3, 2, 1…. The countdown ends

We are betting on the future! A future that must be marked by an environment of peace and stability, where there is no room for violence of any kind.

There is no deadline that is not met nor debt that is not paid. The moment has arrived, perhaps the most important in our recent political history. Tomorrow, all of us who are eligible to vote must go to the polls to decide whether to reject or approve the text proposed by the Constitutional Convention. 

Everything has been said, but little has been mentioned about the underlying issue: we must decide whether to approve or reject a norm that will allow us to organize the State. Some call it the house of all, but it seems that not all of us can enter that house. We are betting on the future of Chile! Of that country that began with the first government junta on September 18, 1810, and which we are about to celebrate its 212th anniversary, a country that has heroes like Arturo Prat and Bernardo O’Higgins and that arises from the interactions between those who arrived and those who were already in this territory. A long and narrow strip of land in the south of America, more connected to the world than ever, with its eyes set on this important election. 

Our vote tomorrow will mark a new direction for the country. We have made tremendous progress over the last 30 years. The fact that foreigners come to Chile seeking better development options is no mere coincidence; it is because those 30 years have allowed us to advance like never before. Growing hurts, some say, but let that pain not cloud our objective: to continue developing. 

We are a unitary country whose unity arises from differences. Our national symbols reflect this, and the ‘house of all’ should do so as well, but it does not. The polarization of the environment is a sign of this, and bringing the discussion to the left or the right is not the way forward. This is too important an election to place it on the pendulum of political ideology. We are betting on the future! A future that must be marked by an environment of peace and stability, where there is no room for violence of any kind. There is no need to take to the streets to defend the votes if the result is close, as Guillermo Tellier said; calls like that only tarnish one of the most relevant moments for the country. 

Only the unity that springs from differences will allow us to advance towards a process where we can truly build ‘the house of all,’ where all our opinions have a place, where despite differences we can make progress on fundamental issues, where agreements surpass conflict, and where we can truly envision the Chile of the future. But envision it because we are proud of our past, that which has allowed us to reach where we are today and on which we want to continue building a State, a strong one that seeks security, development, and well-being for its citizens, that is an example for the world and to which everyone wants to come to fulfill their dreams. 

Neither by erasing the past can we write the future, nor by thinking of specific interests can we strengthen unity, nor by entrenching ourselves in our sectors can we write the house of all. Only by placing CHILE at the center will we strengthen that house and write a solid future. 

Pilar Lizana
Researcher at AthenaLab

Source: El Líbero