A brief summary of what’s happening in Chile
Last week, train fares in Santiago (Chile’s capital) were increased, even though it was already too expensive (taking into consideration the average minimum wage). Students and a few other citizens decided to use the Santiago train system without paying under the motto “evading, not paying, is another way of fighting”. The train fare raise is just the tip of the iceberg and people from all over of the country and of various parties finally got fed up (here, we’ve been using the phrase “Chile woke up”). Here are some of the issues we’ve been facing for almost 30 years:
- Inequality. The minimum wage is about 400 USD per month while some people (including politicians) earn ten times that (and some even more). On top of that, the rich pay the lowest amount of taxes. In fact, the president himself was revealed to have not paid home-related taxes for 30 years and he was recently allowed to pay the equivalent of only three years and move on with his life (seriously?).
- Pension system. When a member of the military/police retires, the state gives them over 2500 USD per month, while retired citizens are forced to live with around 137 USD per month. I don’t have the estimates for politicians and business people, but it’s in line with the ridiculous and excessive salary they earn.
- Public health. It’s been known for a while now that public hospitals do not have the infrastructure, capacity, staff, and resources to take care of the amount of patients that arrive daily. The usual waiting time to get attention varies from 2 to 12 hours. Many people have died waiting for emergency attention, exams, surgeries, and medicine (sadly, any form of private health care is stupidly expensive). What’s more, M.D students and the entire medical community have reported that many public hospitals don’t even have paper towels and gloves. In response to this, the Minister of Health has denied this over and over, even when there’s actual proof.
- Natural resources, like minerals (Chile is rich in copper and lithium), forests, and even WATER, are private. Some areas of the country are under a harsh drought, which has led to the inhabitants not being able to sustain themselves and their animals. However, business people (which in some cases are related to senators and deputies and other politicians) are using water in or near those same areas to sustain their agricultural exports (like avocados. Don’t buy Chilean avocados, please). What’s funny now, is that after the riots began, some rivers that were completely dry, MIRACULOUSLY began to flow again.
And there are so many other things.
Thousands (if not millions) of people have participated in protests that continue to this day, and these have mostly consisted of marches and cacerolazos (banging pans/pots to make some noise), but the government has not listened. Four days ago, the government announced State of Emergency and declared curfew in almost every region of the country (in mine, it starts at 18:00 and public transportation stops way earlier. It’s ridiculous). People are being hurt, tortured, kidnapped, and killed by the military (there are hundreds of videos and statements) and the government has not made an official statement that represents reality. They and the Chilean mainstream media have the NERVE to say that people have “passed away” in protests, lootings, and (possibly staged) fires.
ALL OF THIS IS HAPPENING IN A DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM. This government is acting with the same repression and violence as the dictatorship that took place during the 70s and 80s (our elders are suffering from PTSD) IN FUCKING 2019.
We are enraged and we want justice.