Honduras Peoples Anger–Imperialist Manipulation
Tens of thousands of people
defied the army takeover of the
capital Tegucigalpa in a mass rally
and march. People around the
country had erected road blocks,
flaming barricades, blocked toll
booths and occupied strategic
bridges. The Hondurans are
protesting electoral fraud alleging
the Juan Orlando Hernandez and
the Supreme Electoral Tribunal
had manipulated the results of
elections held on November
26.For the last three weeks, the
protest actions of the Hondurans
continued while the army used
brutal methods of repression. At
least 20 civilians have been killed,
70 injured, 800 arrested and
others reported missing. The army
and police, armed by the US
imperialism, are kidnapping, and
murdering those leading the
ongoing protests, with reports and
videos of uniformed but masked
officials carrying out extra-judicial
murders of demonstrators and
entering homes even during day
time. Violent clashes are still
continuing. The opposition leaders
Manuel Nasrulla has went to
Washington for talks with the US
administration to assure it that he
would serve US interests.
After the three weeks of
impasse, on November 17 the
Supreme electoral Tribune
declared that the incumbent
president Juan Orlando Hernandez
was elected by a slender margin
of 1.5 per cent against the
opposition candidate Salvador
Nasrulla. On the same day, The
chief of Organisation of American
States (OAS), Us imperialist’s
diplomatic arm for the Americas
since its foundation after World
War Two, Luis Almagro issued the
following statement: “Facing the
8
impossibility of determining a
winner, the only way for the people
of Honduras to be the victors is to
call for a new general elections”.
This marked the US imperialism’s
intention of imposing its preferred
rulers on Honduran people.
One has to look into recent
history to understand the situation
prevailing in Honduras which is
being created and manipulated by
the US imperialism.
The US imperialism has both
military and economic interests in
Honduras. Over the decades, the
Pentagon has launched military
interventions against Cuba,
Nicaragua, Guatemala. El
Salvador, Domenican Republic
and now Venezuela from the
Palmerola air base in Honduras,
which has the longest runway in
Central America. Since 2009 US
has given $114 million as military
aid to Honduras.
The Dole and Chiquita
agribusiness monopolies have
huge plantations in Honduras.
Honduran company Dinant,
whose shareholders include major
world financial capitalists, is a big
producer if African palm oil. Since
2009 coup, the government has
handed over large tracts of land
and water ways to foreign mining
companies, areas formerly owned
by Afro-decendents and indigenous
communities.
The country’s poverty rate has
increased by 10 per cent since
2009 coup pushing two thirds of
the population below the poverty
line. The retired and current
Honduran officials refer constantly
to the threat of an “insurrection”
and “civil war”, which indicates the
crisis brewing in Honduran society.
When US-backed coup in
2009 deposed Manuel Zelaya from
the presidency, mass protests
erupted and brutal repression was
unleashed on the people as is
being witnessed today. The US
made the new regime headed by
Hernandez, the opposition and
OAS to sign a pact. At the same
time, the police and army were
ordered to unleash repression on
the people. Rights activists,
indigenous communities, Afro-
hondurans, women, teachers,
students and youth and trade
unionists were terrorized and
murdered by the police and
military. Murders include
environmental activist Berta
Caceres and human rights leader
Margarita Murillo.
The same policy is being
pursued
by
the
Trump
administration. It wants Hernandez
to continue in power disregarding
the opposition’s promises to
defend us interests. It made it clear
that it is vital to maintain ongoing
austerity measures, militarization
and dictatorial form of rule to
contain the growing discontent
and unrest among the Hondurans.
There were strikes by police forces
and many officers are reluctant to
carry out repression on people as
ordered by the government. Since
2016 the government removed
4000 officials from service for not
implementing its orders. On 18 th
November about 17 police officers
resigned to the Special Commission
for Deputation.
It is clear that the OAS will
seek to mediate and eventually
reach a deal between the two
factions of Honduran bourgeoisie,
while the US and its puppet
government in Honduras carry out
a bloody suppression of Honduran
people.
Class Struggle