Mel Martinez to Obama: Don’t take sides on Honduras

June 30, 1:16 PMOrlando Republican ExaminerBlas Padrino

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Yesterday evening, Florida Senator Mel Martinez released a statement concerning the events that led to the removal of Manuel Zelaya from the presidency of Honduras. In it, the Senator urged the Obama administration, as well as other countries, to refrain from taking sides in the dispute between the Honduran Congress and Supreme Court on one hand, and the now-deposed chief executive Manuel Zelaya on the other. Sen. Martinez’s statement read:

“The crisis in Honduras stems from the failure of its leaders to live within constitutional boundaries and from the earlier silence of the United States and international community regarding the abuse of power by the Honduran executive. Any disruption of the constitutional order is unacceptable, regardless of who commits it.

“In the current crisis, neither the U.S. nor other countries in the region or the international community should be taking sides in a constitutional dispute, but rather encouraging a resolution through dialogue among Hondurans and by helping Honduras maintain its currently scheduled presidential elections.”
 

Unfortunately, it may be too late. President Obama blundered the handling of the Honduran constitutional crisis from the start. According to the Associated Press, Mr. Obama made the following remarks when asked about the removal of Manuel Zelaya as President of Honduras:

"We believe that the coup was not legal and that President Zelaya remains the democratically elected president there. It would be a terrible precedent if we start moving backwards into the era in which we are seeing military coups as a means of political transition rather than democratic elections."

By referring to the actions of the Honduran Congress and Supreme Court as ‘illegal’ and ‘a military coup’ he limited the United States’ policy options on the matter. He did exactly what Sen. Martinez cautioned against, and now he finds himself boxed into a position that gives left-wing Latin American rulers such as Hugo Chavez, Daniel Ortega and Fidel Castro the freedom to subvert the democratic institutions of Honduras with impunity.
Venezuelan strongman Chavez, a close associate of Zelaya, had already played a prominent role in undermining Honduras’ democratic institutions. In fact, Chavez bears some direct responsibility for provoking the crisis that led to Zelaya’s ouster.
The clash between Mr. Zelaya and the other branches of government stems from the ex-President’s insistence on holding a referendum to change the Honduran Constitution to allow him to stay in power indefinitely. Currently, the Constitution limits the presidency to one four-year term. Mr. Zelaya’s was due to expire next January, and elections to choose a successor are scheduled for November. Moreover, as with the U.S. Constitution, any amendments to the Honduran Constitution must originate with the legislative branch, not the Executive. Nevertheless, Mr. Zelaya sought to carry out his unconstitutional plan even after the Honduran Congress, the Attorney General and, finally, the Honduran Supreme Court ruled it illegal.
When the Court barred him from using public funds, strongman Chavez stepped in and abetted the ex-President’s scheme by printing the ballots in Venezuela and shipping them to Zelaya. That fact alone should have raised a red flag in front of President Obama’s eyes before he uttered his unfortunate comments on the matter. But now that Chavez’s plot has been thwarted, he is making open threats against Honduras. Yesterday, the Associated Press attributed the following comments to him:
 

"I'll do everything possible to overthrow this gorilla government of Honduras. It must be overthrown. The rebellion in Honduras must be supported."

Neither the White House nor the State Department have commented on Chavez’s overt threat to foment subversion in Honduras. Considering that the Central American nation has common borders with Nicaragua, ruled by Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega, and El Salvador, ruled by FMLN militant Mauricio Funes, both Chavez allies, President Obama should issue a stern warning to outsiders against attempting to destabilize Honduras.
Meanwhile, most sectors of the American press continue reporting the crisis in a biased manner, giving the impression that Honduras is under military rule, when that is not the case. They fail to report that Zelaya was removed by the unanimous vote of the Honduran Congress. That legislative body consists of 128 elected representatives, of whom 122 were present at the time the resolution was passed. Those voting in support included 62 members of Mr. Zelaya’s own party.
According to reports from the Honduran daily La Prensa, the legislature considered a list of illegal acts undertaken by Mr. Zelaya and concluded that he “carried out unfortunate acts, showing contempt for the legal authorities and failing to carry out his legal and constitutional duties which, in one way or another contribute to the normal development of the activity of the nation’s life.” Included among those were his failure to enforce at least 96 laws enacted by the Congress, and to submit a budget, which he was required to do by September 15 of last year. It is also reported that the ex-President intended to dissolve the Congress as soon as his rogue referendum took place, thus paving the way to enforce it through Executive fiat.
President Obama should heed Sen. Martinez’s advice, admit that his earlier remarks were inaccurate and appoint an envoy experienced in Latin American affairs to visit Honduras, get the facts straight and report back to him. In the meantime, he should refrain from, and warn others against taking any hostile action against the current Honduran government.
 

(Above right: Sen. Mel Martinez official photo. Above left: Hondurans demonstrate in support of Zelaya's removal/La Prensa)

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For more info:
La Prensa reports on the naming of new cabinet members
La Prensa reports on reasons for Zelaya's removal
Associated Press report continues to refer to Honduran crisis as a military coup