Newspapers today have confidently quoted Roberto Micheletti's words. Michelleti, Chairman of the National Congress, when referring to the governments internal analysis in considering Honduras's participation in ALBA, said the following:
"I talked with the President and made it clear; if the ALBA has a single participation in military affairs, Congress will not approve it"
The main congressional representative said that Honduras is a country of peace and harmony. He also stated that the NC (National Congress) will support any commercial treaty involving matters of state, but "we are not going to support agreements that have been signed from one president to the other president."
Keep in mind that Roberto Michelleti also been known for his ideas in favor of public services being privatized.
Aside from the conclusions one can make of the importance given to a President's signature, we are confronted with another equally important question that many seem not to be able to answer conclusively. What is ALBA?
Alba, according to their main webpage: "
The Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA) is based, fundamentally, upon a model of politic, economic and social integration of countries, as the Caribbean and Latin American, which share geographic spaces, historical and cultural bonds, necessities and common potentialities" The Bolivarian Alternative is headed by President Hugo Chavez himself.
Their politics are based in principles of cooperation, solidarity and "Complementarity". It is also vere clear about what it is against: "
ALBA is an alternative to the neo-liberal model, which has not done but that to deepen the structural asymmetries and to favor the accumulation of wealth in privileged minorities in detriment of the well-being of countries" (In simple words, they believe that when the rich get richer, the poor get, well, poorer.)
Their website provides a review of what Alba is, its mandates and prinicipals. Most of what they say is very good and gives hope to the Latin American community. But, there are some parts of it that should be looked at carefully. I also want to clarify, that I am as new to this as most readers, and I don't pretend to be inclined either way, or claim to know the right answer. I do, in fact, strongly promote that people better understand what ALBA is proposing, and have their own ideas about it. Discuss them openly and create awareness, specially about the following statements ALBA makes about itself and its agenda.
ALBA Claims to:
*
Strengthen sovereignty and balance, of the countries in the region.
(By the way, Sovereign according to Merriam Websters dictionary:
a: one possessing or held to possess sovereignty b: one that exercises supreme authority within a limited sphere c: an acknowledged leader)
*
Alba is based on cooperation through compensatory "
founds" (I believe that the correct translation is FUNDS, from whom? Probably Private business's tax, individual's income tax and government owned businesses;
perhaps "dues" as are paid to the United Nations?).
*They are proposing to "rethink the agreements of integration".
*To wake up the conscience in the developing of , among other things, a new military leadership.
*Launch a Latin American Union. *
Give national companies advantage to become public suppliers. (What do they mean by national companies?).*
"The foreign investors will not be able to demand the countries by the handling of state monopolies of public interest"
*"Treatment special and differentiated to unequal economies to open opportunities to the weakest". In other words, double standards. *"
Process of wide social participation, which can be characterized like democratic" In other words, we, Latin Americans, have the power, and thus the responsibility to understand and intervene on this agenda as our conscience deems to be true and good. And this is why its important to truly understand this agenda.
*"
Creation of founds (Funds) of structural convergence for the correction of asymmetries" Now this one, I put in, because I'm afraid couldn't understand. Anyone care to comment and help me out with this one?
*
"In the ALBA, the fight against the protectionist policies and the ruinous subsidies of the industrialized countries cannot deny the right of the poor countries to protect its farmers and agricultural producers". While they are saying that protectionist policies have damaged our countries, they are also saying that they are also going to implement them for their our gain.
*"
In these countries agriculture is, rather, a way of life and it cannot be treated like any other economic activity". (Keep in mind that historically Agriculture was the first economic activity that produced surplus, and that part of our economic underdevelopment and malnourishment comes from lack of improvement in agricultural methods and business training, as well as lack of nutritional knowledge. A true example of this is mothers giving Coca-Cola to their children instead of milk!.).
*"
ALBA must attack (...) The deep inequalities and asymmetries between countries".
*
They also question the validity of intellectual property. (And while I strongly support open source and free information, I also strongly defend that he who labored, invested and struggled to develop new ideas, has the right to choose whether to sell them or give them away).
*"
To pay attention to the problems that affect the consolidation of a true democracy, such as the monopolized social mass media" Its important to fight for free media and freedom of speech. Whether their policies envision that power of the individual is unclear to me, its very clear that we have to be protective of our right to express what we think.
I think there is a basic, perhaps intentional confusion here mixing up 'consolidation of a true democracy' and free market, or capitalist dynamics.
*"To face the so called Reformation of the State that only took us to an unfair processes of deregulation, privatization and disassembling of the capacities of public management." Basically saying, the government is going to get bigger, handle more money and more responsibility, taking it away from anyone who would like to make a profit from such activities.
*
Without a clear intervention of the State directed to reduce the disparities between countries, the free competition between unequal countries will lead us to make the damage of weakest worst. This in other words, means a very direct counter movement to the NAFTA... (Free Trade Agreement or Tratado de Libre Comercio).
*
To deepen Latin American integration requires an economic agenda defined by the sovereign States, outside all ominous influence of the international organisms. Sounds a bit like isolationist theory at work here...any research out there? What constitutes an "ominous influence" - not to mention "international organism?"
So there you go, a brief and interesting view of ALBA's most controversial policies. Think them over, discuss them and let the people know they have the right to have their own opinions on the subject and promote them.
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