Democracy?

Today begins a new period in the lives of Guatemalans, or so one may hope. Oscar Berger, of the Grand National Alliance, GANA, an alliance of three parties: the Partido Patriota (Patriotic Party), Movimiento Reformador (Reformist Movement)and Partido Solidaridad Nacional (National Solidarity Party), has taken power in the gradual process of reducing the power of the Guatemalan Republican Front (FRG), the political arm of the military and the ex-dictator, Rios Montt, who is significantly responsible for the massacres in the 1980's. Although it is a new era, the FRG still reigns in most political arenas and dominates the conscience of the most socially vulnerable in society. What I am beginning to learn about Guatemala is that nothing can be taken for granted, whether it be electricity, water, food, security, land, jobs, being paid, or things getting done on time. Nothing is sacred and everything can be violated, especially one’s human rights. Guatemala has so little transparency with regard to anything, I am surprised people still have roofs over their heads, and the richer minority has not found a way to pawn that off yet. To put it mildly, things here are grim with regard to corruption and treatment of individuals. I am not saying in any way, that there is a visible civil war with gangs slaying each other in the streets. There is violence but people do live here. Yes, there is a wonderful, amazing, generous, vibrant, courageous and spirited group of individuals called Guatemalans that most citizens of the world could not aspire to be as brave and relaxed about things.

From what I understand from our meetings with the civil society sector, most people in the countryside do not understand what their rights are. People here are not used to denouncing others and much of the abuse goes unpunished and unspoken for fear of further repercussions on their community. Furthermore, there is the problem of analfabetismo, illiteracy, so even if there is written information, few will be able to read it.

Information is vital and the most sacred article in Guatemala due to the overwhelming amount of disinformation. When only rich and military orientated people have control over the airwaves, it is difficult to let people know what is really going on. With high levels of illiteracy, what is the virtue of a newspaper? If one is unable to read, how can you insure that your rights are being protected when signing a contract? Few people know anything about CAFTA and shortly their governments will let bleed the last blood of this courageous people in the brief hope of squeezing more money into their pocketbooks that campesinos, (field workers) could not even visualize. We were speaking with an NGO for the survivors of the war about reparations. She mentioned that it is ridiculous to give a $20,000 check to someone having suffered when they have probably never seen such a large sum of money and cannot even read what it is. In three out of four of the cases, the money will go to drinking away their misfortune. Rural farm workers would probably be lucky to get a dollar a day. So CAFTA will continue to plague the Central American states until the US will lead its search for cheaper products to Asia all in the name of free trade. I find it to be a violation to invoke democratic values when mentioning these trade agreements.

The Guatemalan government is trying to portray itself as being tolerant, as to be accepted by the international community, however the only groups really considering how to build a multi-cultural society are the indigenous ones. With the ladino, colonial descendents oligarchy/non-indigenous, selling off Mayan Culture and using their token novelty for photo brochures, a strange type of racism permeates the society. The Mayan image sells to tourists, so it is being used to make a profit, but they exist in a partial system of apartheid with second-class citizenship. Ladino-produced items are for consumers more than for tourists. The level of injustice that exists when an oligarchy that is making a profit off a people, who they insult, abuse their socio-economic and cultural rights, by refusing them land, compensation for work, etc. is extraordinary. One of the airlines is ironically called Mayan Air. I think it is fair to say that there is not a single indigenous representative on the board of the airlines.

In this new “democracy”, a substantial amount of discrimination still exists on the part of the government. Oscar Berger, the new president, promised to have ethnic and gender diversity in his cabinet. At this point, one or two ministers are of Mayan background and two women are being included. For a field of reference, indigenous groups compose 60% of the population and women around 50%. As democracy means representation, or in this case, diversity, Berger would be hard pressed to truthfully call his government democratic. NGO’s representing the Maya, Xinca and Garifuna, the three predominant ethnic groups in Guatemala, believe that the mindset of the ladinos need to be changed. They feel that the youth need to learn about indigenous culture and languages. They still do not know the history of the recent civil war due to censorship.

History is a daunting and controversial topic, as the version of history that goes recorded is that of the victor. Yet, the plentitude of watchdog groups to ensure accountability and democracy that exist will ensure that the truth will come out. It is only a matter of time. In this case, it is the international community that is the counter balance. Only working in solidarity we will make a difference. For those who have been lost and those who are yet to join the movement, together we will make sure the truth is exposed.