Yani Rosenthal
Encyclopedia
Yani Benjamin Rosenthal Hildago (born July 14, 1965 in San Pedro Sula
, Honduras
) is a businessman and politician.
and Miriam Marina Hildago de Rosenthal. He has a sister, Patricia and three brothers; Jaime (deceased), Carlos José and César Augusto. Yani is married to Claudia Madrid and they have four daughters; Isabella (who is currently a student at Babson College
), Victoria, Elissa, and Alexandra.
In 1993 his home suffered damages from a bomb attack. Rosenthal was Director of Diario Tiempo (Honduras Times Newspaper) and published a series of articles about military abuses and his home was temporary shelter of a witness of a killing performed by military, so it has been alleged that the military was involved.
in San Pedro Sula
, he is a lawyer graduated from UNAH-Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras (Honduras
National Autonomous University) and an Executive Master of Business Administration
(MBA) from INCAE-Instituto Centroamericano de Administración de Empresas (Central American Business Administration Institute). In 1998 the Honduras Supreme Court of Justice granted him the title of Notary public
.
Rosenthal was an alternate member of the Liberal Party's Central Executive Committee from 2001 to 2005 and a full member as Secretary of International Relations from 2005 to 2009.
When Mel Zelaya took office on January 27, 2006 as Honduras President, Rosenthal was appointed as Minister of the Presidency. Due to his lack of any public service experience, his appointment was criticized in the local media, since it was seen as a result of the political negotiations of his father. Jaime Rosenthal Sr. has backed Yani in the political arena in recent years. After the death of his younger brother Jaime in a gun accident, Yani was seen as the natural successor to his father.
His previous experience was very limited. He was advisor of San Pedro Sula
municipality when Jerónimo Sandoval Sorto was mayor of the city (1986–1990). Also he was the coordinator of the presidential campaign of his father Jaime Rosenthal
and in 2005 after an internal election within the Liberal Party, he was regional coordinator of Mel Zelaya presidential campaign.
However, Rosenthal has been widely credited with being the architect behind the highly successful management of the Honduran economy by the Zelaya government. High GNP growth and low inflation were achieved during the 2 years he was in charge of macroeconomic policy in Honduras http://www.bch.hn.
In December 2006 Diario La Tribuna (La Tribuna newspaper) carried out a poll
among a number of broadcasters. It showed that Rosenthal had the highest favorable opinion of all Ministers of Mel Zelaya Administration. The results have little statistical merit since the broadcaster's population polled was just over 100 and his family owns several broadcasting companies including television (Canal 11) and a newspaper (Diario Tiempo) which employ many of the polled broadcasters. On January 24, 2007 CID-Gallup published a public opinion poll. The results indicated that Rosenthal had a 24% favorable opinion.
In December 2006 and January 2007 he suffered severe criticism from his own party members, after he announced the results of an evaluation process of all government ministers and other executives of which he was in charge. Rosenthal was the only minister not evaluated. Several well known members of the Partido Liberal failed the examination and only a few were removed from their posts. This internal dispute extended all the way to the Vice President of Honduras Elvin Santos, who declared publicly that Rosenthal was unfit to evaluate him.
Rosenthal also headed the process of adjudication of import rights of oil products into the country. This process was adjudicated in 2006 to ConocoPhillips. ChevronTexaco, Exxon
and Shell
were left out of the importing business in Honduras, in which they had operated for decades. This process which Rosenthal has led with other officials close to President Zelaya has been under constant criticism from the private sector in Honduras, as well as from the government of the United States
. ConocoPhilips, despite winning the monopoly rights of importing oil in the country, lacks storage facilities. Chevron, Exxon and Shell have refused to lease to ConnocoPhillips or the Government their respective facilities. After this refusal President Zelaya pushed for an executive mandate to force multinational companies to lease their facilities under a price point set by the government.
On January 16, 2007, the US Ambassador in Honduras Charles Ford, expressed publicly his concern derived about the executive mandate to force a lease of oil storage facilities to the government.
On January 17, 2007, President Manuel Zelaya's legal advisor Enrique Flores said the government would not take control of the terminal owned by Chevron, but would take control of two oil storage terminals owned by Honduran company DIPPSA, including one in which Exxon Mobil owns a 50% stake.
On December 31, 2007, Yani Rosenthal resigned as Minister of the Presidency. He was running to be elected in the internal primary election within the Liberal Party to become the candidate for the 2010 Honduras Presidency, but joined his political movement with another candidate: Roberto Micheleti and on November 30, 2008 his movement lost the internal election.
