In response to the horrifying damage left in the wake of Hurricane Mitch, millions of North Americans have enthusiastically taken part in drives for money, clothing and medicine for the people of Central America. Unfortunately, in the case of Nicaragua, very little aid has arrived to the regions most affected by the hurricane. What is seldom recognized by foreign public is that the immensity of the suffering sparked by the hurricane and the resulting inadequate distribution of aid has its roots in the economic policies of Nicaragua and a political system that has been unjust to the Nicaraguan people, most notably those stricken by intense poverty. Political bias in relief efforts has left many towns isolated, separated and invisible to the government as well as the outside world.
The present situation in Nicaragua shows 5,000 fatalities, 800,000 without homes and thousands still missing. The society has been thrashed in every area. Over 300 schools, some eighty bridges, 25,000 km of highway, seventy percent of the country's agriculture base, and a large portion of the water systems have been destroyed.
The tragedy lying within these incomprehensible figures can only be understood by analyzing the pre-disaster situation of the country alongside the inadequate reaction by the Nicaraguan government. The large external debt that Nicaragua has accumulated with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other lending institutions has obligated the government to comply with the strict structural adjustment policies aimed at boosting the economy and tightening spending. The political mechanisms of the state, stained with corruption and inefficiency, have left the social infrastructure of the country in ruins and have placed the poorest Nicaraguans in the shadows. Social services have been privatized and unemployment and underemployment has reached a high of seventy percent, compared to the United States' twenty-five percent unemployment during the Great Depression. Sewage and water systems are almost non-existent in poor and rural areas. The country's strong emphasis on exportation of basic food stuffs coupled with policies aimed at streamlining the economy have left Nicaragua with a fragile national infrastructure and most of the populous without any social support.
After eight days of torments smothered the people of Nicaragua, President Arnoldo Aleman's reaction was not genuinely humane, but characterized by selfish motives of political gain. Numerous reports from contacts inside Nicaragua confirm that the government is prioritizing aid to Liberal Party strongholds and has been slow in sending relief to areas that have traditionally supported the opposing political party, the Sandinistas. The Nicaraguan Emergency Committee of the Municipality of Condega, under Sandinista Party Leadership reported, "Right now the people are surviving with donations we personally have sought out. Very little has come from the government." Politicizing the distribution of relief is a violation of human rights. The American Convention on Human Rights directly states that all governments must "respect the rights and freedoms...to all persons... without any discrimination for reasons of ... political or other opinion, ...national or social origin, economic status, or any other social condition."
Not only is aid not arriving to the towns, it is being distributed improperly. In Posoltega, the worst hit region in Nicaragua, there have been reports that government aid has only come via trucks arriving at night where it is rushed into the stores and sold. There has been rumored friction between the Nicaraguan Executive Committee, led by Aleman, and the national army, led by General Joaquin Cuadra Lacayo. Cuadra has declared that he will personally oversee the distribution of the aid, to guarantee that aid is delivered properly. This came after Aleman placed blame on the army for the improper acts during the relief effort. "The government has shown a lack of competence and a lack of responsibility," said former Sandinista President Daniel Ortega.
In addition, the Nicaraguan government failed to declare what has been tagged as the worst natural disaster in history a "state of emergency." According to constitutional experts, Nicaraguans afflicted by the hurricane would benefit by the declaration of a state of emergency because international organizations allocate a higher percentage of emergency funds for nations in a state of emergency than for those in less extreme conditions. Aleman has maintained his position, stating that a state of emergency is not warranted, arguing that only parts of the country were affected by flooding. Critics fear that Aleman's decision is based on the fact that state of emergency would automatically eliminate debts farmers accrued with private banks, and as a result scare away financial investment. The Council of Protestant Churches of Nicaragua attorney Sebastian Castillo disagrees, however, saying that farmers and cooperatives would have to prove, on a case-by-case basis, the hurricane destroyed the crops yielded by loans.
In a land where resources are limited, government assistance is now viewed as a liability rather than as an asset and it is leaving the country in a delicate situation. The slow reaction and neglect of the government will have both a short-term and long-term, irreversible effect. A lack of potable water and actions taken to suppress mosquito blooms leaves the Nicaraguan people vulnerable.
The threat of water-borne and vector-borne diseases has heightened exponentially due to the current situation in the disaster areas. Hundreds of people have been living in one-room schoolhouses with limited sanitation facilities. Because the water system has been destroyed in many areas, people are drawing water from areas that could be tainted with feces and large amounts of dead animal matter.
Additionally, one hundred million dollars in crops have been destroyed due to this storm and this will send the poor campesinos, which depend on seasonal agricultural employment, searching for a new source of income. Jobs will be even harder to find, as replanting must wait until July.
The loss of life, crops, and infrastructure alongside the seemingly inevitable epidemics of fatal disease and betrayal by goverment has left the Nicaraguan people with a lack of faith and with little hope. "The government would rather we the people of Condega fall with hunger and ailment into a hole and die than give us money or support. That is what is going to happen. The situation is going to get worse day by day and that is why the fight must continue. We must continue to organize. There is no time to relax or sleep these days," said a Condega community leader.
The little hope that does exist takes the form of a complex system of informal infrastructures, led by NGO's like CARE, Oxfam America, The Sandino Foundation, and The Movimiento Comunal Nicaraguense, which have responded to the crisis with impressive speed. These organizations are attempting to circumvent the government's restrictions. The Salvation Army has stated publicly that they will not give to the government's emergency committee, but will donate directly to the people of Nicaragua. The result is that the aid reaching the people is travelling through NGO's without political agendas and not through the government which is crippled by corruption and internal discord.
Large sums of money have been sent to Central America, but the governmental transfer of this aid is not trustworthy. It is essential that aid be channeled through the informal infrastructure and not the government
The opportunities for donations are abundant through trustworthy non-governmental organizations (see box). Like the people of Condega, there is no time to sleep for the global community. Please help. Don't forget the forgotten.
Last updated: Wednesday, 12-Jan-2000 21:28:08 EST
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