2024-02-07 15:29 United News Network 24 Hours Around the Corner After former Chilean President Piñera died in a helicopter crash, his supporters gathered to mourn.Photo/Reuters
【2024. 2. 7 Chile】
Plutocratic leader, ghost of authoritarian rule: Former Chilean President Piñera died in a plane crash (1949–2024)
“Piñera has passed away, but Chile’s confusion continues.” Former Chilean President Sebastián Piñera died in a helicopter crash on February 6, falling into Ranco Lake in southern Chile. At the age of 74, current Chilean President Gabriel Boric has declared three days of national mourning and is preparing to hold a state funeral for Piñera. Pinera served as the president of Chile twice from 2010 to 2014 and from 2018 to 2022. He was once one of the top three wealthy businessmen in Chile and believed in free economy. After the dictator Augusto Pinochet fell from power, he The first right-wing president to win power, the country’s economy performed solidly during his term. However, during the demonstrations on wealth inequality that broke out in 2019, Pinera declared martial law and the army opened fire to suppress the demonstrators, which cast a bloody shadow. Authoritarian shade.
“Reuters” reported that the crashed helicopter was driven by Piñera himself, but Chilean officials have not confirmed this, nor disclosed the helicopter’s original destination. There were four people on board, and three other passengers except Piñera survived. Lake Ranco, where Piñera died, was where he often spent summers flying his helicopter.
The current president of Chile, Perric, has announced three days of national mourning for Piñera and has begun preparations to hold a state funeral for Piñera on February 9; Interior Minister Carolina Toha said that Piñera’s body has been recovered from the shore. , Toha said:
“We honor his memory because he dedicated his life to public service.”
Members of the National Reform Party to which Piñera belonged mourned Piñera’s death.Photo/European News Agency
Pinera was born into a wealthy family and became rich through the “Chilean Miracle” under the neoliberal government of dictator Pinocchio. His family was involved in financial investment, telecommunications, and media services. He was the leader of the most powerful financial group in Chile. He was once the leader of Chile. The top three richest people also have right-wing views. He was elected president of Chile for the first time in 2010, becoming the first right-wing president since Pinocchi stepped down in 1990.
▌Extended reading: “Chile’s Cruel Intimate Justice: I Love and I Hate Pinocchio”
Chile is known as “the most advanced country in South America”. During the Pinocchian administration in the 1970s, a group of neoliberal economists educated at the University of Chicago and known as the “Chicago Boys” promoted economic reform plans and reversed the It solved the problem of hyperinflation that reached 150% during the tenure of the previous leftist Salvador Allende government, aimed at realizing economic liberalization, privatization of state-owned enterprises, and stabilizing inflation, and attracted a large amount of foreign investment, allowing the Chilean economy to achieve 40 years of success. The country’s rapid growth earned it the reputation of the “Chilean Miracle”, and these market economic policies continued even after Pinocchi’s resignation.
But the seemingly beautiful Chilean miracle actually comes at the expense of the basic survival rights of the vast majority of the public; because everything is based on “market supremacy” as the highest principle, Chile suffers from a society with extreme wealth inequality – in 2019, Chile has become one of the most unequal countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The richest 1% own 33% of the country’s wealth. Half of the country’s people have a monthly income of less than US$550, and 20% of the population have a monthly income of less than US$140. , the top 10% of Chilean income groups earn 26.5 times the average income.
The Chilean government’s “market first” principle is also reflected in the fact that since 1981, the authorities have legislated water resources as tradable property rather than public property. It is the only country in the world that has completely privatized water resources and management. It is equivalent to putting the water resources necessary for local people’s livelihood in Chile into the hands of foreign-funded enterprises from France, Japan, Spain, etc. The result is that private enterprises pursuing maximum profits still choose to provide water resources as a priority when Chile is experiencing drought. Mines are given priority to maintain profits.
As for excellent medical care, education, etc., they have become resources that only the rich can enjoy for generations. In addition, when Chile voted to end the dictatorship and return to democracy in the 1988 referendum, the referendum conditions proposed by the Pinochi military government were that the 1980 referendum must be followed. The old constitution enacted ensured that even if Pinoche resigned as president, he would still be the commander-in-chief of the Chilean army. Later, he would also enjoy lifelong judicial immunity because of his status as a lifelong senator. The remaining power of the military government was like a lingering haze. Chile is always covered.
During Piñera’s first term as president, the most famous deed was the rescue of the Copiabo mining disaster (also known as the Chilean mining disaster) in 2010…
After Piñera came to power, he also continued his belief in free economics. The economy performed steadily during his term, but he was always criticized for “worshiping authoritarianism”, “profit-seeking conglomerates” and “disregarding the lives of the people”. During his first term, the most famous deed was the rescue of the 2010 Copiapo mining disaster (also known as the Chilean mining disaster) – Chile is a major copper mining country. On October 13, 2010, 33 miners were killed by a mine collapse. Trapped, the first miner was rescued only 70 days after the incident. In the end, all the miners miraculously survived, which caused a sensation in the international media and was even made into a movie afterwards.