On September 18, 2007, Arcadia, an American NGO, declared through CNN
that there were signs of corruption which involved a cable company owned by the Rosenthal family in Honduras. This company was pressumably involved in "gray traficking", in violating of Honduran law. Despite this report which was also previously published in Mexican newspaper El Universal (Mexico City)
, no legal action so far has been taken against any of the Rosenthal family companies.http://www.laprensahn.com/ediciones/2007/09/18/denuncia_de_corrupcion_en_hondutel_llega_a_cnn
Independent media in Honduras have been critical of Arcadia's methods, and reports appearing in independent newspaper La Tribuna and other news outlets have denounced Arcadia's declarations as false http://www.periodicos-de-honduras.com/2007/09/14/robert-carmona-se-invento-informe-sobre-cable-color/
Rosenthal participated in both the primary election in the liberal party in 2008 and the general election in 2009 and was elected congressman for the 2010-2014 period.
In march 2010, the newly elected Lobo government sent a package of new taxes to government, which have been opposed and denounced by Rosenthal as extremely onerous to the poorest people in Honduras. http://www.latribuna.hn/web2.0/?p=114564.
San Pedro Sula
San Pedro Sula is a city in Honduras. It is located in the northwest corner of the country, in the Valle de Sula , about 60 km south of Puerto Cortés on the Caribbean. With an estimated population of 638,259 people in the main municipality, and 802,598 in its metro area , it is the second...
, Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
) is a businessman and politician.
Personal Data
His parents are Jaime RosenthalJaime Rosenthal
Jaime Rolando Rosenthal Oliva is a Honduran politician.His Romanian-Jewish father, Yankel Rosenthal, emigrated from Romania to Honduras in 1929. Jaime Rosenthal is the leader of one of Liberal Party of Honduras's wings, and has been a perennial candidate for President...
and Miriam Marina Hildago de Rosenthal. He has a sister, Patricia and three brothers; Jaime (deceased), Carlos José and César Augusto. Yani is married to Claudia Madrid and they have four daughters; Isabella (who is currently a student at Babson College
Babson College
Babson College is a private business school located in Wellesley, Massachusetts near Boston.- History :Babson College was founded by Roger Babson on September 3, 1919, as the Babson Institute. It was renamed "Babson College" in 1969...
), Victoria, Elissa, and Alexandra.
In 1993 his home suffered damages from a bomb attack. Rosenthal was Director of Diario Tiempo (Honduras Times Newspaper) and published a series of articles about military abuses and his home was temporary shelter of a witness of a killing performed by military, so it has been alleged that the military was involved.
Education
Rosenthal studied high school at Bilingual School: Escuela Internacional SampedranaEscuela Internacional Sampedrana
Escuela Internacional Sampedrana, EIS is located in the affluent Lomas del Potosí neighborhood of San Pedro Sula, Cortés Department, Honduras.Founded in 1953, its mascot is the Bulldog...
in San Pedro Sula
San Pedro Sula
San Pedro Sula is a city in Honduras. It is located in the northwest corner of the country, in the Valle de Sula , about 60 km south of Puerto Cortés on the Caribbean. With an estimated population of 638,259 people in the main municipality, and 802,598 in its metro area , it is the second...
, he is a lawyer graduated from UNAH-Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras (Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
National Autonomous University) and an Executive Master of Business Administration
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
(MBA) from INCAE-Instituto Centroamericano de Administración de Empresas (Central American Business Administration Institute). In 1998 the Honduras Supreme Court of Justice granted him the title of Notary public
Notary public
A notary public in the common law world is a public officer constituted by law to serve the public in non-contentious matters usually concerned with estates, deeds, powers-of-attorney, and foreign and international business...
.
Political career
During his early years, Rosenthal did diverse work as an activist for the Liberal Party, from helping candidates place posters to distributing food and drinks on election day. His father's long political career helped introduce him to most of the liberal party leaders and exposed him to politics from a very young age.Rosenthal was an alternate member of the Liberal Party's Central Executive Committee from 2001 to 2005 and a full member as Secretary of International Relations from 2005 to 2009.
When Mel Zelaya took office on January 27, 2006 as Honduras President, Rosenthal was appointed as Minister of the Presidency. Due to his lack of any public service experience, his appointment was criticized in the local media, since it was seen as a result of the political negotiations of his father. Jaime Rosenthal Sr. has backed Yani in the political arena in recent years. After the death of his younger brother Jaime in a gun accident, Yani was seen as the natural successor to his father.
His previous experience was very limited. He was advisor of San Pedro Sula
San Pedro Sula
San Pedro Sula is a city in Honduras. It is located in the northwest corner of the country, in the Valle de Sula , about 60 km south of Puerto Cortés on the Caribbean. With an estimated population of 638,259 people in the main municipality, and 802,598 in its metro area , it is the second...
municipality when Jerónimo Sandoval Sorto was mayor of the city (1986–1990). Also he was the coordinator of the presidential campaign of his father Jaime Rosenthal
Jaime Rosenthal
Jaime Rolando Rosenthal Oliva is a Honduran politician.His Romanian-Jewish father, Yankel Rosenthal, emigrated from Romania to Honduras in 1929. Jaime Rosenthal is the leader of one of Liberal Party of Honduras's wings, and has been a perennial candidate for President...
and in 2005 after an internal election within the Liberal Party, he was regional coordinator of Mel Zelaya presidential campaign.
