Citizens’ Gripes Aired on Live Radio Show : Nicaragua Keeps in ‘Contact’ With Its People

“ Buenos dias , you’re on the air, companero . What’s your problem?”

Thus begins “Contact 620,” Noel Fuentes’ program on the government-run radio that permits Nicaraguans to call in and voice their complaints live on the air.

“I want to know why the price of milk here, according to the newspaper, is selling for 435 cordobas a gallon when the Interior Commerce Ministry says the price is 90 cordobas,” a recent caller who identified himself as Ofilio Reyes said. “What’s happening, and whom do I talk to?”

Fuentes assured him that the Interior Commerce Ministry would look into his complaint.

80 Calls a Day

Fuentes gets about 80 such calls daily, except Sunday, on “Contact 620,” named for the station’s frequency. Calls, coming in on six lines, are screened for their subject and then go on the air live.

“This is sort of an escape valve for the people,” Fuentes said in an interview. “The government doesn’t hide anything. Of course, we can’t discuss military matters.”

He added that the program has no delay device to permit the station to delete objectionable remarks, as U.S. call-in programs do. Fuentes said that everything is live, even though other Nicaraguan media are censored. But he can hang up on a caller if someone goes too far.

“This show may be a good way to express problems,” said Roberto Cardinal Chamorro, editor of the heavily censored independent newspaper La Prensa . “But it can’t replace freedom of the press. Besides, they can just cut someone off if they don’t like what’s said.”

2-Year-Old Program

Luis Cabrera, information aide for the Sandinista government’s Voice of Nicaragua, explained why the show was started two years ago.

“We ran news, both international and national, and we started to receive calls about people’s problems,” he said.

Most of the callers complain about shortages.

Food, clothes and even water have become increasingly scarce. Rice and beans, the region’s staples, are rationed. Some goods are available on the black market but at prices beyond most people’s reach.

“My daughter came home from school one day crying because at physical education class the teacher said she had to have tennis shoes,” caller Dora Chavez said. “I don’t have the money to buy them right now.”

Daniel Trojos, public relations aide for the Education Ministry, was called to respond on the air. “This is a violation of the law,” he said. “We know the limitations put on parents.”

Calls About Explosions

About 1 1/2 years ago, several listeners called to find out why they heard two strong explosions. “We told them the Defense Ministry would investigate. It did,” Cabrera said.

The listeners were told the noises were sonic booms from U.S. spy planes.

A reporter called “Contact 620” to ask about a lack of water.

“We’ve had 200 calls on that today,” one of the screeners at the station said. “We can’t put you on the air, but we are looking into it.”

Government Listens

Cabrera said that government agencies assign employees to listen to the program and that the station posts its own journalists at various government offices. “This forces the government to meet its promises to the people,” he said.

But the Rev. Federico Arguello, a Roman Catholic priest who opposes the Sandinistas, calls the show a fake.

“Anybody who is not happy with the government, they say is a contra . That means jail, persecution or (land) confiscation,” he said.