La semana que cambió a Chile

La tercera semana de Octubre, parte de los chilenos se lanzo a las calles para reclamar por varias demandas económicas, llegando a reunir más de un millón de personas en la ciudad de Santiago, a lo cual el gobierno de Sebastian Piñera respondió con unas pocas medidas que la ciudadanía consideró insuficientes. 

Después de una semana de manifestaciones, la presión ha disminuido pero no lo suficiente como para asegurar la total normalidad. Hay sectores que intentarán seguir en la calle, como el PC, el Frente Amplio y la CUT, que convocaron a más  días de paro y protesta. A estas fuerzas parece haberse sumado el Partido Socialista, que escogió una de las dos veredas en las que se sitúa ahora mismo la oposición. 

En una de ellas están los tres partidos políticos que concurrieron a La Moneda para dialogar con el Presidente (DC, PPD, PR) y en la otra está el resto, básicamente comunistas, socialistas y frente amplistas. Estos últimos viven su propia crisis. Su mentor e ideólogo, Carlos Ruiz, les manda un severo «tirón de orejas». Les dice que deben dejar de actuar erráticamente y que «este no es momento de sacarse selfies en las marchas» sino que hay que irse para la casa a escribir propuestas y tratar de impulsarlas (La Tercera).

Pero, ¿quién esta detrás del caos generado en estos días? ¿Es casual el incendio simultáneo de varias estaciones de metro y el edificio ENEL? ¿Habrá grupos anárquicos o el narcotráfico detrás de estos atentados ?

Este es un remezón por habernos creído un país rico por mucho tiempo, dejando de lado a los que quedaban en el camino.

Si no nos ponemos de acuerdo corremos el riesgo de caer en populismos o extremismos. No debemos sacrificar todos los logros conseguidos por la premura de mejorar las cosas.

La salida real a esta crisis es la de un gobierno de unidad nacional. Para que eso ocurra, no sólo deben los opositores aceptar ser parte de este proyecto, sino que los que hoy están en el poder deben aceptar reducir el suyo. Se debe convocar a una agenda clara, garantizar el crecimiento económico para solventar mayores demandas. Regular las concentraciones de poder por sectores industriales fin incentivar la competencia. Fortalecer los municipios y las regiones. Modernizar la educación. Modernizar el Estado y rebajar la burocracia.

Sería un error politico pensar en cambiar el modelo económico, en vez de mejorarlo.

Debemos entender que un aumento del 4% al fondo de pensiones es insuficiente para obtener una buena tasa de reemplazo en el tema de las pensiones a largo plazo.

La rebaja de dieta de los parlamentarios debiera ser cercana o superior al 50% de su remuneración actual.

Como hemos podido apreciar, gran parte de la ciudadania está de acuerdo con las manifestaciones que piden cambios sociales mediante medios pacíficos lo que cambia radicalmente si se producen actos violentos o delictivos.

Por otro lado se percibe que el gobierno no ha reaccionado oportunamente en ofrecer soluciones a esta crisis.

Siendo las principales motivaciones que han generado estas manifestaciones los sueldos de los trabajadores, los precios de los servicios básicos (luz, agua, gas), las pensiones de los jubilados y la desigualdad económica entre los chilenos.

Dentro de las medidas propuestas por el Presidente Piñera, las mejor evaluadas son: La reducción de las dietas de los parlamentarios y altos sueldos de la administración pública y reducción en el número de los parlamentarios, el proyecto que crea el derecho a la Sala Cuna Universal a todos los niños de madres o padres que trabajen y el proyecto que establece la reducción de las contribuciones de los adultos mayores más vulnerables. Y a su vez los peor evaluados son: El Seguro que cubre parte del gasto en medicamentos, el aumento de Pensiones de Vejez y el Ingreso Mínimo Garantizado de CL$ 350.000.-

Las medidas que debiera tomar el gobierno para superar la crisis debiera ser: Escuchar las demandas ciudadanas y generar un plan de mejoras, reconocer los problemas de desigualdades en Chile y llamar a un acuerdo político con todos los partidos de Chile y entender en detalle los malestares de la ciudadanía. 

Y como medidas concretas que debiera tomar el gobierno para superar la crisis económica seria: Mejorar el sueldo mínimo, congelar el alza de los servicios básicos (luz, agua, gas), mejorar las pensiones en su pilar solidario, disminuir la Dieta Parlamentaria, reducir el número de Parlamentarios y la gratuidad en Transporte Público para los adultos mayores.

Es fundamental no perder el norte de las demandas de la ciudadanía que no contemplan dentro de sus prioridades la modificación a la actual Constitución o la creación de una Asamblea Constituyente que en algunos países ha obtenido un poder absoluto, por encima incluso de los tres poderes del Estado.

Fuente estadística: Activa Research

President Sebastián Piñera apologized and announced a series of measures to end the social crisis

Pensions, minimum wage and parliamentary reduction: Piñera delivers a series of measures amid crises in the country.

The President also apologized to the Chileans, for their "lack of vision", in a crisis that, according to him, had been coming for decades.

President Sebastián Piñera announced a series of measures to end the social crisis in the country.

First he indicated that this comes from decades ago, so he acknowledged a "lack of vision and I apologize to my countrymen." To then point out a series of measures that will make up his "Social Agenda" that will be proposed to Congress or directly implemented by the Government, as appropriate.