Because the Chilean constitution stipulates that the president cannot be re-elected, Pinera’s first term ended in 2014. He was subsequently re-elected as president in 2017 and came to power in 2018. During his tenure, nationwide demonstrations broke out in 2019, which began in the capital Santiago. The subway increased fares for the second time in nine months. The first fare increase was in January, with an increase of 20 pesos; the second increase was in October after Piñera came to power, with an increase of 30 pesos (about NT$1). .
Although the increase seemed small and was only during peak hours, it became the last straw for the people who could no longer tolerate the continued injustice 30 years after the end of authoritarianism. Students launched large-scale fare evasion protests, but the authorities ignored them. Later, the protesters escalated their actions on October 18, launching simultaneous occupations, paralysis, or destruction of MRT gates, polling stations, platforms, and railway tracks. However, they were met with excessive force by the police, and eventually turned into a nationwide large-scale demonstration. Demonstration slogans Exactly:
“Not 30 pesos, but 30 years!”
In 2019, nationwide demonstrations broke out in Chile.Photo/Associated Press
Faced with nationwide demonstrations, Piñera declared a state of emergency in the Santiago region on October 18 that year, ordered 8,000 troops with live ammunition to be stationed in the capital for a “military takeover”, and issued the first “military takeover” in 32 years. “Curfew Order” – The previous Chilean president to issue a curfew order was the dictator Pinocchio. Santiago entered a virtual state of martial law.
The Piñera government remained indifferent to the protesters’ demands, first calling them a “mob”. Although it urgently “suspended” the subway fare increase, its attitude has deeply disappointed the people. In the face of the increasingly expanding protests, the Piñera government accused the “mob” of continuing to destroy streets and public facilities and losing the legitimacy of the struggle. On the other hand, it admitted that the army had “fired live ammunition” on the streets. There were even rumors on the Internet that the army was suspected of killing people. Video of people fighting for remains with protest groups.
The protests in Chile in 2019 are known to have resulted in at least 36 deaths, 11,564 injuries, 28,000 people detained, and more than 1,000 accusations of police brutality and sexual violence against protesters. At that time, Piñera’s attitude towards the criticism against the military and police was very clear: he publicly defended the military and police and increased the budget of the military and police.
The government’s various measures and statements have awakened Chileans’ painful memories of the Pinoche dictatorship. Civil voices questioned the military and Piñera’s return to authoritarianism. Grassroots people were concerned about the long-term military privileges, unfair pension system, and the poverty caused by the system. Deeply fed up with the wealth gap and so on, Piñera has become the “number one war criminal” targeted by public complaints.
A photo of Piñera is posted on a wall during a demonstration in San Diego on November 3, 2019, covered with…
In the end, under mounting civil and international pressure, the Piñera government canceled the national state of emergency on October 28, 2019. On November 18, Piñera changed his tune for the first time to condemn police violence against demonstrators. The Chilean people and opposition parties turned back and reviewed Social structural problems and long-term institutional loopholes are attributed to the constitution formulated during the authoritarian period. On December 18 and 19, 2019, the constitutional amendments were passed by the Chilean House of Representatives and the Senate respectively. Later, Pinera signed the constitutional amendments. A constitutional referendum is scheduled to be held on April 26, 2020.
On October 25, 2020, the Chilean referendum decided to draft a new constitution with 78.28% in favor, 21.72% opposed, and a voting rate of 51%. However, in September 2022, the constitutional referendum was ultimately rejected by about 62% of the people and failed. fail. Afterwards, President Barracks, who supported the new constitution, accepted the defeat and promised to do his best, build consensus, establish a new constitutional path, and reorganize the cabinet. (Extended reading: “Unacceptable progressive constitution? Why did Chile’s constitutional referendum fail”)
The failure of the new constitution also highlighted the still-divided public opinion in Chile – on one side, there are lamentations about the unfair social system and the gap between the rich and the poor, and on the other side, there is nostalgia for the affluent memories of the authoritarian period. Even though Piñera was under the rule of office, Despite its reputation for social injustice and bloody suppression of protests, other opposition parties have not benefited from Piñera’s loss of popular support after the 2019 protests. Chile still has a strong sense of insecurity and uncertainty about its future politics.
Piñera has passed away, but Chile’s confusion continues.
Piñera has passed away, but Chile’s confusion continues.Photo/Associated Press
Text/Lai Yun
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2024-02-07 07:29:32
