US embassy cable - 05TEGUCIGALPA1327

UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 001327 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT. FOR WHA/PD; IIP/G/WHA DIPASQUALE; AND IIP/T/ES 
DEPT. FOR PM AND EB/TRA 
DEPT. FOR WHA/EPSC, WHA/PPC AND WHA/CEN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OIIP, KPAO, PGOV, MASS, EAID, HO 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON MCC AND G-8, JUNE 20, 2005 
 
 
1. On 06/14 the Tegucigalpa-based liberal daily "La Tribuna" 
published an op-ed by Juan Mendingo entitled "The true 
external debt."  "It's a good thing that our government got 
debt forgiveness from Paris Club and now from the G-8, 
composed of the most powerful nations of the world." 
 
"From what I understand, debt forgiveness means that our 
government is obligated to invest this money in social- 
economic and environmental projects." 
 
"The reinvestment projects should be transparent and with 
active community participation. The communities should 
establish their more immediate necessities. Planning and 
project execution should be developed under strict auditing 
because we fear funds would be badly invested. On the 
contrary, without increasing bureaucrats' earnings for such 
purpose, we want projects to be specific. An area where it 
can be invested could be renewable electrical energy." 
 
2. OP-ed by Nicolas Rishmawy in Tegucigalpa-based moderate 
daily "El Heraldo," titled "Populism Bill." "Populism unties 
passion. But all those passions come from crossed opinions. 
To some populism is a memory of the glory years. To others, 
those images are a mirage: what you see are not the luxury 
years, they are the broken dishes that we are now facing. To 
tell you the truth, populism has two sides: kind years and 
years paying the broken dishes." 
 
"In certain way, populism lives by borrowing from the 
future, when crises happen and the future reaches us it 
turns out unable to postpone the bill." 
 
"Today Honduras is paying the bill. Maduro's government has 
had the ungrateful responsibility to split the bill and 
makes us pay it, he has done it so well that 60% of our 
external debt has been erased, so well that Honduras is the 
second country to have access to the MCC's funds. But he has 
done it so well that these success have converted him into 
an unpopular governor." 
 
"With the upcoming elections it is better not to trust those 
who promise nirvana because in the right balance between 
investment and social spending, countries' development is 
found. Accepting dinner invitations from those who pay with 
our credit is forgiving debt in the emptiness all the 
sacrifices that have to be done and that we haven't finished 
paying." 
 
Palmer