ESO NO SE HACE – Paulettes take on the troubles, 30th April

What is really pissing people off, at least the ones I have been talking to (neighbors, Mariposa workers, of all political parties and none) is that Daniel Ortega is not confronting the situation and talking directly to people. Most believe that the government was primarily responsible for the violence that led to the deaths of at least 60 people and so far uncounted injuries. But whatever the detailed statistics of who was to blame for what – the government really needs, in my view, to tackle this head on and not blanket everything in a suffocating silence, which is how it feels right now.
The official TV channels did not cover Saturdays march which was huge and peaceful, not a uniform in sight. Interestingly it had been called by the Catholic Church but the priest that I listened to talked a lot about the Virgin Mary but not much else! Oh well.
Similarly no report yesterday on how the National Dialogue went. OK it will take a while for some resolution to emerge but SAY something!!! Rumor has it the chief of police has resigned. Don’t leave this stuff to gossip and rumor….come clean and tell us what is going on.
Daniel Ortega has not lost all credibility, still many respect all of the good things he has achieved in Nicaragua, and no one sees an alternative, at least not now. However, he does need to start connecting with people to build on what remains. And he needs to promise that nothing like this will happen again.
Of course the short and long term effects of all of this on the economy, on people’s jobs can only be speculated on. But it sure as hell is going to be a bumpy ride. Tourism as we at La Mariposa know only too well is totally dependent on reputation and, as a friend commented, we have only just convinced many especially from the US that Nicaragua is NOT the violent place it is often portrayed as. How hard will that job be now???? Especially as many North American travelers are super timid and take fright easily.
Personally I feel 100% safe here, always have done and I was first here in the Contra War. Nicaraguans like having foreigners here (unlike other countries I could mention!) and not one has been targeted or even affected by the “troubles”.
La Mariposa will survive thanks to the huge amount of support we have had, both financially and emotionally, from ex-students and friends and to the students who are still planning to come…..but almost certainly not in its present form.
For now, a deep breath and we continue the struggle to provide decent employment, help local kids to learn English, support disabled kids and their families, and rescue unwanted domestic animals. Above all, whilst this crisis grabs the headlines the planet continues to burn, literally and we must continue to act proactively on that front as well.