Versión Español
EspañolEcuador’s Social Christian Party Presidential candidate Cynthia Viteri has come out saying the country’s political opposition was neither ” financiers, nor sponsors nor facilitators of this government.”
But I say they don’t need to be financiers, sponsors or facilitators, because they play a much more important role in President Rafael Correa’s adminstration: paving the way for his current position of power.
PSC created the perfect breeding ground for the current President of Ecuador to take office.
It is not surprising that Correa won over Ecuadorians, with his populist discourse of alleged “clean hands” and “ardent hearts.” His speech, directed firmly against traditional political parties, was able to succeed in the wake of innumerable controversies from previous administrations within the country’s Chamber of Congress.
It wasn’t that strange to see deputies throwing ashtrays at each other from time to time, as well as a few insults. Over the years, people grew tired of such behavior and opted for someone who, at least in his speeches, promised to make changes to the style of politics in Ecuador.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t much change. The director of the circus, the producer of the reality show, may be different, but it’s the same Ecuadorian political scene.
Today we continue to live in the most cruel of mercantilists societies. We continue to live in a country where justice is still in question.
But all this is not a coincidence: Ecuador used to belong to some, and now it belongs to a few. It’s hard to see a way out of this system.
Viteri’s speech is concerning because it focuses on another opposition candidate instead of on changes that need to be made to this country.
It seems that she only wants Ecuador to continue to change in form rather than in substance because she rejects structural adjustments that the country needs. Her slogan talks about a “safe change,” which sounds like a disguised proposal for more of the same.
The people do not need free tablets, as Viteri has promised, (which aren’t free anyway; it’s included in your taxes).
And those are the same taxes that are drowning the Ecuadorian people, that not only hinder the country from moving forward, but lead to further unemployment. The country does not need to lower the price of electricity (as Viteri has also promised, though she has not specified how she will do it) or to raise wages.
What Ecuador needs is not a “safe” change, but a profound one. If Ecuador is to move up in the world, it needs to strengthen its currency, eliminate taxes, restore autonomy to its institutions and eliminate unnecessary bureaucracies and laws.
Every opposition candidate claims to want change, but most of them are proposing weak measures that don’t help enough.
The country needs to meditate on its vote. It has to be aware that it is no longer enough to vote for a striking speech, or for the most charismatic person. Everyone must vote consciously, for someone who really knows how to do the things that the country needs moving forward from so many years of waste and corruption.
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