In this historic moment in Chile, I think it is necessary to remember former Senator Radomiro Tomic, who, at the beginning of his presidential campaign in 1969, predicted: “… Either we undertake a democratic and popular revolution shaping an immense effort of participation of the people so that Chile reaches another horizon and a new destiny, or the institutional collapse will seriously divide Chileans against themselves …”, words that unfortunately were not heard in 1973, but that today happily return to be in force at the heart of the proposal for a new Constitution.
Why do we need a new Constitution?
The attempts to make up the Constitution of the dictatorship, which the right seeks to promote, produce a deep distrust, since they do not consider the elimination, after 42 years, of the model of protected democracy (of the threats of the internal enemy, that is, of the Chileans), which, we must remember, is based on the National Security Doctrine, that was imposed by the United States through the civic-military dictatorship and gave rise to a political system that includes constitutional enclaves to limit popular sovereignty and that places the Armed Forces as an autonomous power, which is still reflected in 51 references to security, with 13 of them specifically to national security.
This institutional architecture has allowed the powers that be to continue exercising their tutelage, which hinders a genuine democratic system and prevents the modification of this economic model of abuse, consistent with the ideological confrontation that originated it and which, under the pretext of a failed development project based on the exploitation of our natural resources, has continued to protect the interests and privileges of the rich and powerful; fundamental restrictions that could not be eliminated by the cosmetic changes negotiated subsequently and that, as can be observed, they are also not willing to eliminate in their last-minute proposal to reject to reform, which would thus result in a “Constitution of the Gatopardo”, so that “everything changes to remain the same”, with the real objective of maintaining the current locks and privileges, that they failed to protect with their squalid 24% of conventional affinities obtained in the election and that now desperately intend to do so, confusing Chileans: a cancer patient is not cured with aspirin. Let us not be fooled.
Citizen participation
Let’s say it loud and clear, “the monkey, although she dresses in silk, mona stays”: it is really implausible to believe that the heirs of the civic-military dictatorship would now approve the tremendous necessary changes that would allow to end the ideological tutelage and the culture of abuse imposed in the scenario of the Cold War, even more so in an emerging world situation of confrontation, that seems to be reborn with the Russia-Ukraine war and that could once again stimulate already known unholy operations in South America, this time, to contain the growing influence of China. In this context, the supporters of the Rejection should understand that the strength of citizen participation, incorporated in the new Constitution, is not a threat to democracy, but, on the contrary, will be an institutional democratic insurance to strengthen our institutions and contain dark interests, whatever their origin.
“No one could imagine that the democratic system will survive if prompt reforms are not carried out to correct its current dramatic deficiencies …”, adding that “in respect for the human being and his rights it is possible to build a society for all men …”, President Frei Montalva exhorted us in 1977.
At the beginning of the final stretch for the exit plebiscite, I would like to conclude this opinion column by sharing the famous phrase of one of the fathers of the American Navy, Captain John Paul Jones, who in the naval battle of Flamborough Head, on the coast of Scotland on September 23, 1779, when he was ordered to surrender by the commander of an English frigate, He responded with his famous words: “I have not yet begun to fight”, harangue that I trust will also drive and motivate this epic deed so that the truth defeats the lie about the new Constitution and leads us to win the Approval, option and hope for a better future.
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