June 1, 2009        www.LatinEPR.com 

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LATIN AMERICA - NEWS BRIEFS

 

Media

 

Novelist Llosa Exposes Challenges to Freedom of Speech

 

A heated public dispute between President Hugo Chavez and acclaimed Peruvian author Mario Vargas Llosa in the final days of May has called to question the state of freedom of speech in Venezuela and may even have led to the abrupt halt of the 10th anniversary edition of the president’s television talk show, “Alo, Presidente,” Reuters recently reported.  Novelist Mario Vargas Llosa, an outspoken conservative, supporter of free enterprise, and frequent critic of Chavez, was in Venezuela this past week participating at a Cerdice think tank conference, when the writer was invited to be a panel guest on “Alo, Presidente”, the state-run television program which was kicking off a four-day marathon to celebrate its 10th anniversary. 

 

The curious invitation came at the heels of a controversial incident which saw Llosa and his son capture international headlines days prior.  For upon entering Caracas two days apart, they were both detained for hours and warned by immigration authorities that as foreigners, they were prohibited from making political comments while in the country.  Peruvian President Alan Garcia immediately responded to the delay, declaring it “intolerant and anti-democratic”, while Llosa himself described the warning as an “intimidating gesture”, and pointed out that “nobody can put limits on free speech.”  He promptly disobeyed the government advisory at the conference, during which he stated that Venezuela was getting “farther and farther away from a liberal democracy.”

 

Chavez’s consequent invitation to Llosa was, not surprisingly, met by the author with some reservation.  Llosa agreed to appear on the television program, provided that he would not be part of a panel, but could face the president alone.  Chavez, who had according to the Latin American Herald Tribune previously suggested that Llosa was no match for socialist intellectuals who would turn him to ‘cosmic dust’, did not jump at the chance at a one-on-one encounter with the author.  Seeming to back out of the meeting, the president claimed he was only a simple soldier (AP).  In addition to his own treatment, Llosa’s points of contention would likely have included the issue of Globovision – the only remaining opposition media outlet in Venezuela which currently faces sanctions from the country’s communications regulator, Conatel. 

 

Whether or not Chavez feared that the heated dispute with the Peruvian writer was affecting public opinion, in the midst of the impending debate with Llosa, the four-day marathon was suddenly cut short.  The government only gave as reason technical difficulties, a cryptic explanation in light of the anniversary show having been touted as an epic “soap opera.”  According to the Guardian, Chavez detractors are describing this as an ‘embarrassing retreat”, but the real question is whether it changed press and speech freedom for the better.  In a country, where the president faces the luxury of indefinite terms and there remain few avenues for vocal opposition, the chances are, not likely.

 

Tourism

 

Mexico Tourism Board, Aeromexico and Partners Promote Safe Travel

 

This May, AeroMexico joined the Mexico Tourism Board and other travel industry partners in encouraging international visitors to return to Mexico, following the mid-month lift on travel restrictions by the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the airline announced.  The US, along with nine other countries lifted their travel advisories to Mexico after the World Health Organization gave clearance for international travel on May 7, 2009.  However, officials estimate that even with the lifts, the Mexican tourism industry could register heavy revenue losses, due to the effects of the H1N1 influenza, upwards of $4 billion.  Still, from adversity springs new-found determination.  President Felipe Calderon has recently launched a $91 million tourism campaign, titled ‘Vive Mexico’ (Live Mexico), that centers around messages of safety, celebrity endorsements, and special travel deals.  For its part, Aeromexico is joining in by promoting the airline’s own safety measures and health precautions, which include regular medical examinations of the flight crew, strict food preparation and handling procedures, and hospital-level HEPA air filters in its cabins.  

 

April Passenger Traffic Good News for LAN

This past April, Chilean airline LAN announced a surprising 39.9% increase in passenger traffic in Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, and Peru, compared to the same month last year, with total passenger traffic for April rising 19.9%, and international passenger traffic up 13.1%.  The positive numbers have so far exceeded the airline’s earlier forecasts which had passenger traffic in 2009 rising 10%.  The first four months registered a 32.2% growth in domestic passenger traffic and 4% in international traffic over the same period in 2008, in part due to low fares in Chile and Peru, and new domestic service in Ecuador.  However, cargo traffic in April decreased significantly, especially when compared to the projected drop of 5% for this year.  The month saw a 25.4% decrease over April 2008, reflecting slowing Latin American trade as result of the global economic crisis.

