Since president Zelaya was ousted last year his supporters have never given up the political idea, for the pursuit of which in violation of the laws he was deposed: To overthrow the form of government in Honduras.
Last weekend a group calling itself the popular resistance movement held their second national meeting to discuss their agenda. The statement issued from the meeting is reproduced in its entirety below (from COPINH).
The title of the document clearly states that they are aiming for a “re-founding” of Honduras. They are thus openly confessing to wishing to overthrow the form of government, since re-founding refers to throwing out the old constitution and replacing it with a new one.
The present constitution bans even arguing for changing certain paragraphs, why arguing for changing all paragraphs of the constitution clearly runs afoul of the law. Among the consequences mentioned is the loss of citizenship-rights for 10 years. So what argument are these groups using for why it would be legal for them to promote this plan?
Their justification is explicitly provided in the statement: “[We proclaim…] 4. That we are continuing to use our legitimate and sovereign right to exercise the popular power. This power of the people surpasses the representative kind and therefore it is assumed to have the power for delegating as well as for revoking such representation.”
In other words, they consider themselves to speak for all the people of Honduras, even though they are little more than a collection of special interest groups, with a very small number of members compared to the number of people who voted in the last elections (Nov 29, 2009). In fact, not even all factions of the farmer groups themselves support the agenda of their leader, Rafael Alegria.
Ex-president Manuel Zelaya is also promoting a Constituting Constitutional Assembly, by denouncing the present popularly elected president as illegitimate, and by denouncing the state of Honduras before the Inter-American Human Rights Court, requesting that the court convicts Honduras and orders the country to hold a Constituting Constitutional Assembly.
However, although some websites claim that the meeting developed a document with a proposed outline of a new constitution, and a plan for how to implement it, I have still not seen any links to the actual documents. (If you know where to find that info, please write a comment with a URL!)
If this group has a plan that includes an open debate with full right to participation by all citizens of Honduras, then I would applaud that initiative, and encourage the government to support the grassroots initiative. Of course, a condition must be that the activity is carried out within the law, which means that any proposed changes to the constitution must be adopted by Congress.
If, on the other hand, their proposal is not made public, and if input from the majority is neither sought nor welcomed, then their plan is nothing more than a partisan special-interest agenda that has almost no chance of succeeding without the use of force. Nor does it have any democratic legitimacy in that case. It is up to this self-labeled “resistencia” to put their cards on the table now, and reveal in action if they intend to become an armed revolutionary movement, or a peaceful grassroots initiative for constitutional reform.
In words they have already selected the former. If they follow up those words with action, they will become entirely marginalized as a terrorist group. My advice is that they change foot and form a movement for democratic reform, not an unconstitutional revolution. If they don’t, they will be irrelevant, but if they do, they may have a profound positive impact on their native country. May God open their eyes in time.
Manifiesto del II Encuentro Nacional por la Refundación de Honduras
II Encuentro Nacional por la Refundación de Honduras
Instalación de la Primera Asamblea Nacional Constituyente, Popular y Democrática
Manifiesto
Reunidos y reunidas, en la ciudad de La Esperanza, con el auspicio del signo de la esperanza, mujeres y hombres de 17 departamentos del país, hemos cumplido con otra cita con Honduras, para mirarnos, debatir y fortalecer, mediante el diálogo, nuestros saberes, experiencias y sueños con el afán de refundar nuestra patria.
Este II Encuentro por la Refundación de Honduras estuvo caracterizado por la espiritualidad ancestral, la creatividad, el intercambio profundo en la diversidad y el ejercicio largo y arduo de instalación de una Asamblea Nacional Constituyente Popular y Democrática que expresara las propuestas que son pilares de nuestro proceso de Refundación del país.
Ante el pueblo de Honduras, manifestamos:
1. Que continuamos en resistencia contra los golpistas y sus aliados nacionales e internacionales, por lo tanto no reconocemos el gobierno fraudulento de Porfirio Lobo.
2. Que continuamos en la construcción de las propuestas históricas del movimiento social hondureño, que se enfilan a erradicar el sistema de dominio neoliberal, patriarcal y racista.
3. Que insistimos en construir, desde diversidad de sectores, voces, y experiencias, un modo de vida justo, digno y feliz para todos y todas los hondureños que ya se ha expresado en las luchas por la tierra, por la justicia, por la defensa de la riqueza natural y por el respeto a los derechos humanos
4. Que seguimos haciendo uso de nuestro derecho legítimo y soberano de ejercer el poder popular. Este poder del pueblo rebasa el carácter representativo y por lo tanto se asume legítimo para delegar así como para revocar esa representación.
5. Que no renunciaremos al propósito de la instalación de la Asamblea Nacional Constituyente Popular y Democrática en donde se reconozca e integre la diversidad de pensamientos y de luchas del pueblo de Honduras.
Manifestamos nuestra solidaridad, en este momento, con las luchas que libran las organizaciones del magisterio nacional, del sindicato de la universidad nacional (SITRAUNAH), los pueblos de San Francisco de Opalaca y Nacaome en contra de la construcción de las represas y la lucha por la tierra por parte del Movimiento Unificado Campesino del Aguán; nos solidarizamos con Manuel Zelaya Rosales y el padre Andrés Tamayo, y otros hondureños y hondureñas exiliados, producto de la persecución política así como exigimos que se respete su derecho a ingresar al territorio nacional. De igual manera nos solidarizamos activamente con los presos y perseguidos/as políticos y exigimos la liberación inmediata de 10 campesinos presos a razón de la defensa de la tierra.
El II Encuentro por la Refundación de Honduras es una acción más en este proceso refundacional y de resistencia, que no se agota aquí, sino que se abre y convoca a las múltiples y diversas acciones populares para cumplir la tarea de construir una nueva Honduras.
Desde este territorio ancestral de resistencia lenca, con el espíritu de rebeldía de Lempira, a 14 días del mes de marzo del 2010.
Fecha: 16/03/2010