Unmet Expectations in Honduras

The time has come for us to decide if we are going to be a part of the problem, a part of the solution or, as always, just part of the landscape.

By J. C. Hernández
Every four years, the citizens of Honduras are filled with expectations when a new government takes office. Dreams of a better life, a stronger country and a society that gives all of its participants equal opportunity seduce us and make believers out us. We reconcile ourselves with our doubts and we give the newly-elected batch of public officials the benefit of the doubt -- most of the time, against our better judgment.

In part, these expectations are fueled by our innate need to believe again in our laws and institutions, to somehow feel civilized again and to regain control of our destinies. But mostly these high hopes are fed by a part of the human condition that instinctively obligates us to evolve and improve ourselves and the world around us; a sort of naive sense of collective optimism that keeps us moving forward as a people.

However, a brief look at our recent political history and basic common sense make us question these hopes and dreams and our ability to make them a reality. The last seven months of political turmoil tested the limits of all Honduran citizens and our capability to put up with a shady political elite that continually undermine the will and well-being of the majority. The petty bickering, misleading statements and an all-out deception of public opinion for the personal gain of a shameless few constitute the political betrayal that is our legacy.

This last political crisis has forever changed our people and redefined the way we view our country, our leaders and especially our fellow citizens. This situation either pushed our threshold to withstand the negligence and abuse that is at the center of the traditional management style of the political “leaders” of our time or, hopefully, they have worn our patience thin and from here on they should be mindful of their decisions and actions, for we will no longer put up with their nonsense. I believe the new administration will find out soon enough how much we have changed.

Over the last 28 years, this country of ours has seen an endless parade of politicians from both sides of the aisle -- from the Nationalist and Liberal parties alike -- take turns in digging our nation into an increasingly deeper hole. The same problems that were there when we established our democratic form of government nearly three decades ago still remain. The only difference now is the level of complexity of these problems. Poverty, unemployment, crime and broken health and education systems are at the center of our daily lives. The worst part of it is that no one seems to be doing anything about it... at least nothing significant.

Experience has taught us that it is safer to be a skeptic and, above all, that it is far simpler to be a cynic. Our common sense begs us to be at the opposite end of hope. At this point, we should really know better than to be overly hopeful. But being a pessimist simply cannot be in the cards when you think about the future of a country and its people. Our only choice is to push forward and hope deeply in our hearts that the worst is behind us. The expectation is that the decision-makers of our country have also concluded that the time for half measures and mediocre thinking is long gone. I trust, that for the benefit of our country and their own survival, these career politicians will find a more effective way of dealing with these enormous problems and, more importantly, will realize that time is running out.

I have concluded that our best bet is to hold on to those high expectations ourselves and rely on our individual capabilities to make the little differences as often as we can. We have to believe that Honduras will be a better country if each of us become better citizens. We have to hold ourselves accountable and we have to trust that the sum of our small individual efforts will make a large collective difference. The time has come for us to decide if we are going to be a part of the problem, a part of the solution or, as always, just part of the landscape. (2/23/10)