What is the use of Mario Desbordes insisting on affirming that the right, and in particular Renovación Nacional, will fulfill the promise of restarting the constitutional process, if the senators of his party have already confessed that they are not for a new Convention, despite the fact that during the campaign as promised? You’re welcome, unfortunately, because the truth is that Desbordes’ opinion has no weight in a community that is even trying to freeze his militancy. Less if among the senators is the current president of the store, Francisco Chahuán.
The truth is that the right, which strategically hid behind the Amarillos, Walker & Rincón during the campaign, came out with everything to show their cards. On the same night of September 4, the leaders who were “at anchor” projected an air of triumphalism that seemed to erase the story unfolded for months and that indicated that the Rejection was “transversal”, that voting against the text was not ideological and others campaign slogans. For that they had the so-called “subcontractors” – as Daniel Matamala defined them – who attested that this was true. Apparently, it was all just campaign promises. or promises of cured, in good Chilean.
But the right was once again the right since September 5. The one that defended the Pinochet Constitution for decades. The one that trashed Bachelet’s project a few years ago, and that later “valued” it during the campaign in order to despise the work of the Convention. The one that no longer needed to hide behind the Yellows and that attacked with the arrogance of the winner, winning the votes of others – the right has not been, is not, nor will it ever be 62% of the population. And of course the drunkenness halfway through triumph, he allowed his essence to emerge: “Why change what works? Why a Convention if we have experts in the elite? Why carry out reforms if we have the upper hand? Thank you, Amarillos, Walker & Rincón and other leaders of the former Concertación old guard for the favor granted. We don’t need them anymore.”
Until now, those who led the Rejection from the so-called center-left (some with the legitimate conviction that the right would keep its word; others, with the pragmatism of being able to return to the front line; and, of course, others with the hidden desire not to losing his privilege of spending eight years in the Senate and not changing his “respected” name) seem to be somewhat disconcerted by the attitude of their transitory partners. Or perhaps, some are hoping to rearm with them for the future. Because, of course, raising their tone when the others are with the drunkenness of semi-borrowed trump can backfire. In one of those, they don’t consider them afterwards. But in any scenario, today they have the moral and political obligation to demand that their transitory partners honor their word and fulfill what they promised and that helped many Chileans to cross the border and vote together with characters like Gonzalo de la Carrera or Johannes Kaiser.
But, mainly, the Chilean right wing will have the opportunity to demonstrate that it has understood the citizenry that three years ago clearly stated that Chile wanted a new Constitution drawn up by the people, not politicians and even less so Congress. The worst mistake they could make is deluding themselves into thinking that the 4S vote was support for a sector that does not exceed 30% of the electorate, and that it does not belong to them.
If the drunkenness that we have seen in part of that sector in these days clouds them completely, they will be, tragically, repeating exactly what they criticized the Convention. And, of course, if the Amarillos, Walker & Rincón take the stage, we will soon have a new social outburst with unsuspected consequences. Although, unfortunately, Chilean history seems to be doomed to repeat itself over and over again.
- 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 The counter.
