HONDURAS: Reina Wins Fresh Battle over Military

By Thelma Mejía Reprint | | Print |

Thelma Mejia

TEGUCIGALPA, Dec 18 1996 (IPS) - The Honduran legislature’s decision to transfer the police to civilian hands was interpreted here on Wednesday as a triumph for President Carlos Reina in his push to demilitarise society.

Congress unanimously approved on Tuesday the constitutional reforms that pave the way for putting the police in civilian hands in late 1997.

For weeks lawmakers had been embroiled in heated debate, with the opposition National Party — the second leading political force in Honduras — even withdrawing its backing for the measure early this month. But the impasse was finally breached, and the armed forces dealt a heavy blow.

The president of Congress, Carlos Flores, said the decision was “simply a sign of maturity, with the parties leaving political interests aside to approve a measure in favour of the citizens.”

“This is a historic event. I can guarantee that the new police will not be politicized by anyone,” said Flores, who will stand as presidential candidate for the governing Liberal Party in next November’s general elections.

The Honduran police, under military command for 30 years, have become notorious particularly in the past three years for alleged summary executions and participation in theft, assaults and kidnappings.

The regional police chiefs of Tegucigalpa and the northern city of San Pedro Sula are currently on trial in connection with such reported activity, which has led to a further deterioration of the image of the institution in charge of keeping the Central American country’s 5.5 million inhabitants safe.

Jorge Arturo Reina, one of the vice-presidents of Congress and the president’s brother, said the transfer of the police to civilian hands would not be easy, “but there is no doubt that we are rewriting history.

“By contrast with other countries that had to experience civil war to reach this process, we have done it without shedding a drop of blood, which is a sign of maturity and a desire at the highest level to demilitarise society.”

The lawmaker said the legislature’s decision was essential for fulfilling the commitment undertaken by the government, which two years ago abolished mandatory military service.

Ines Fuentes, with the rural organisation ACAN, termed the transfer of the police to civilian hands a victory for the people, but added that the important thing would be to see what form the new police body would take.

Congress created an ad hoc commission to study the procedures to be followed in the transfer, determine who would be in charge of the process, and above all verify that the members of the new police forces had not been accused of human rights violations. The last point is expected to be one of the most touchy mechanisms to negotiate, because the military resists being evaluated by civilians.

But police chief Julio Cesar Chavez said the police were “mentally” prepared for the transfer, because it was something “certain civilian sectors had been dreaming of for a long time.”

He added, however, that “we believe the new force should be headed by a military rather than a civilian, because civilians lack an in-depth grasp on the issue of citizen security.”

Nevertheless, he acknowledged that the congressional decision severed the ties between the police and the armed forces, and said that “what we need now are decent economic resources and new rules by which to carry out our mission.”

Attorney-general Edmundo Orellana stressed that the process would not be as easy as Chavez made out, because “we will not accept a transfer of the entire police force in its current shape. The police must be purged, whether or not the military brass likes it.”

The constitutional reforms enacted by Congress are only the first step towards the transfer. Still pending are a timetable for the process, new rules and a new budget.

But the decision highlights the need for a new focus in civic- military relations, which for decades have been characterised by friction and tension.