras. The biggest complaint was that TACA representatives were less than truthful about or helpful with things such as scheduling and delayed luggage, which resulted in missed connections and unreimbursed expenses for passengers. "TACA should keep their free cocktails and give people the service they expect".

The electrical fire at the El Cajon hydroelectric plant brought the return of electricity rationing in Tegucigalpa and surrounding areas. That was bad. What was good is that someone in California saw an investment opportunity. Enron Wind Development Co. of Techapi, CA has proposed building a windpower electric station, consisting of 80 windmills, just south of Tegucigalpa. The station would generate 60 megawatts and save Honduras from importing hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil. Everyone agrees this is smart thinking...finally.

Mr. Emin Barjum Mahomar (head of the Central Bank of Honduras) dismissed projections that the lempira will be devalued to 20:1 versus the US dollar by the end of this year. His suggestion that people who believe such projections are ignorant of the facts was roundly viewed as laughable. The general thinking by several economists and people who track Honduras closely is that there is no reason to believe the lempira will stay at 14:1 much longer. It's all a moot point anyway, because soon the dollar will replace the lempira as the national currency.

Last changed: June 22, 1999

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