Honduras: A New Dawn in Central America

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Honduras: A New Dawn in Central America

By Marcos Alfonso

According to the Aristos Spanish dictionary, Alba means: “Dawn. The first light of the day”…What happened in Tegucigalpa, Honduras on Monday, reflects such content.

The notable and great difference for those wanting to join the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas is accepting: integration, development, sisterhood, justice and solidarity. “It is a Latin American social agreement and an association between States”, said Honduran President Manuel Zelaya.

In December of 2001, on the occasion of the 3rd Summit of the Association of Caribbean States when Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez launched the initiative, a strong blow was given to Washington’s imposed neo liberal policies in the region.

With the entry of Honduras, there are six nations that have already joined the regional integration system, Venezuela, Cuba, Bolivia, Ecuador and Nicaragua, whose objective is the integration of the nations of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Zelaya, addressing the powerful sectors of the country said firmly they should leave aside any doubts and not give opinions on what they do not know: “support the people because this is a project for the people”.

Another side of such oligarchy reaction is related to the attitude that the US could take towards the small South American nation. The Honduran Head of
State was tacit: “No one has the right to decide what should be done, on the contrary, our freedom of association and integration with Central America and Latin America to move forward must be respected.”

The literacy programs using the Cuban method “Yo Si Puedo” or “Yes I Can”, the Operation Milagro eye program which has taken health care to the most remote areas of the region , scholarships to the Havana based Schools of Medicine and Sports, oil supplies and other cooperation programs are just the beginning.

With fairness and respect for sovereignty as standard, ALBA opens the way to stalling neoliberalism, which under the new Free Trade Agreements has done nothing but add to the misery and inequality of the peoples in this part of the world.

http://www.periodico26.cu/english/opinion/august2008/honduras-alba082808.html

It is no accident that the Venezuelan elites, that pride themselves in how white they are, and their American allies are all bent out of shape by the wave of progressive Latin American leaders such as Venzuela's President Hugo Chaves, Ecuador's President Rafael Correa, Bolivia's President Evo Morales, Nicaragua's President Danny Ortega, and Honduran President Manuel Zelaya; a majority of which coming from a mixed ethnic or indigenous background.

Viva Chavez! Viva Venezuela! Down with the Venezuelan elites and their American allies!