Developments in Guatemala
Amid Calls for Resignation, President Seeks Support of Organization of American States
- Gerardo
Villagrán del Corral -
November 21, 2020. Rally in Plaza de la Constitución.
Thousands of Guatemalans are still in the streets
demanding the resignation of conservative President Alejandro
Giammattei, whom they accuse of not allocating sufficient resources to
combat poverty and inequality, while he continues harsh repression and
has invoked the Inter-American Democratic Charter.
Approved in 2001, this charter implements a series
of measures to restore democratic order in the nations that invoke it,
and to guarantee respect for fundamental human rights. Giammattei added
that he had communicated with the Secretary General of the Organization
of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, to ensure dialogue, and
expressed his openness to an inclusive negotiation that would lead to
an understanding between sectors of society.
The situation of great political instability
erupted after a huge popular demonstration held on November 21 in the
historic part of Guatemala City, the capital, ended with numerous
incidents and the burning of part of the building where the Parliament
is located.
November 21, 2020. Fire at legislative building in Guatemala City.
There are suspicions that it was a planned
operation by the government to undermine the legitimacy of the
protests. Those who assaulted the legislative building were dressed in
black and carried sticks to break the building's windows,
but they were not arrested by the police present at the scene,
according to the Guatemalan newspaper El Periódico.
 Additional
suspicion arose from the fact that the Congress was not fenced off, as
it had been hours before the budget was approved. Political and social
references in the country expressed that the vandalism to the
Parliament was intended to discredit the legitimacy of the huge
demonstration, which took place in a general climate of tranquillity
until the violent attack by the police.
According to official figures, one in two children
under five in the country suffers from chronic malnutrition, and almost
60 per cent of the Guatemalan population lives below the poverty line.
The president announced that the acts of protest
are but a means through which minority groups are attempting to carry
out a real coup d'état. In an earlier statement, the OAS
recognized the right to protest, but spoke out against the vandalism
denounced by authorities, which has been denied by spokespersons for
the protesters.
The Alliance for Reforms, which brings together 40
social organizations, demanded the resignation of Interior Minister
Gendri Reyes, following the repression of November 21. The
vice-president, Guillermo Castillo, who had distanced himself from
Giammattei and demanded his resignation, asked the public prosecutor's
office to investigate the burning of congressional offices as well as
the police repression.
November 28, 2020.
The approved budget leaves ample room for
corruption -- a deeply entrenched evil in the country -- because it
does not stipulate appropriate control mechanisms to ensure the proper
use of resources, granting more resources to ministries that have been
the focus of huge irregularities in recent years, such as
Communications, Infrastructure and Housing.
The protest on November 21 left at least 15
demonstrators and 12 police officers injured, and more than 30
detained. Police repression extended to several departments of the
country.
Congress approved loans of more than $3.8 billion
to address the pandemic, but barely 15 per cent of those resources
reached Guatemalans. COVID-19 has left nearly 120,000 people infected
and over 4,000 dead in this country of 17 million inhabitants.
The Reason for the Protests
Congress, made up mostly of the ruling
party and related parties, approved a budget of nearly $12.8 billion
for 2021, a 25 per cent increase over this year. Most of the funds are
directed to infrastructure with the private sector and do not provide
for increases for health or education, or for combatting poverty and
child malnutrition.
Congress also designated about $65,000 for meals
for deputies, something that outraged the population because at that
time Hurricane Iota was entering the country and causing destruction,
leaving poor communities cut off and without food -- communities
already affected by the recent passing of another powerful hurricane,
Eta, which left 59 dead and almost 100 missing.
This all occurred in a context in which hospitals
are without medicines, doctors without pay and the numbers affected by
the pandemic are rising. The economy has suffered, tens of thousands of
people have lost their jobs and the price of food and other goods has
risen.
For this reason, calls were given to demonstrate
in various squares across the country, including the "Plaza de la
Constitución" (formerly Central Park), demanding the
resignation of the president and the congressmen, an end to corruption
and the cancellation of the 2021 budget. But thousands of placards
demanding a Constituent Assembly were also carried.
November 21, 2020. Protest in Antigua.
The questions are repeated: Are we on the verge of
another cycle of protests similar to that of 2015, when massive
demonstrations against the corruption of the government of Otto
Pérez Molina and Roxana Baldetti occurred? Will it reach
levels of violent confrontation?
What is clear is that there is a feeling of anger
and indignation against the government, which was expressed in various
ways (peaceful and violent), while it cannot and does not wish to
respond to citizens' demands and is attempting to use the OAS to
"democratically" repress the people.
Gerardo Villagrán del Corral
is a Mexican anthropologist and economist, associated with the Latin
American Centre for Strategic Analysis (CLAE).
This article was published in
Volume 50 Number 47 - December 5, 2020
Article Link:
Developments in Guatemala: Amid Calls for Resignation, President Seeks Support of Organization of American States - Gerardo
Villagrán del Corral
Website: www.cpcml.ca
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