An Insiders View on the Nicaragua Fuel Strike
May 14th, 2008 by Wes
I am writing from San Juan Del Sur Nicaragua. The streets are very quiet. Traffic is minimal. The town seems like a ghost town. Only in perception. Pelican Eyes is full… A few other hotels are full… The surf guides are booked! The people are here, the traffic is not. Very bizarre. The usual hustle bustle is not part of the experience. The chaotic busy roads are pedestrian friendly, quiet and peaceful. The corner entrance of San Juan near the Texaco and Capt. Jim’s Sandwich shop is usually a cornocopia of heavy equipment trucks, taxis, buses, delivery trucks and traffic that is noisy and vibrant. Today is is calm and quiet.
I had a business meeting with our lawyer today. He is very smart, well educated and politically affluent. Here is what he told me. The strike is not just taxi and bus. It is a transportation strike by the major transportation organizations of the country. It is not in any way influenced by the FSLN or Sandinista Party. It is a trade strike. He thinks it will be over by the end of the weekend or mid next week at the latest. He says the country is losing 20 million a day in production and the country will not be able to afford these losses very long. He says the people are going to be monetarily hurt. Not just the drivers but everyone. He says if it were a Sandinista strike, it would have been an overall work strike, and he would not have been able to work today. He thinks it may have been a bit more violent if it were FSLN. Most people will be affected because they can’t get to work. One weeks loss of pay in this country can be detrimental to a family. The Free Trade Zone factories are running out of raw materials and will be shutting down factories soon if they have not already. More workers out of a paycheck. Construction is stopped because trucks are not buying diesel, they sit parked. Personal vehicals are the only ones on the road. The taxi drivers all park in the same location and sit and strike for the day. The buses park in large lots and they just sit. So far my experience is this is very peaceful.
Our lawyer says the people are upset because Ortega promised during his election campaign his relationship with Chaves will produce more fuel and energy. The people want what he promised. They started getting upset when Honduras’ fuel prices were found out to be 12% less than Nicaraguan prices. This is what I learned today from a local who knows politics. Later I will write more on my perceptions of the power of the people in this country. The people respect this strike and to violate it is not an option for most. For now this is the way life is here. My hope is it stays peaceful, I would be very disappointed if a violent event happened and the world press made this out to be something it is not. This is about the people standing up for their beliefs. If travelling to Nicaragua, make sure to have a rental car available.