Pensions

On the issue of Pensions, he announced an "immediate increase of 20% of the Basic Solidarity Pension, which will benefit 590 thousand pensioners." Together with this, an "immediate 20% increase in the Solidarity Pension Contribution, which will benefit 945 thousand pensioners." An "additional increase in basic pensions and solidarity pension contributions, during the years 2021 and 2022, for pensioners over 75 years old."

While for the pension savings of the middle class and the women who work and contribute, they will be given a contribution of fiscal resources "to increase their pensions at the time of retirement, which will favor 500 thousand workers".

And finally, tax contributions to improve pensions for senior citizens.

Health and Medicines

Speaking about health, the President announced the creation of an Insurance, which will cover part of the cost of medicines in Chilean families. And in turn, the "extension of the FONASA agreement with pharmacies, to reduce the price of medicines, which will benefit more than 12 million people." 

In addition, he insisted on the urgency of "immediate discussion of the Bill sent by our Government to the Congress that creates the Catastrophic Diseases Insurance, in order to ensure a ceiling on family health spending." Whatever exceeds that ceiling, the insurance will cover it.

Guaranteed Minimum Income

On Salaries, a Minimum Guaranteed Income of CL$ 350,000 (USD 482) will be created, "for all full-time workers that complement the workers' salary, when it is less than CL$ 350,000." In the Guaranteed Minimum Income, the State is responsible for supplementing the salary, in case the worker does not reach CL$ 350,000.

Electric rates

Another of the announcements was a mechanism for stabilizing electricity rates, which would allow the recent increase of 9.2% of electricity to be canceled, which had been announced by January 2020.

Inequality

While in inequality, one of the measures he explained was higher taxes on the highest income sectors, with the creation of a new tranche in the 40% Complementary Global Tax for income over CL$ 8,000,000 per month (USD 11,016). This "would increase tax collection by USD 160 million." 

On the other hand, he pointed out greater equity between high and low income districts. This, strengthening the Municipal Common Fund, "establishing greater contributions from the higher-income districts, for the benefit of the lower-income districts."

He added that they propose, and therefore support, the reduction of parliamentary diets and high salaries of the public administration. In addition to reducing the number of parliamentarians and a limitation of re-elections.

Delinquency

To combat crime, he proposed the creation of the Victim Advocacy Office, which would facilitate access and strengthen legal defense and social and psychological support for victims of crime.

Reconstruction

In conjunction with this, in order to restore property that has been damaged in recent days, a "Reconstruction Plan for damages and destruction caused by violence and crime in recent days, which have caused serious damages to public infrastructure, especially in the Metro. 

The President evaluated that the plan "will take time" and will commit resources for more than 350 million dollars.

Urgency in projects sent

In addition, the President said that there are several projects of high social content that have been sent to Congress and are intended to accelerate their processing and approval. 

Among them the Pro-Childhood Project, which ends with the SENAME; The project that creates the Catastrophic Health Insurance; Project the right to the Universal Crib Room and the project that establishes the reduction of the contributions (housing tax) of the most vulnerable older adults.

Finally, President Piñera stressed that "this Social Agenda will not solve all the problems that afflict Chileans. But it will be a necessary and significant contribution to improve their quality of life."

Source: Emol

The riots that shook Chile

The unease of citizenship and the perception of inequality in cases of corruption tired a large part of Chilean society that feels delayed in a successful but unequal economic system.

But this feeling is not something of this week or of this government, but a series of situations that have been developing in recent decades.

Although Chile has grown steadily in economic terms, in relation to many of our Latin American neighbors, and having overcome the most extreme poverty, there has always been a feeling of inequality and issues to be resolved.

The pension system that for many years did not adapt to the changes in today's society (in terms of contribution, active population and life expectancy) has generated poor results in its replacement rate, resulting in very low pensions for an important part of society.

Public education was always of a lower quality than private schools, but in a modern society in which the level of professionalism and specialization is more demanding than a few decades ago, it is even more noticeable.

All of the above plus other issues related to health, safety and transportation have been postponed by a mean political class that puts its partisan interests above the common good of the country.

This is how in recent days there have been disorders that began with a simple call to evade the passage of the subway in response to the rise in its price. Then it gradually climbed until it reached that violent groups burned some subway stations, a public building and some private businesses.

Seeing that the situation was increasing, the Government of Sebastian Piñera under the protection of the Constitution declared a state of exception (state of emergency) leaving security control under the command of Army General Javier Iturriaga.

Based on the situation of chaos and looting that some groups of criminals were already affecting the order of the city, a curfew is declared, which prohibits the movement of citizens through the streets of the city under the control of the army and forces of order.

"I call all my compatriots to unity in these difficult times, to take care of our country, everything that we have built with so much effort and we cannot allow a group of violentists to damage what we have built together," President Piñera said in conference Today, Sunday October 20th.

For his part, Minister Blumel reports: "We are going to make the bill that leaves the price (subway rate) increase without effect, it will be processed immediately". "The financial report of the project to curb the rise of the passage has a fiscal cost of CLP 3,500 million (USD 4.9 million app).

Today groups of neighbours who spontaneously came to cooperate in the cleaning of the sinister subway stations, together with the subway train workers. This is the real Chile, that of working people who are against crime.