The Chilean right refuses to sign a document condemning Pinochet’s coup | Instead, he presented his own declaration, five days after the 50th anniversary

2023-09-07 05:01:00

The Chilean right presented its own declaration on Wednesday for the 50th anniversary of the coup against Salvador Allende, in rejection of the signing of a document promoted by the government of Gabriel Boric whose intention is to condemn the coup with all political parties and actors and social of the country

The writing

“This year marks the 50th anniversary of the breakdown of democracy, which, in September 1973, marked the culmination of a deep social and political fracture that seriously affected our coexistence, with effects whose imprint still weighs on our relationships and trust to this day.” begins the text signed at the headquarters of the National Congress in Santiago by authorities of the National Renovation (RN), Independent Democratic Union (UDI) and Evópoli parties, united in the Chile Vamos alliance.

The declaration speaks of a renewal in the position of the coalition and adds seven commitments: the commitment to democracy, the Constitution and laws, Human Rights, peace and good coexistence, promotion of human dignity, freedom of thought and expression, and the commitment to the security of the country and its population. It also proposes not imposing single truths about the coup, “respecting differences and their own stories, without trying to impose truths.” In this sense, throughout the text the name “coup” is avoided, as well as direct allusions to the human rights violations that were committed during the coup and the subsequent repression.

In closing, a direct call is made to Boric, about his role as president for the anniversary that will be fulfilled in five days. “We invite the Government, and in particular President Boric and his team, to promote a convening message that emphasizes the aspects that unite us, without hatred or resentment, ensuring that next Monday, September 11, political violence is left behind and is a peaceful and safe day for all”, underlines the letter.

At the end of the reading in Congress, the president of RN, Francisco Chahuán, stated: “Today it is necessary more than ever to make efforts to empathize for those who lost a loved one, this is the moment to understand that the strengthening of our democracy implies condemning all forms of violence”. Along these lines, Chahuán affirmed that Boric “will be responsible if we will have a peaceful or violent day” on the day of the commemoration.

The denial of the right

The refusal to sign the document proposed by the Chilean president is not the only initiative that the right opposed in the framework of the anniversary. This Wednesday several opposition parliamentarians left the Chamber of Deputies, in the midst of the tribute that the institution paid to three legislators who were arrested and made to disappear during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.

The sector’s decision was criticized even by members of its own coalition: “We have a very harsh climate in the Chamber and in the country. There was no room for understanding and I regret that this is the case, because bad or bad those who were honored today were parliamentarians just like us”, said deputy Frank Sauerbaum, head of the RN bench.

A day earlier, the Minister of the General Secretariat of the Presidency, Álvaro Elizalde, and the Minister of Justice, Luis Cordero, presented the Government’s legislative agenda on human rights, which provides for the partial lifting of the secrecy of the testimony of victims of the dictatorship for investigative purposes, as well as the classification of crimes of forced disappearance and extralegal execution; a national memory and heritage plan; and the elimination of the restriction of information on laws issued under secret, reserved or restricted circulation.

Right-wing deputies criticized the measures for entering “into sensitive issues” such as the testimonies that they want to partially collect. “The secret for 50 years of the Valech report was to protect the victims of the human rights violations of the dictatorship in Chile. The president, by wanting to end that secret without meeting the established deadline, demonstrates his divisive spirit and his little sensitivity with such complex issues,” said deputy Jorge Guzmán, from Evópoli.

For her part, deputy Catalina del Real –formerly a member of Renovación Nacional– questioned whether the government continues “putting all its efforts into this 50-year commemoration.” “The only thing they achieved is to continue causing division among compatriots, and if this legislative agenda goes against the logic of reconciliation and reunion, it will hardly find support in Congress,” said the deputy.

Interest in the anniversary

According to a study recently released by Fundación Activa, 56% of Chileans say they are not interested in the 50th anniversary of the coup. The survey was carried out in the last weeks of August through 1,076 interviews in 180 provinces nationwide.

32.8% of Chileans are in favor of the coup and believe it was necessary, says the study, before noting that this opinion is defended by the majority of male respondents over 51 years of age with a right-wing political tendency. Regarding the responsibility for the events, 39.6% blame President Salvador Allende himself, elected at the polls, and his coalition government known as Unidad Popular; 30.8% to the commanders of the Armed Forces and order of the time, and 30.6% to the United States through the CIA.

The majority of those surveyed agree that the differences and divisions generated by the coup will never be overcome. In this regard, 76.5% indicate that they prefer a democratic system as a government formula, while 43.7% justify a coup depending on “the conditions in which a country lives”. Despite this, most Chileans agree that the beginning of the authoritarian regime led to human rights violations, the practice of torture, exile, and disappearances.