This Sunday, 104 well-known Chilean personalities from fields as varied as art, culture, science, medicine, academia, politics or human rights, released a letter expressing their support for the option Rejection to the new Constitution.
They include several former ministers and collaborators of former presidents Salvador Allende, Patricio Aylwin, Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle, Ricardo Lagos and Michelle Bachelet.
In the letter sent to Bío Bío, the signatories assure that from initial support for the constitutional initiative due to the need to have a new democratically elected fundamental charter, they moved on to disillusionment due to what they consider to be structural problems with the proposed text.
“Unfortunately, we the signatories here, believe that the constitutional proposal, although it advances in legitimacy and fundamental rights in accordance with the 21st century -which must be preserved- presents structural problems that put at risk the good care of our institutions and the stability of our democratic system“, they point out.
As an example they cite what would be their 3 main problems: an excessive concentration of powers in the Chamber of Deputies and Deputies that weakens the separation of powers of a democratic State; a politicization of the judicial system by creating a Supervisory Council appointed by parliamentarians themselves and with seats reserved for indigenous peoples; and the concept of plurinationality, which they describe as “radical identityism” that would put the unity of the country at risk.
“All of the above, plus other equally serious problems, leaves us exposed to the fact that tomorrow a populism of the left, or of the right, so in vogue in these times, substantially alters the stability of our democratic system and, therefore, our coexistence“, they assert.
Similarly, the signatories indicate that the “late” agreement to introduce reforms to an eventually approved Constitution, “does not resolve the points raised and maintains the political, economic and social uncertainty in which our country finds itself.”
Therefore, they call to renew the constituent effort, but through a new text that provides greater democratic guarantees and incorporates all sectors of society.
“We, the undersigned, believe that Chile deserves more, we believe that it is essential to equip ourselves with a new Constitution, but this cannot leave open flanks that make possible a weakening of the democracy that cost us so much to recover. We need a Constitution that summons and brings together a large majority of Chileans, not one that divides and leaves out broad sectors that will not feel represented by it”, they sentence.
104 signatories for the Rejection
Among the adherents to the letter are the actors Alvaro Rudolphy, Pablo Diaz y Diego Ruiz.
The architects Mathias Klotz, Rodrigo Mendez Blanlot e Iván Poduje.
The economist and former Undersecretary of Economy of Salvador Allende, Oscar Garreton.
economists Vivianne Blanlot, Jorge Rodríguez Grossi y Rene Cortazarformer ministers during the government of Michelle Bachelet.
The former ministers Peter Garcia, Philip Sandoval, Solitude Alvear, Jose Paul Arellano, Edward Aninat, Mariana Aylwin and Edward Dockendorf.
visual artists Gonzalo Cienfuegos, Theresa Aninat, Marcelo Larrain y Benjamin Lyre.
The principal conductor of the Chilean Chamber Orchestra and National Music Prize, John Paul Left.
the former rectors Claudio Elortegui (Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso), Peter Uribe (Andres Bello University) and Louis Riveros (University of Chile).
Ricardo Brodskyformer ambassador, former Director of the Museum of Memory and Human Rights and the Gabriela Mistral Museum.
The former ambassadors Ernesto Tironi, Fernando Molina Vallejo, Iris Boeninger, Germán Guerrero Pavez and Alvaro Briones.
Jorge Barrospsychiatrist and Head of the Department of Psychiatry at the School of Medicine of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile; Veronica Larach, full professor of Psychiatry at the Andrés Bello University; Y Louis Gomberoffpsychiatrist, psychoanalyst, academic and former director of the José Horwitz Barak Psychiatric Hospital.
Enrique “Cote” Evanslawyer, academic and social communicator.
Manuel Kukuljanphysician and Doctor of Science, former dean of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Chile.
You can review the full letter as well as the signatories in its entirety below: