[ad_1]
The President Sebastián Piñera ruled out that in the short term the constitutional state of exception will be lifted established on March 18 of this year as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, stating that “Without a state of exception there can be no quarantines”
“To restrict the freedom of a commune, of a neighborhood, a state of exception is required. The health alert only allows restricting the freedom of a person who is infected, but not of a community. And this will be discussed with (the Ministry of) Health. Health estimates, and I agree, that we can have a second wave. In Europe, the second wave has been seven times harder and has had more infections and more deaths than the first, and therefore, when we lift the state of emergency, we will have to renounce quarantines and that is a decision that must be taken with a lot of thought, “said the President tonight during his participation in the program” At this time it improvises, “on Channel 13.
Regarding the curfew, which currently applies between 00:00 and 05:00, he indicated that this measure has been shortened in its duration, “and we could continue in that direction.”
Added that “In any case, I am a great supporter of freedom, that is why I think that one of the risks of the pandemic is that governments use them to take away people’s freedoms and increase their authoritarianism and intervention. You have to do it only to the extent strictly necessary and not abuse a pandemic to take away freedom from citizens ”.
Consulted on the increase in police repression that has been generated after the social outbreak of October 18, the head of state indicated that during this period “Atrocities were committed, yes, but you have to make a distinction that some do not make, the State, the government and this President did everything in our power to avoid, prevent and try to mitigate and alleviate any violation of human rights. Here we must not confuse the bad performance of some people with an institution, such as the Carabineros or the Army ”.
“But there was never a kind of state policy to violate human rights. If there was any State policy, it was just the opposite and there is evidence of all the measures we take ”.
About the process to arrive at a new Magna Carta and the content that it should have, President Piñera indicated that for him, to reach a successful conclusion on this path is that “it is democratic, peaceful, respectful, that there is dialogue, that there is agreement. And regarding the final port, I would like the Constitution to recognize essential values. Some say ‘blank sheet’, ‘start from scratch’, countries never start from zero. A Constitution is a meeting of generations (…) and gathers the traditions, the values of a country like Chile ”.
“I would like that in the Constitution (…) it is very important that essential values are recognized such as freedom, life, the dignity of people, which includes respect for their human rights at all times, circumstance and place. That values such as the family are also recognized, the value of guaranteeing certain basic rights to all, such as health, education, housing, social security ”, added.
“I am hopeful that in this constituent process we will reach an agreement by large majorities that will make the Constitution known and respected by all.”, He concluded.
President Piñera also defended his right to reach the end of his term. “One of the things that irritate me the most are those who claim that the path that only they prefer is legitimate, is democratic. There are many who believe that the center right, of which I am a part, has no legitimacy to govern and that only they have it. That is in the soul of many. I tell them ‘in a democracy the one who wins the elections governs’ and we win the elections ”.
Regarding some voices that have requested his resignation from office, Piñera pointed out that “In asking there is no deception” and added that “asking to resign in Chile is a national sport.”
Consulted on how they are resolved emergencies in social problems, such as pensions or security, that go beyond the political agreement that a new Constitution means, the President indicated that “I believe that none of us think that the Constitution is the panacea. The Constitution is a framework, but it does not solve all problems. Many of these problems must be solved with good public policies, with more innovation, with more entrepreneurship, with more education, with better health ”.
However, he indicated that “We cannot continue to think that everyone can be done with more public spending, as if it were a path that has no limits, because we know where it leads. When one abandons responsibility, and only thinks about the popularity of the day, the poll of the day, or what social networks are going to say and makes decisions knowing that they are bread for today and hunger for tomorrow, they are being dishonest, and I I think there is much of that in Chilean politics today, unleashed populism, that anything goes.
“Populism is easy to sell, the truth is more difficult to spread and convince”added.
On loss of confidence that has occurred in the political class and in some institutions, such as Carabineros, the President stressed that “trust makes all the difference (…) Today we have a very great weakness of the institutions. All the institutions are weakened: the Presidency of the Republic, Congress, the Judiciary, the Prosecutor’s Office, the Armed Forces, the Police, all have problems of legitimacy and trust. We raised in last year’s public account an entire agenda for the modernization of institutions, but there is also another problem that has nothing to do with institutions, which has to do with ourselves, which is the poor quality of politics, populism untied, the violence unleashed. Here those who think differently are immediately attacked by all means by some sectors. This poor quality of politics is perhaps one of the worst problems we have in our society ”.
“I think we all have to make a mea culpa, little by little we were letting the populism bug, fake news, anything goes, irresponsibility, promising things that are known to be impossible to fulfill, having a private speech and another in public, was contaminating our policy, that is why I am optimistic and I hope that this constituent process is a good opportunity to recover the quality of politics and also the legitimacy of the institutions ”, he added.
Regarding the draft constitutional reform on the withdrawal of 10% of AFP funds, he indicated that “The government clearly established its position that it does not make sense that under the pretext of giving a benefit we are now compromising the future pensions of millions and millions of Chileans. If the second withdrawal is made, more than 4 million people will be left with zero pension savings ”.
Asked about the lack of security in places like La Araucanía or the capital itself during the protests, he indicated that the “The fight to guarantee peace, citizen security, the rule of law is one of the main concerns, but it is not a responsibility only of the government. It is a responsibility that falls to the police and we know that the police, the Carabineros, come from very difficult times, the Huracán case, the Catrillanca case, the probity problem ”.
“The Prosecutor’s Office that has to investigate, which has a monopoly on the investigation, also intervenes. Also the Judicial Power. We just saw the trial of two people who had set fire to a Metro station and released them. Well I respect the failures but I can have my observations. And therefore it is a chain. And you know that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. So it’s not that the government has no will ”, Held.
Regarding the call made by part of the population to reform the Carabineros, after the problems that have afflicted the institution, President Piñera said that after a broad agreement, “We sent a bill to Congress that we have not been able to move forward because I believe that for reasons, in my opinion, mistaken, of an ideological nature, they have not wanted to advance in the security agenda, nor in the modernization law of the Carabineros, nor in the law on arms control, nor in creating a new intelligence system, nor in the antiterrorist law nor in the antidrug law “
In that sense, He called on Congress to “make an effort to make a profound modernization of the Carabineros, which, believe me, it needs it very urgently and it has to be very deep.”
Asked about who is emerging as a presidential candidate who can continue his legacy, he indicated that “People like Joaquín Lavín, Evelyn Matthei, Mario Desbordes, Sebastián Sichel and many more, I think they are people whom I aspire to could continue a work, because I am convinced that our ideas are good for Chile and especially for the people who need it most ”.