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Yine
Interviews
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IX.
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Leadership in Diamante |
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Interview with : Sr. Carlos Trigoso
Interviewers : Steve Frankham/Anja Stijnen
Date : 15-July-01 (14:40 – 15:05)
The community has a local governing directive made up of 6 members:
the president, the vice-president, the secretary, the treasurer and
two committee members. In the absence of the president, the
vice-president is in charge of the order of business, in the absence
of the vice-president the secretary is in charge and so on.
The seats are for two years and can be filled by men or women.
Reelection is always possible. For elections, the entire town, both
women and men get together. Sometimes they vote by raising their hands
and sometimes it's a written vote. You can only be elected if you have
been a resident in Diamante for at least five years.
The function of the president is:
- Assess how the village is doing
- Travel and seek assistance from several institutions
If the president or anyone else in the directive is not performing the
job well, the village can decide, in a meeting, that a new candidate
needs to be elected. In this case, the vice-president will become
president and a new vice-president will be elected. If the entire
cabinet is not doing a good job, they can all be dismissed and a new
directive can be elected.
When important decisions must be made, the entire village meets. In
this instance it is not only the president who decides but rather the
entire village together.
There is also a sheriff. In the event of robberies, crimes or other
problems, the sheriff informs the district and the police arrives.
When there are foreign support projects, the municipality invites the
indigenous communities to come and present their needs. Each community
sends 5 representatives who present their needs and ask for assistance
for their community.
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