Letter to the President

The following is a letter that I sent to the president:

Mr. President,

My name is Mateo. I am an American citizen living as a third grade teacher in Honduras. As you are well aware, this country has had a very intense few months. On June 28th, many Americans learned about a small country called Honduras and their very sensitive political situation. However, many of my friends and family in the United States had already been keeping Honduras in their prayers for a while. The political crisis here did not begin on June 28th. President Manuel Zelaya Rosales had proposed for the day of the 28th to have what he referred to has the “Cuarta Urna” or “Fourth Ballot Box.” His proposal was to put another vote alongside that of the presidential election as to whether or not they should change the constitution. Exactly what they would change was not specified though it was understood that one part of this revision would be an amendment to the one term limit, allowing Mr. Zelaya to run for future terms. As you are well aware, Honduras (along with other Latin American countries) has had a rough time in the past with dictators who wanted to stay indefinitely. Because of this, the constitution states that if any president tries to change the term limit, they would lose the title of their office. As Americans, we are very proud of our constitution. It should not surprise us that Hondurans feel the same way. As of the week before the cuarta urna, polls showed that Mr. Zelaya had 20% approval (for comparison, that is lower than both Mr. Bush and Mr. Nixon at the end of their presidencies). The Supreme Court declared this vote unconstitutional and the Congress renounced it as well. This pitted one branch of the government against the other two. Unfortunately, the Honduran constitution does not specify impeachment procedures. In what was undoubtedly the wrong move, the Congress used the military to arrest and exile Mr. Zelaya. They then proceeded to the next in line for President, Roberto Micheletti.

I understand the United States’ awkward position in this situation. We have been on the wrong side of coups in Latin America in the past. In the name of fighting communism, we have supported dictators—in Latin American and abroad. At the surface, this situation sounds similar. It does not surprise me that you wanted to distant yourself from our past sins as a nation. However, what has surprised me is the strong tone of the US’s rejection of the new Honduran government. By rejecting it, we are rejecting their laws and constitution. We are telling them that we know what is better for them because we supply them with their checks and food for their poor. This sounds like imperialism to Honduran ears, the very thing you are trying so hard to avoid! I was overjoyed to learn that we are not planning on cutting back more aid to Honduras. By denying food to hungry people, we would have punished the poor for the acts of their government and could have incited a violent rebellion. But I have been disappointed by our decision to cease non-immigrant, non-emergency visa services to all Honduran citizens. I feel that this is punishing the majority for the sins of a few.

I know that you are already fully aware of the situation here in Honduras, Mr. President, and it is not my intention to presume to instruct you. Rather I would like to appeal for the Honduran people that they would have the support of a country that they have relied on for so many years (for the good and the bad that it has sometimes brought them) as well as for a more personal reason. I am engaged to a wonderful Honduran citizen named Katia. We are to be married here in Honduras this December. We would like to come to the United States for our honeymoon so that I could show her the country and people who mean so much to me before coming back here to Tegucigalpa, Honduras in January where we have jobs as teachers. I am not a political man, Mr. President. I am neither Republican nor Democrat—I am a registered independent. I am not pushing one political view over another. I am just a man who is very close with many Hondurans who feel very hurt by the country that they have so often counted on for support.

Also, I would like to go on our honeymoon.

Thank you,
Mateo