Published in El Libero, June 23, 2019

Dear Director,

It is clear that the Army and individuals who worked there made mistakes in the past, but I wonder whether there is any value in continuously highlighting the negative and ignoring the positive contributions they make. Sometimes I get the impression that part of our population takes pleasure in kicking a fallen tree, while on the other hand, there are those who recognize their merit in Cadem and, despite everything, place them 6th out of 14 institutions, well above others that claim moral authority over all Chileans. I leave it to your consciences to determine who is right.

Isn’t it time to allow this institution, which belongs to all Chileans, is victorious, noble, and alongside the Navy granted us freedom over 200 years ago, and today, together with other defense institutions, protects and safeguards our sovereignty and political independence, to turn the page and move forward with its tasks and reconstruction?

I only ask that we do not continue to make a spectacle of past mistakes.

Richard Kouyoumdjian Inglis

Vice President of AthenaLab