Economy and Politics

 

2009 Latin America Election Report

 

The first week of May saw supermarket tycoon Ricardo Martinelli win Panama’s presidential elections by capturing over 60% of the vote – an unusual right-wing victory in a region accustomed to leftist leaders.  A declared centrist independent running under the Alliance for Change Party, Martinelli positioned himself as an outsider to politics, and thereby rallied support from voters concerned with corruption, rising food prices, and a general economic downturn following five years of investment boom.  According to the Economist, Martinelli also benefited from the negative perception the electorate has of his center-left opposition, Balbina Herrera.  Although Herrera served under popular outgoing President Martin Turrijos, she could not shake her reputation of having once been henchwoman to former dictator Manuel Noriega.   Among Martinelli’s campaign promises are boosting school grants and housing in working class areas, fighting crime, lowering cost of living, building a metro, and the $100 plan, which gives that amount to all over 70 years of age without health insurance.  But already the President-elect has drawn criticism for cabinet selections, which include quite a few business allies.  Martinelli has countered by publicly warning new government members against “pilfering the till.”

 

In contrast to Martinelli’s tide-turning victory, other Latin American election fronts promise that most current leaders and political agendas will remain pretty much the same for the time being.  Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa won a historic re-election in April, being the first president in 30 years to win without a runoff.  The recent move to rewrite the constitution and allow Correa’s re-election until 2017 was echoed in Colombia, where the Senate is preparing to guide current President Alvaro Uribe to an unprecedented third term in 2010 by introducing a referendum to amend that country’s constitution.  Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez extended his own term limits some months ago. And now that the chosen successor of Brazil’s Lula da Silva, arguably Latin America’s most popular leader, has announced that she has been diagnosed with cancer, it is likely that calls for prolonging Lula da Silva’s presidency will grow stronger before next year’s elections.  In Chile, which elects a new president in December of this year, a possible strong successor to Bachelet exists in Marco Enriquez-Ominami, whose father was founder of the socialist Movement of the Revolutionary Left in the 1960’s and was killed under General Pinochet.  However, showing strongly in polls is also Sebastian Pinera, a wealthy businessman and the first credible opposition candidate to the center-left Concertacion Party since the 1990s.

 

 

 

 

 

Peru Poverty Rate Drops 3%

 

President Alan Garcia’s vow to reduce Peru’s poverty rate to 30% by 2011 came just a little closer to reality this past month, when authorities revealed that the poverty rate had lowered to 36.2% in 2008, 3 percentage points less than 2007 (Latinamerica Press).  The improvement is in large part due to the country’s impressive economy expansion in recent years, with a 9.4% growth in 2008, the second highest in Latin America after Uruguay.  But with the global downturn and a GDP not expected to surpass a 3% growth in 2009, the poverty levels might stagnate despite the president’s aims.  And even with the progress in 2008 numbers, poverty rates are not the same everywhere.  According to the government-run National Statistics Institute, Peru’s rural Andes region still grapples with a rate that reaches close to 70%.

 

Remittances to Latin America in Decline

 

A new published study by the Inter-American Dialogue has concluded that the global economic downturn is having a staggering impact on remittances to Latin America, with remittances this year expected to be $5 billion lower than in 2008.  The study found that remittances from Latin American and Caribbean immigrants would reach $64 billion in 2009, compared to the $69 billion of the previous year, and that without rapid economic recovery, migrants would reduce their flows by as much as 7% in the US alone.  The problems immigrants currently face are familiar ones throughout the job market, with job losses and lower earnings, but remittance totals are also being affected by slower pace of migration.  In 2009, the study expects that nearly one million people will not remit to families out of the country.  Only 40% of unemployed will remit, while 25% of those employed will remit 10% less than in 2008.  The diminished numbers have limited impact in South American countries, where economies are stable and remittances account for a small part of the GDP, 0.6% and 0.4% for Uruguay and Argentina, respectively.  However, for poor countries, the loss of remittance income can be devastating.  In Haiti, payments from abroad account for 30.4% of the GDP.

