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GUATEMALA: ADMINISTRATION UNDER FIRE.

Article Excerpt
At the conclusion of its third year, the government of Guatemalan President Alfonso Portillo faces severe criticism of its record. Corruption and security are the main themes. Opposition parties, the private sector, the press, and the human rights establishment are in agreement that this administration and its ruling party have been, according to one newspaper, "one of the most corrupt in the history of this Central American country."

From the Camera de Comercio de Guatemala, president Jorge Briz said, "Now we have more insecurity, more unemployment, and more corruption." Leader of the opposition Partido de Avanzada Nacional (PAN), Alfredo Cojti, singled out the impunity that now reigns in the country and the setback in social and economic development, while union leader Jose Pinzon said that during 2002 transparency in public spending had declined dramatically. Human rights activist Helen Mack said that the Portillo government had reneged on its promise to guarantee security to the population, since during the past year threats against defenders of human rights had increased.

Presidential spokesman Byron Barrera argued that it is difficult to fulfill promises in four years of government, and he charged that there are sectors, which he didn't identify, that are seeking to debilitate the state. Barrera pointed to some bright spots in the government--financial and fiscal reforms, and macroeconomic stability--and complained that these hostile sectors only see the negative, like corruption and insecurity. Responding directly...

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