“What I want to do as director is to bring Conadi closer to the communities. Having these cables to land in the different territories and having an early dialogue with the communities,” said former UFRO student leader Luis Penchuleo Morales.
Penchuleo receives the National Corporation for Indigenous Development (Conadi) with a budget of almost $117 billion and the demand of more than 900 communities that request land restitution in the “Wallmapu”.
A reality that the newly appointed director knows well: “It comes from a memory of mobilization and struggle, also of pain. His father, his family in general have been involved in the struggle for land restitution. That is his profile, ”said someone close to Penchuleo.
soul of leader
The 38-year-old journalist has his roots in the Mateo Ñirripil community of the Lautaro commune. He was the leader of the Pelontuwe Mapuche Student Home between 2005 and 2007, at the University of La Frontera (UFRO). He and part of the Student organization “Chillkatufe UFRO Mew” and the Mapuche Federation of Students (Femae). In addition, he was a member of the Political Commission that developed an Indigenous Policy proposal during the Government of Michelle Bachelet.
“For him, the political and democratic path is the solution to controversies. His sense of struggle includes negotiation and dialogue in any circumstance. But also with clear definitions and objectives”, pointed out a former party colleague.
Penchuleo was one of the founders of the first Mapuche Nationalist Party, Wallmapuwen (People who live in Wallmapu), but it was dissolved by Servel in 2017, for not meeting requirements, according to the entity.
This extinct movement, which was headed by Penchuleo, sought autonomy for the Mapuche people in every way.
“Let’s continue on this path, of going from the people to the nation. Because this crisis today, whether we like it or not, has to get worse. This will be the only way that those who are at the top and who have the upper hand, will finally give in and listen to the citizens to generate great changes.”
Part of the speech of the former student leader in the historic raising of the Mapuche flag in the center of Temuco, in September 2011. Today it is he who has the upper hand.
“I believe that Luis’s aspiration is that Conadi can be integrated as a deliberative body in these discussions,” says a friend and colleague.
“This is not an exchange for peace, or for production.”
“It is your right. That we give them back the lands that the State of Chile has usurped from them. Therefore, this is not a trade for peace, nor is it a trade for production.” So clear was the Minister of Social Development, Jeanette Vega, in the framework of the presentation of the new national director of Conadi.
And, by the way, he ruled out negotiating with communities that are involved in land seizures.
According to the authority, nearly 300,000 hectares have been handed over, “of these, 150,000 have been declared admissible. However, I have to say that the ones that are in real process are about 926 applications. There are some that are already quite advanced in the purchase process, which is what we hope to close this year”, explained the minister.
For Penchuleo the main thing “is dialogue”. And as a sign of trust towards the communities, the director of Conadi promised to “transparent” the list of communities and their progress in the land purchase process.
Fair price and forestry
In the midst of the discussion on the definition of “fair price”, Minister Vega clarified that land should be purchased at a “market value, without speculation”.
And he specified that “prices fluctuate from $2 million per hectare to around $5 million per hectare.” He also confirmed progress in negotiations with some forestry companies in the Mapuche conflict zone.
“They are willing to negotiate and move forward with restitution. They are also willing that the payments not necessarily be immediate, also in exchange for land. They are also willing in case the communities want to form a kind of consortium to work together,” said the head of the Social Development portfolio.
For the director of Conadi, forestry “are part of the problem and important actors to dialogue.” However, he was clear that “forestry companies have to go back in some way”, while he argued that the communities must define their development model and “they will see if the forestry companies are part of that model”.
-What do you think? Can you live with the forest?
-In the current situation, I think it is difficult.
intermediate state
Regarding the Government’s proposal for a constitutional reform for “safeguarding and protection” of the conflict zone in the south, through the actions of the Armed Forces, the new director of Conadi pointed out “that sometimes the contingency leads you to take decisions that are not previously defined. To the extent that the climate of insecurity subsides, of course it will be possible to get much closer to dialogue. And the task from Conadi is that, ”he specified.
