By Gustavo A Maranges on October 18, 2022
For someone who regularly follows the news about Latin America, it is common to have mixed feelings, not only because of the social, economic, environmental, and political scenario, but also because of the discourse from some politicians’ who can be beyond annoying because of their cynicism and the way they underestimate the people, who they all claim to work for, although few actually do it.
They assume we are ignorant and have no memory, that their shallow politicking convinces us, and that we are as pliable and docile as the meekest of herds. If any of them studied our history, they would realize deceit is short-lived over here. It does not matter how hard they try, we will not give up trying to determine our countries’ future. Not even the strongest current of neoliberalism has been able to break this will.
Chile is one of the best examples of this indomitable character of the people of the South. Today, three years after the social outburst that revolutionized the Andean country, Chileans have demonstrated that no matter how much the oligarchy wants to resemble the United States or Europe, they still behave like Latin Americans.
Demonstrations have spread throughout the country as a reminder that Chile’s life changed three years ago and like the genie they are not going to be able to put that will to struggle back in the bottle. Thousands of people took to the streets to remind the government their demands still are intact even after the new constitution failed to be voted in. The only difference is that this time, the president is not a chosen one of the oligarchy, but someone who owes everything to those who are rallying on the streets today.
The right-wing has insisted on simplifying the protests and their causes. They have tried to reduce them to violent acts, crime, and looting, ignoring the demands for better health, education, distribution of wealth, and decent pensions and wages. It is ironic that those who unleashed repression worthy of Pinochet’s dictatorship and caused eye trauma to over 400 people now dare to say this kind of thing.
Equally ironic is that despite having elected Gabriel Boric, an alleged student leader as president, the government has deployed 25,000 carabineros (Chile’s military police) to “guarantee order” during the demonstrations. Indeed, the same ones who were accused of almost 11,000 Human Rights violations during those months of protests, which began with students protesting the increase of subway fares in 2019, of which only 14 have resulted in convictions.
In a previous issue on the Constitutional Referendum, one of the experts stated, and we fully agree with, “Boric took his foot off the accelerator instead of stepping on the gas.” Today, the cost of living continues to rise, access to health and high-quality education continues to be a luxury, Chileans are still waiting for tax reform, and the new constitution is once again a dream.
Contrary to what many of his constituents thought, Boric has assumed the same empty rhetoric of a large sector of the Chilean political class. It is time to “get out of the comfort zone and pay attention to October 18, 2019 lessons,” he recently claimed, as if he were still a university student with no power to push for the necessary changes.
His acknowledgment that the 2019 demands are still the same is a comment that reminds us of the most sinister part of politics and of politicians who live off their country and not for it. To whom is Boric speaking when he affirms such things if he is someone who is in position to really push for the changes that Chileans are demanding? Is his speech just thinking out loud? The only certain thing is that his statements are full of ironies, exactly those that blows the minds of people with a minimum of common sense.
There is no doubt that Chile is a complicated country, with a constitution that anchors it to the crudest neoliberalism in all its aspects. Therefore, Boric is the captain of a ship with little room for maneuvering, but he has not exploited even half of his powers to improve the country’s situation, instead he is just going on for the ride.
No one can deny that the 2019 protests and the support of the Chilean progressive and leftist movement were key elements for Boric’s victory this year. However, he is now that same president who deploys 25,000 members of the military onto the streets instead of calling for a dialog with the discontent or announcing, at least, a single measure to honor the vote of confidence that was given to him by millions of Chileans.
Those of us who live in this region of the world judge leaders by their actions rather than their speeches, regardless of how much they embellish them.