Democracy - weak and strong

According to the papers yesterday, Guatemala has a very weak democracy (that's not news for most people here!). According to the results of the 'Democracy Ranking Association' which takes into account politics, economics, gender equality, access to education and health services as well as care for the environment, Guatemala is 74th in the world.

Norway apparently has the most developed democracy in the world, followed by Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Denmark, New Zealand, Holland, Ireland, Germany and Great Britain. An almost entirely European top 10.

Other countries that caught my eye were
Canada (14)
United States of America (15)
Uruguay (21)
Chile (28)
Costa Rica (29)
Argentina (38)
Brasil (43)
El Salvador (45)
Ecuador (49)
México (51)
Colombia (55)
Paraguay (59)
Nicaragua (63)
Bolivia (64)
Honduras (70)
Guatemala (74)
Venezuela (76)

I was reading this in the local newspaper online - as I had had to cancel several meetings that I had planned in the city because there were road blocks on the main highways throughout the country - including the one I use to get to the city. It was a protest by ex - civil defense patrol (PAC) members demanding 'compensation' from the government. (The Civil Defense Patrol (para-militaries) was set up during the 36 year civil war, to help the military in protecting civilians against guerrilla fighters. In fact, the military, with the help of the PAC, were responsible for almost all of the 200,000 deaths and many other atrocities during the war. Since the signing of the peace, and depending on the government at the time, compensation has been periodically offered and sometimes paid to ex members of PAC. Interesting, compensation to indigenous people who saw family members and sometimes whole villages massacred during the war, has been much more difficult to secure.)

But back to yesterday, I was surprised to see that the roadblock near to where I live, was actually just a dozen men with a banner and a few small boulders in the road. They had started the blockade at 4am - and said they would stay until they had assurances of payment from the government. (Actually they began to let traffic past at about 2pm -without any news from the government.) Apparently the police are not allowed to move protesters or take action, unless they become violent, so they were left in peace, and the 8mile queue of traffic waited behind the blockade.

It makes a interesting comparison to the recent student protests and the police response to them in England (democracy number 10!). And what does democracy mean anyway?? I'm guessing that a big part of it is that every citizen has the right to have their voice heard. It seems that the recommended channels to express your opinion don't always work and people turn to direct action -- both in democratic country number 10 - and number 74........ But have either of them been successful??? And will the results be anything to do with the rights and wrongs of the issue -- or more to do with the economic (and other) impact of their direct action??
Surely there must be a better way.

T-shirts and shoes!! (Swim challenge Update)

Thanks for all your donations so far. I completed the Escape from Alcatraz swim in September - and now I'm in the process of passing on your donations to El Barrio 4 Christ. The money is going to be used for some job creation projects, which I was able to visit yesterday. About 6 months ago, El Barrio 4 Christ set up a sewing project. They were able to buy some professional sewing machines, rent a workshop space and with 6 ex gang members have started sewing t-shirts and simple clothes that they can sell. Even though nobody knew how to sew at the beginning, they have learnt, got themselves established and work happily in a little production line. It has given all of them a new start and a real opportunity to support themselves.

Now, El Barrio 4 Christ, is in the process of setting up a shoe workshop. They have 2 people (both ex-gang members) who already know how to make shoes. They've been able to buy some essential tools and start work in their own home. The next stage is looking for a workshop space to rent, so these 2 can teach other ex-gang members the trade, and hopefully have a shop front as well so they can sell shoes directly to the public and increase their profit margin. This is what your donations will be used for. Giving gang members a second chance.

You still have chance to give (to the end of December) at www.justgiving.com/suzanne-escapes-from-alcatraz.

Thanks for all your support.