However, Rosenthal has been widely credited with being the architect behind the highly successful management of the Honduran economy by the Zelaya government. High GNP growth and low inflation were achieved during the 2 years he was in charge of macroeconomic policy in Honduras http://www.bch.hn.
In December 2006 Diario La Tribuna (La Tribuna newspaper) carried out a poll
Opinion poll
An opinion poll, sometimes simply referred to as a poll is a survey of public opinion from a particular sample. Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions of a population by conducting a series of questions and then extrapolating generalities in ratio or within confidence...
among a number of broadcasters. It showed that Rosenthal had the highest favorable opinion of all Ministers of Mel Zelaya Administration. The results have little statistical merit since the broadcaster's population polled was just over 100 and his family owns several broadcasting companies including television (Canal 11) and a newspaper (Diario Tiempo) which employ many of the polled broadcasters. On January 24, 2007 CID-Gallup published a public opinion poll. The results indicated that Rosenthal had a 24% favorable opinion.
In December 2006 and January 2007 he suffered severe criticism from his own party members, after he announced the results of an evaluation process of all government ministers and other executives of which he was in charge. Rosenthal was the only minister not evaluated. Several well known members of the Partido Liberal failed the examination and only a few were removed from their posts. This internal dispute extended all the way to the Vice President of Honduras Elvin Santos, who declared publicly that Rosenthal was unfit to evaluate him.
Rosenthal also headed the process of adjudication of import rights of oil products into the country. This process was adjudicated in 2006 to ConocoPhillips. ChevronTexaco, Exxon
Exxon
Exxon is a chain of gas stations as well as a brand of motor fuel and related products by ExxonMobil. From 1972 to 1999, Exxon was the corporate name of the company previously known as Standard Oil Company of New Jersey or Jersey Standard....
and Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
were left out of the importing business in Honduras, in which they had operated for decades. This process which Rosenthal has led with other officials close to President Zelaya has been under constant criticism from the private sector in Honduras, as well as from the government of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. ConocoPhilips, despite winning the monopoly rights of importing oil in the country, lacks storage facilities. Chevron, Exxon and Shell have refused to lease to ConnocoPhillips or the Government their respective facilities. After this refusal President Zelaya pushed for an executive mandate to force multinational companies to lease their facilities under a price point set by the government.
On January 16, 2007, the US Ambassador in Honduras Charles Ford, expressed publicly his concern derived about the executive mandate to force a lease of oil storage facilities to the government.
On January 17, 2007, President Manuel Zelaya's legal advisor Enrique Flores said the government would not take control of the terminal owned by Chevron, but would take control of two oil storage terminals owned by Honduran company DIPPSA, including one in which Exxon Mobil owns a 50% stake.
On December 31, 2007, Yani Rosenthal resigned as Minister of the Presidency. He was running to be elected in the internal primary election within the Liberal Party to become the candidate for the 2010 Honduras Presidency, but joined his political movement with another candidate: Roberto Micheleti and on November 30, 2008 his movement lost the internal election.
On September 18, 2007, Arcadia, an American NGO, declared through CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
that there were signs of corruption which involved a cable company owned by the Rosenthal family in Honduras. This company was pressumably involved in "gray traficking", in violating of Honduran law. Despite this report which was also previously published in Mexican newspaper El Universal (Mexico City)
El Universal (Mexico City)
El Universal is a major Mexican newspaper.El Universal was founded by Félix Palavicini and Emilio Rabasa in October 1916, in the city of Santiago de Queretaro to cover the end of the Mexican Revolution and the creation of the new Mexican Constitution...
, no legal action so far has been taken against any of the Rosenthal family companies.http://www.laprensahn.com/ediciones/2007/09/18/denuncia_de_corrupcion_en_hondutel_llega_a_cnn
Independent media in Honduras have been critical of Arcadia's methods, and reports appearing in independent newspaper La Tribuna and other news outlets have denounced Arcadia's declarations as false http://www.periodicos-de-honduras.com/2007/09/14/robert-carmona-se-invento-informe-sobre-cable-color/
Rosenthal participated in both the primary election in the liberal party in 2008 and the general election in 2009 and was elected congressman for the 2010-2014 period.
In march 2010, the newly elected Lobo government sent a package of new taxes to government, which have been opposed and denounced by Rosenthal as extremely onerous to the poorest people in Honduras. http://www.latribuna.hn/web2.0/?p=114564.