Security, Freedom, and Democracy

El Líbero, April 26, 2024

Without security, there is no democracy; without security, there is no freedom; and without democracy and freedom, there is no growth.

Reestablishing Chile on the path to development requires many things, but in the current context, security is undoubtedly the foremost.

This week, the homicide rate decreased from 6.7 to 6.3 murders per 100,000 inhabitants in 2023. However, it was overlooked that this indicator showed that this year had the second highest number of deaths; it was also not mentioned that due to insecurity, large, medium, and small businesses have had to seek private alternatives for protection, turning security into a sort of tax they must add to their monthly budget; and the close relationship between security, freedom, and democracy was not mentioned either.

That 6.3 has allowed for the construction of a somewhat forced narrative of a downward trend. It is difficult to assert this, as a decrease over a one-year period is not sufficient to confirm a trend. It would be different if we were talking about three years or more of decline. What is required to see a change in the security landscape is the sustainability of the indicators, not fluctuations over short periods.

What we require from the government is a narrative grounded in reality, where the ‘permanent management’ of security by the political leader is perceived, as former Colombian President Iván Duque pointed out this week, and to recognize that the current rate of 6% was 4% two years ago, acknowledging that there is only one step from that same 6% to a double-digit rate, following the reflection of the former President.

A safe environment is one where citizens can exercise their freedoms. Above all, the freedom to choose. To choose to undertake, to choose to create, and to choose the leaders who will govern them. None of this can be achieved if insecurity forces them to protect themselves behind physical barriers, change their routes, or alter their operating hours.

Many measures must be taken to address the security crisis. Short, medium, and long-term measures. Some must show immediate results, while others must contribute to building a legacy that ensures the sustainability of declining indicators. However, all of this must be built on two fundamental pillars: Freedom and Democracy.

Security should not compel us to compromise freedoms; on the contrary, it should compel us to demand from the political leader an environment of peace where we can develop freely, contribute to development, and strengthen democracy.

Without security, there is no democracy; without security, there is no freedom; and without democracy and freedom, there is no growth.

That is the narrative we need.

The foundational reforms that followed the social outbreak and nourished the beginning of the government did not contribute to this. Why propose ideas if we cannot improve or change them? Rigidity is not the way. In a dynamic scenario, flexibility is key. The only thing that cannot change is a steadfast defense of freedom and democracy, which will lay the groundwork for putting Chile back on the path to growth.

Pilar Lizana
Researcher, AthenaLab

Source: El Líbero