One Year of the Funes Presidency: Doing it his way.
El Salvador: A President without a party and a party without a President? The Funes Presidency. Doing it his way.
By El Salvador: A President without a party and a party without a President? The Funes Presidency. Doing it his way.
A Year ago, I attended the inauguration of Mauricio Funes as President of El Salvador, after covering the election campaign.
My recent documentary, "Guazapa Yesterday's Enemies," reported on the bloody Civil war in 1983 when El Salvador was a battlefield for the U.S. and the Soviet Union in the Cold War. At that time the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) was considered the most powerful leftist guerilla group in the America's. My documentary concludes with the narrow victory of Funes to become President and inspiring the Salvadoran people to believe change may at last be possible and starting a new era in El Salvador's history.
Funes won the Presidency skillfully, taking on the concept of change in a traditionally conservative society, but one that was tired of right- wing governments incapable of transforming poverty, inequality, injustice and insecurity.
As the June 1st anniversary of President Funes inauguration is at hand, the country, the FMLN and Funes are changing. Many Salvadorans now feel they have a President without a party and a party in power without a President. Business and conservative sectors do not trust him. In attempting to win their confidence, Funes has reached out to conservative leaders and the financial sector.
By El Salvador: A President without a party and a party without a President? The Funes Presidency. Doing it his way.
A Year ago, I attended the inauguration of Mauricio Funes as President of El Salvador, after covering the election campaign.
My recent documentary, "Guazapa Yesterday's Enemies," reported on the bloody Civil war in 1983 when El Salvador was a battlefield for the U.S. and the Soviet Union in the Cold War. At that time the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) was considered the most powerful leftist guerilla group in the America's. My documentary concludes with the narrow victory of Funes to become President and inspiring the Salvadoran people to believe change may at last be possible and starting a new era in El Salvador's history.
Funes won the Presidency skillfully, taking on the concept of change in a traditionally conservative society, but one that was tired of right- wing governments incapable of transforming poverty, inequality, injustice and insecurity.
As the June 1st anniversary of President Funes inauguration is at hand, the country, the FMLN and Funes are changing. Many Salvadorans now feel they have a President without a party and a party in power without a President. Business and conservative sectors do not trust him. In attempting to win their confidence, Funes has reached out to conservative leaders and the financial sector.
He is following policy recommendations of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Faced with a right -wing bloc in the National Assembly that threatened to prevent initiatives he supported from passing, Funes anticipated the inevitable split within the ARENA party. Bills that were thwarted years ago are now likely to become law. The price is to be challenged by officials within the FMLN, but Funes has shown he is also capable of achieving some FMLN goals and has retained support within his party.
In a speech to the United Nations in September 2009, Funes asserted he is leading a government of national unity. The same month, public opinion polls found he was the most popular president in Latin America.
Certainly, Funes has moved toward the center in order to achieve some of his campaign promises of hope and change. His situation is similar to that of President Barack Obama. Both took over the presidency from conservative administrations and both presidents have constituencies in their parties which are farther to the left on the political spectrum than they are.
Funes center stance has helped his popularity and made it more likely that his government can legislate improvements in the economy and implement harsh military measures to stem the lawlessness that claims an average 12 murder victims each day.
Funes has distanced himself from the traditional hard line FMLN policies embraced by Vice President Salvador Sanchez Ceren. This posture proved successful at the polls. Recently Ceren was in Venezuela speaking out strongly in support of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and spoke against the United States. Funes publicly rebuked Ceren, who was forced to acknowledge that only President Funes could set the course of El Salvador's foreign policy. The FMLN hard-liners
have seemingly accepted the fact they cannot appeal to the majority of Salvadorans and have settled into an uneasy alliance with the popular President.
Funes tough stance on reversing the environmental crisis has won him support on both the left and right, although it is not likely to help the economy. Funes refused to grant mining rights for the Canadian owned El Dorado gold mines, citing severe cyanide contamination and the use of scarce water supplies to extract the ore. Pacific Rim Mining company is now suing the Salvadoran government for hundreds of millions of dollars, claiming their rights under the US-Central American Free Trade Agreement.
Another popular move on Funes part was to send 5,000 government troops into the street to combat the rising crime and murder rate that claims an average twelve murders a day. So far, however, the bold martial initiative has had little effect.
The main challenge for Funes is dealing with the economic crisis. Poverty has increased in recent years to the extent 40% of Salvadorans live in poverty. Unemployment is also in the range of 40% at the same time fewer dollars are flowing back into the country as remittances from the US shrink. With the worldwide downturn in the economy, it is unlikely El Salvador can dramatically forge ahead.
After only one year it is too early to assess the results of initiatives Funes has launched, but so far they have been popular and sustained his high approval rating or 84%, the highest for any president in the 15 countries surveyed.
Overall accomplishments of Funes first year?
· Strengthened the country's agricultural sector and its ability to produce its own food needs by increasing agriculture production and
· Initiated expansion of the school lunch program and in a move to bolster local economies as well as help school children, contracted to produce 2.8 million school uniforms to be freely distributed.
· Improved Public Health programs and eliminated charges in public hospitals.*
· In a major step to healing war wounds and promoting reconciliation
Funes made a formal apology for the 1980 assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero and the Jesuits’ in 1979. However, he was criticized for failing to also apologize for the abuses committed by FMLN rebels during the war as well as criticized because he has refused to reverse the 1992 amnesty for human’s rights violations. The UN estimated that the government and police accounted for 85% of all human rights abuses during the war.
