Evangelicals ask that the lay state be respected and that corruption end

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, January 12, 2007

By Trinidad Vásquez

Professor William González, President of the Board of Directors of the Nicaraguan Taxi Heathrow Airport Evangelical University (UENIC in Spanish), has said that the Evangelicals expect that the new president will respect the legal and lay state of the country, and be relentless in the fight against corruption. “We expect the fostering of citizens organized for the bringing about of a real and effective exercise of their participation in the areas needed to strengthen democracy,” González stated.

González also reminded the president that he must carry out his election campaign promise of peace and reconciliation; asking him to reduce spending in the public administration and inform the people about where their tax monies are spent. One of President Ortega’s promises is the reducing of the mega salaries of the cabinet ministers and the lowering of the number of judges in the judicial and electoral systems.

Along the same lines, the Superintendent of the Church of God of Nicaragua, the Reverend José Antonio Martínez, assured that they are praying for the new president, so that Jehovah help and illumine him, placing in his heart a sensitivity for the difficulties the unemployed and poor people are living. They are also asking that investors be allowed to come in so as to generate employment and avoid the need to migrate. The religious leader said he hopes that Ortega has corrected the errors of the past, pointing out that “we will be praying for that in our next convention of the church, to be held in the capital on February 8.”

The Sub-Director of the Council of Evangelical Churches Pro Denominational Alliance (CEPAD in Spanish), Evenor Jerez, has also spoken out on Ortega’s mandate, expressing the hope that he will make good his promises of putting into action health, education and production programs to benefit the poorest, and that the political constitution and the established laws will be fully respected.

Jerez said that the new government should consult with the society, the church and the different political actors, when considering any changes in the constitution or public policies.

So as to bring about the country’s development, Jerez is in favor of the new government finding a political strategy that will allow both national and foreign investors to work together in harmony, with the purpose of creating employment, which is the priority need of this country.