Former Vice-President of Guatemala Eduardo Stein has been nominated by President Porfirio Lobo to coordinate the formation of a Truth Commission to detail and analyze the actions leading up to, during, and since the overthrow of Manuel Zelaya as president on June 28, 2009. The primary goal of the commission will be to determine and clarify the facts of the events that created and escalated the political crisis in Honduras, under the assumption that the information will contribute to the process of national reconciliation. According to Mr. Stein, one of the outcomes of the commission's work might be to recommend certain "institutional changes that could strengthen [democratic institutions in Honduras] and help avoid the recurrence of the kind of serious political acts that took place". Mr. Stein noted that the commission will not be an investigative body, in the judicial sense. Although the issue of alleged human rights abuses will be addressed, the commission will not be tasked with assigning blame or prosecuting anyone. The Honduran Congress recently passed a general amnesty for all political offenses associated with Mr. Zelaya's ousting. (photo of Eduardo Stein courtesy AP)
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The question I have is; What would be the comparative benefit to the "process of national reconciliation" between spending millions of Lempira on a Truth Commission and spending the same amount on direct assistance programs for the Honduran poor?
Assuming Mr. Stein gets the job, I hope he can quickly and efficiently come up with a detailed and accurate report. His surname does suggest that he has family roots in a culture which has shown definite skill in admitting the truth, national reconciliation and accurate reporting.