· On the foreign relations front, Funes improved relations with the US during a state visit to Washington, and made a positive impression in his address to the United Nations General Assembly. He has taken an active role in strengthening South American relations, including a leadership position in resolving the problems of Honduras.
It is unrealistic to expect a new President can, in single year, change a situation that El Salvador has tolerated since its birth as a republic. However, in spite of some progress in the face of worldwide economic malaise, Funes has so far been unable to substantially reduce crime and violence, which is the country’s main crisis. He has also made slow progress in fighting the corruption of previous regimes and reversing the gross inequalities of this society, which are more in keeping with a feudal monarchy than a democracy. The honeymoon is over. Salvadorans are now asking why Funes promise of hope and change has not been realized more rapidly.
For more information, please contact Dnorth6743@aol.com and/or www. Elsalvadorancivilwar.com
In a speech to the United Nations in September 2009, Funes asserted he is leading a government of national unity. The same month, public opinion polls found he was the most popular president in Latin America.
Certainly, Funes has moved toward the center in order to achieve some of his campaign promises of hope and change. His situation is similar to that of President Barack Obama. Both took over the presidency from conservative administrations and both presidents have constituencies in their parties which are farther to the left on the political spectrum than they are.
Funes center stance has helped his popularity and made it more likely that his government can legislate improvements in the economy and implement harsh military measures to stem the lawlessness that claims an average 12 murder victims each day.
Funes has distanced himself from the traditional hard line FMLN policies embraced by Vice President Salvador Sanchez Ceren. This posture proved successful at the polls. Recently Ceren was in Venezuela speaking out strongly in support of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and spoke against the United States. Funes publicly rebuked Ceren, who was forced to acknowledge that only President Funes could set the course of El Salvador's foreign policy. The FMLN hard-liners
have seemingly accepted the fact they cannot appeal to the majority of Salvadorans and have settled into an uneasy alliance with the popular President.
Funes tough stance on reversing the environmental crisis has won him support on both the left and right, although it is not likely to help the economy. Funes refused to grant mining rights for the Canadian owned El Dorado gold mines, citing severe cyanide contamination and the use of scarce water supplies to extract the ore. Pacific Rim Mining company is now suing the Salvadoran government for hundreds of millions of dollars, claiming their rights under the US-Central American Free Trade Agreement.
Another popular move on Funes part was to send 5,000 government troops into the street to combat the rising crime and murder rate that claims an average twelve murders a day. So far, however, the bold martial initiative has had little effect.
The main challenge for Funes is dealing with the economic crisis. Poverty has increased in recent years to the extent 40% of Salvadorans live in poverty. Unemployment is also in the range of 40% at the same time fewer dollars are flowing back into the country as remittances from the US shrink. With the worldwide downturn in the economy, it is unlikely El Salvador can dramatically forge ahead.
After only one year it is too early to assess the results of initiatives Funes has launched, but so far they have been popular and sustained his high approval rating or 84%, the highest for any president in the 15 countries surveyed.
Overall accomplishments of Funes first year?
· Strengthened the country's agricultural sector and its ability to produce its own food needs by increasing agriculture production and
· Initiated expansion of the school lunch program and in a move to bolster local economies as well as help school children, contracted to produce 2.8 million school uniforms to be freely distributed.
· Improved Public Health programs and eliminated charges in public hospitals.*
· In a major step to healing war wounds and promoting reconciliation
Funes made a formal apology for the 1980 assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero and the Jesuits’ in 1979. However, he was criticized for failing to also apologize for the abuses committed by FMLN rebels during the war as well as criticized because he has refused to reverse the 1992 amnesty for human’s rights violations. The UN estimated that the government and police accounted for 85% of all human rights abuses during the war.
· On the foreign relations front, Funes improved relations with the US during a state visit to Washington, and made a positive impression in his address to the United Nations General Assembly. He has taken an active role in strengthening South American relations, including a leadership position in resolving the problems of Honduras.
It is unrealistic to expect a new President can, in single year, change a situation that El Salvador has tolerated since its birth as a republic. However, in spite of some progress in the face of worldwide economic malaise, Funes has so far been unable to substantially reduce crime and violence, which is the country’s main crisis. He has also made slow progress in fighting the corruption of previous regimes and reversing the gross inequalities of this society, which are more in keeping with a feudal monarchy than a democracy. The honeymoon is over. Salvadorans are now asking why Funes promise of hope and change has not been realized more rapidly.
For more information, please contact Dnorth6743@aol.com and/or www. Elsalvadorancivilwar.com
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This is a good descriptive article regarding the achievements of the Funes government, than the ones published in the spanish version of “salvadorenos en el mundo”. People who lives overseas and want to keep an eye of what’s happening inside El Salvador (ES) needs an objective view of the “politics” without using offensive language. After waiting for 20 years for a change in ES, it finally came; houses and land weren’t confiscated as the right wing parties predicted and I am pleased that some changes in the right direction start to appear.
ReplyDeleteThis article is realistic and acurate.
ReplyDeleteMore of this writings are enable to see a future optimistic and challenge.
Jose Matatias Delgado Y Del Hambre.