The freedom we lose to crime

El Líbero, July 26, 2024

Democracy is based on the freedom to choose, on respect for the rule of law, and on institutional strength—elements that are daily undermined and, if they regress, will require several years to recover.

Freedom, that characteristic value of the Western world, is threatened by the advance of crime. Gunfire and murders have had a direct impact on daily life: the fear of Chileans leads them to stay indoors and change their routines; schools must suspend classes when a high-risk funeral is known, and the State, with its retreat from the territory, has ceased to ensure that freedom for its citizens.  

It is not trivial to highlight the weakening of this fundamental value, as freedom is at the center of democracy. This form of government, which the ruling party defends so vigorously, requires a consolidated State to reach its full potential.

Chile, along with Uruguay and Costa Rica, are the most stable democracies in the region. Although the democracy index measured by The Economist has often placed us in the category of flawed democracy rather than full democracy, we remain in third place. While our indicators have worsened, we still have better levels of development and stability than others in the region, to the extent that many still want to come to Chile. And among those many, not everyone passes the test of whiteness.

Good indicators are excellent news, but they can also become an opportunity for those unwanted guests. Why does the Latin American criminal want to come to Chile? Well, because in the country, they find an ideal environment for business. It should not be forgotten that the objective of all criminal violence is economic, and while organized crime groups advance, the political debate focuses on where to locate the new prison announced by the President last week.

A ruling party deputy proposed to place it on the outskirts, the mayor of Santiago does not want it located in her municipality, but in the end, the back-and-forth continues to point anywhere but at the root of the problem. It seems that violence has not been sufficient to change the tone of the conversation; some remain fixated on the famous ‘privileges’ and propose ideas only to entrap those they face in discussions that add no value.

When we begin to talk about management models based on inter-institutional work that addresses all dimensions of the problem, where measurable indicators are designed to allow for adjustments and improvements in the State’s work, when the political leader of security truly shows the willingness to tackle the problem, and when we stop centering the debate on annoying the opposition, only then will we advance in recovering that freedom we lose daily to crime.

Living in a democracy with a government that does not react to crime, and where some sectors have a complex regarding the use of state force, is nothing more than living in a system of government that only retains the name because democracy is based on the freedom to choose, on respect for the rule of law, and on institutional strength—elements that are daily undermined and, if they regress, will require several years to recover.

Pilar Lizana
Senior Researcher, AthenaLab

Source: El Líbero