Security, an urgent non-urgency for the government

El Líbero, December 22, 2023

There is an element that complicates the work of the State: the over-ideologization of the security perspective held by the ruling party.

The constitutional process has ended. Two documents were rejected, a campaign that distracted our leaders, and the urgencies of Chileans remain unchanged. A constitutional moratorium of two years begins, during which we will have municipal, primary, and presidential elections. Political matters that are undoubtedly very relevant, but should not distract our leaders. The time has come to govern and address the priorities of Chileans.

With over 90% of the population perceiving that crime has increased, security is at the top of the list. National organized crime consolidates day by day as we must deal with a rising homicide rate, kidnappings, and extortions. This situation should not be a problem for a State with solid institutions, efficient prosecution tools, and constant modernization. We have most of that; perhaps the greatest challenge is the ongoing update of the institutional framework. However,

there is an element that complicates the work of the State: the over-ideologization of the security perspective held by the ruling party. A year ago, the cross-party security table collapsed after the President decided to

pardon the ‘prisoners of the uprising’; in April, following the murder of the third police officer, part of the government rejected the privileged self-defense proposed by the Naín-Retamal Law;by the third quarter, there was talk of ‘criminalizing poverty’ in reference to the land usurpations and of a ‘law of the jungle’ regarding legitimate defense. A contradictory discourse that convinces little. Furthermore, only after the plebiscite did the President state that the urgencies of Chile are different. The urgencies have always been different. Since March 11, 2022, when they came to power, and today. Security has topped the list even before they occupied La Moneda, so to say now that the urgencies are different is merely to acknowledge that theirs have been distinct from those of Chileans. This cannot be overlooked.

There is nothing more relevant to advance in security than political coherence and institutional strength.  

Protecting and enhancing institutions and democracy with clear procedures and incentives against corruption, demonstrating a real political will to respond to those who threaten the State, and assuming the responsibility of providing security. All of this, along with a coherent, cohesive, and convincing political discourse. The government has not ended, yet it is already late to address the urgencies. Today, it is necessary to seek a real conviction to tackle them, look towards the next mandate, and work for the decades to come. The new government has a difficult task.

Security will be a constant challenge that must be approached with a State perspective that safeguards both institutional integrity and democracy while restoring Chileans’ trust in their leaders.

Pilar Lizana AthenaLab Researcher

Source:
El Líbero.