 

Culture

Argentines Reward Honest Cab Driver

When La Plata cab driver Santiago Gori found a bag of cash, totaling $35,000, left behind in his backseat, he probably never imagined that his decision to turn it over to authorities rather than keep it for himself would spark a national outpouring of appreciation and a wildly popular web campaign to reward him with the very same sum.  But this is exactly what happened this past month when Gori’s honesty came to light and some 55,000 people flooded devolvelelaguitaaltaxista.com (returnthecashtothecabby.com) to offer cash rewards, bottles of wine, business suits, new tires, and even international vacations.  According to an article by the AFP, the website became a conduit for the Argentine population’s hopes and frustrations.  The country ranked 109th on the 2008 Transparency International list, compared to neighbors Chile and Uruguay who share the 23rd spot, and despite regular protests, street crime and political corruption remain a problem.  Added the article, in a country, where among the most famous tango song lines rings “he who asks for nothing and swipes for nothing is an idiot”, Gori’s actions went a long way to capturing the imagination of the hopeful.  Described as an ‘angel’ on the website, and a model for politicians to follow, Gori has since attained a list of donors and intends to thank each one.

Seven Gastronomic Wonders of Peru

 

Peruvian tourism authorities have launched a countrywide online voting campaign - the Seven Gastronomic Wonders of Peru contest – in order to choose the most representative domestic dishes and promote Peruvian food, which has in recent years begun to establish itself as a major international cuisine, Living Peru reported in May.  A spokesperson for organizer AcidoUnGusto Comunicaciones, announced that the Seven Gastronomic Wonders of Peru will be chosen on July 27th.  The list of the 21 finalist dishes include such trusted icons as Ceviche, Aji de Gallina, Lomo Saltado, Anticucho, Causa, Papa a la Huancaina, and Chupe de Camarones, but also regional specialties like Cabrito a la Nortena (kid in the northern style) and Carapulcra (the oldest Peruvian stew, associated with Ica, that uses the unique ingredient of papa seca, or dried potatoes.)  

 

Catholic Latin America Revisits Celibacy Debate

 

Latin American Catholics are revisiting the debate over celibacy in the Catholic Church this month, following controversies over the exposed affairs of well known Miami priest, Rev. Alberto Cutie, and Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo, a former bishop.  Compromising photos of Cutie, dubbed Padre Oprah for his popular Spanish-language radio show and multiple television appearances, were published to great furor in the entertainment magazine TV Notas, while President Lugo admitted to fathering a child while in the priesthood.  President Lugo’s admittance has thus far prompted a total of four paternity claims, but Lugo insisted to Clarin this May that he has no plans to resign as a consequence of the scandal.  For his part, Cutie left the Catholic Church at the end of May to join the Episcopalian Church.  He intends on marrying his girlfriend of two years. 

 

Meanwhile, the Latinamerican Federation of Married Catholic Priests is renewing calls for the Vatican to accept ‘optional celibacy’ for church members, according to Mercopress.  Currently there are 150,000 married priests in the world.  Marital status excludes them from sacramental activity, but does not automatically, according to Church law, strip them of their priesthood.    The optional celibacy issue may yet be addressed by the Catholic Church, in light of these scandals and the fact that seminary enrollment has dropped by 75% in recent years.

 

Brazil Bids for 2016 Olympics

The Olympic Committee is “very impressed” with Brazil’s bid to host the 2016 Summer Games, following a recent visit to Rio de Janeiro and hearing President Lula da Silva’s impassioned speech to the IOC Inspection team, reported USA Today this month.  Brazil is hoping that the nations’ hosting of the 2007 Pan American Games, as well as a successful 2014 World Cup, will boost its chances when evaluated against Tokyo, Madrid, and Chicago.  Rio bid officials are also stressing an environmental theme, with the city planting over 2000 tree seedlings to help offset carbon emissions generated during the ICO’s inspection visit.  The winning city will be announced in Copenhagen on October 2nd of this year.