To be honest, this comment does not intend to discover gunpowder, less before we win… It is evident that whenever someone wins, there is one who loses. To understand who will lose, I must take a walk, which I hope will not be very long.
Case 1.- Before 1870 in the United States the banana or plantain was not known, in 1900, this is 30 years later, Americans already consumed SIXTEEN MILLION BUNCHES a year. In 1871, Keith Minor, later known as the “King of Central America”, began construction of a 112-mile railroad in Costa Rica. Next to the line, there were plantations, on land acquired at a nominal price from the respective States. This model made the United Fruit Company and its successor the largest banana company in the world, with plantations in Colombia, Cuba, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama and Santo Domingo, all with the complicity of right-wing dictators, obviously installed by the company, which is why they were called with an air of contempt: “Banana Republics”. This young entrepreneur, married the daughter of the president of Costa Rica and his empire, settled in Guatemala, whose government, by the way a dictatorship, had special subordination with “La Frutera”, which had 25% of its total production in that country and that counted in its patrimony, with a release of taxes for 99 years. In 1944, the dictator of the day was overthrown and Guatemala had its first democratic election in its history, counting on governments that advanced in what the country needed most; education (construction of 6000 schools) and distribution of land among poor peasants, the second democratic government, could not advance its reforms, since most of the uned cultivated land was owned by United Fruit and its companies. Counting on great power, the banana company convinced the American people that this government of Guatemala was communist and finally in 1954, the CIA orchestrated an attack, silencing the media from the U.S.A., bombing with some planes and making believe that they had an army, when in reality there were only 150 soldiers.
Case 2.- When Greece was in a deep economic crisis, not many years ago, Germany extended its hand, lending significant sums of money through soft loans. The important thing is, for these purposes, that 50% of the loan had to be invested in Germany itself in the purchase of armaments, which reactivated its economy for several years. Greece, for its part, needs weapons, since it has maintained a conflict for years with Turkey over the domination of the island of Cyprus, for which “they were necessary”.
Case 3.- A new banana show, not even more sophisticated, is the one we are witnessing in our country, by which, businessmen have co-opted politicians of the right and left, buying their will with contributions in money through false ballots, contributions and purchase of studies, for the dictation of laws that favor them or not approval, of those that harm them. Rules that affect the collection of the State and especially the situation of the poorest, which we can appreciate, by way of inexhaustible examples in various areas and among them:
a.- An employer who dismisses a worker for the needs of the company, can deduct from the settlement, what he would have paid during the term of the contract for the unemployment insurance of that worker (3% of the taxable remuneration) plus the increase in the savings. It seems to me a law, which does not aim at fairness, equanimity and respect for its former worker, which could only be dictated by the influence of the employers, which allows them to extract from their workers as much as possible or imaginable at the time of dismissal.
b.- In thirty years of return to democracy, politicians were not able to agree on an increase of 5% of the social security contribution (2% the employer, 1% the worker and 2% the State, for example) to reach a parameter that allows dignified retirements or close to the salary of the worker, without prejudice to administratively modifying what is necessary to increase them. This is the work of the powers that be, known to all.
c.- Since 1973, the antitrust law was enacted, which did not contemplate criminal sanction for the executives of the colluded companies. President Lagos proposed a criminal sanction, but it was rejected by Congress and currently exists, the criminal action is only on the initiative of the national economic prosecutor. How many complaints will the Prosecutor have filed for corporate collusion? Answer: NONE. Is that is, in practice the main abuse of the system and that affects the poorest, has no sanction (comfort, remedies, chickens, transport etc.).
d.- A group of families / businessmen, acquired from the State of Chile through their representatives: minister, senators and deputies gifts, the concession and exploitation of our sea free of charge, all certainly through various incentives already known. This Law, despite being vitiated by nullity by not representing the sovereign will, is still in force and I understand, without signs of any repeal or modification.
e.- Finally, the former president of SOFOFA, a very educated and intelligent man, Mr. Larraín Matte, was part of the Board of Directors of the Papelera, when she colluded with other companies to obtain illicit profits. Mr. Larraín, gave classes in his interviews, good business practice and the future of the country. He was never consulted about this role by the official press.
I fear, with much pain and frustration, that these elections, by any means, in the short or medium term, will be won again by the big businessmen, doing whatever is necessary not to lose their power, acting as in Guatemala, Greece or Chilensis, with the common denominator: without God or Law. So, the violent and illegal, which destroys our identity; what causes harm, pain and extreme polarization is the abuse that is unethical and that directly affects the poor of Chile.
The content expressed in this opinion column is the sole responsibility of its author, and does not necessarily reflect the editorial line or position of El Mostrador.
