A strong democracy off the rubble, while another ex-democrcay shorts out...

Morales and Lugo shaking, for real!

Today Chile inaugurated its new president.  The day is not significant because, say, Lugo of Paraguay not used to earthquakes looked a little shaken while Morales of Bolivia used to quakes found it interesting.  The real significance is that in spite of a never ending quake that is shaking the foundation of Chilean prosperity democracy goes on, as planned, with all political actors holding hands to deal with the emergency.

I was maybe too optimistic when I first wrote about the Chile earthquake of February. It turned out that the amplitude and repetitive nature of the disaster also shook the response of the government, a response which seemed very good at first.  But when the GPS detects that the city of Concepcion might have moved several yards into the Pacific, well, there is some excuse to be offered for some not so adequate response.


But that is not really the point: Concertacion and the winning side of Piñera have managed to work together, to collaborate in front of the disaster and the inauguration of Piñera went on as planned, if anything to give a sense of reassuring continuity to the country.  So the inauguration of today was an ecumenical affair where both Bachelet and Piñera received an ovation, and where all the guests experienced a significant earthquake while sitting at the ceremony.  Piñera comes in after an austere unifying moment, and retaining part of the Bachelet team for a while until he gets his stride, deals with the emergency and can start ruling as the electors originally intended.  Which did not stop Piñera to have a satisfied smile when he sat down on the Presidential chair just vacated by Bachelet, probably still warm.  So is human nature.

In spite of the disaster Chile held its transition as friends and potential foes came anyway.  Evo Morales in particulari was there, even holding the day before a soccer match for charity, where he played himself.  It is to be noted that Boliva and Chile have a real border issues which have flared up more than once under Bachelet. And yet Evo was there, and so was Correa of Ecuador, and Uribe of Colombia.  But the common denominator of the lot was not present, was too bitter to show up, even if his own emergency pales in comparison to the one of Chile.  I am talking of Hugo Chavez of course.

What is Chavez doing that is so important he cannot be bothered going to Chile?  I mean, if Morales, Correa and Uribe can be in the line up of presidents welcoming Piñera in the Chilean Congress, surely Chavez could have been standing up too, no?  Or is he expecting to avoid Piñera for the next 4 years?

Chavez is dealing with an electric crisis at home, and one that can be blamed only on himself even though he is trying to put the blame on the previous governments 11, ELEVEN YEARS, before he took office.  This is what he is reduced to, to find a scape goat that is not associated with his misrule, even as he covers himself in the ridicule of not comprehending that he has been in office for 11 years.  Thus, even when FEDECAMARAS in the name of the private sector is offering for the government real measures to be taken before the Guri damn closes down he attacks them, Chavez refuses to listen to them.

Finally FEDECAMARAS says what I have been saying all along: there should be a weekly rotating blackout for each economic and governmental sector, each one taking turns along the week days.  But this needs to be coordinated by the government and the different sectors while fiscal provisions are taken to alleviate some of the consequences of shutting down up to 20% of the productivity while keeping up the payrolls.  You know, some tax break at least.

But Chavez will have none of it because that would mean that he has to accept that the government has at least some share of the blame.  And in his arrogance, hubris and idiocy he prefers to watch the country go down the electric drain while he hopes that miraculously copious rains will fill up Guri in May.

I think the comparison speaks for itself as to where the real democracy resides.