The local Honduran community is reacting to the ousting of Honduras' President Manuel Zelaya, who was removed in a military coup yesterday and flown to Costa Rica.
"We are not happy with the president we had in our country. We are not happy because he has beeen disrespecting the laws of the constitution," said Daniel Rosa, a member of the National Party of Honduras, who now lives in Miami.
Friction erupted in the country when Zelaya pushed to change the country's constitution and allow him to seek reelection when his term is up in 2010. The current law says the president can only serve one four-year term.
"For him to want to overthrow our constitution, it's like throwing our whole nation down the drain," said Miami resident and native Honduran Alma Ramirez "Our constitution is there for a purpose, just like the Constitution of the United States is here for a purpose. That's why it's there, to be followed, not to be broken by someone who's supposed to be backing it up and enforcing it and instead wants to break it."
South Florida Congresswoman, Illeana Ross-Lehtinen said Zelaya's actions are nothing new.
"He wanted to follow the pattern of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, of Evo Morales, of Daniel Ortega, of so many people who manipulate the democratic process to get in office and then rule in an undemocratic way," Ross-Lehtinen said.
Supporters of Zelaya call the military ousting barbaric. Back in South Florida, the Honduran community says the president's removal is the best thing for peace in their country.
"We are strong. we don't need means of violence to get our point across," Ramirez said. "I think we are a great example to the rest of the world right now. All we want honestly is liberty and democracy for our country."
