Democracy?

On Thursday night, there was a massive protest against the president, Cristina Kirchner. 

I knew that people disliked her, but I had no idea the magnitude of how many people dislike her. People in Recoleta regularly bang on pots and pans outside when Cristina is speaking on television in a type of protest unique to Argentina called cacerolazo. A few weeks ago when I asked my professor whether or not the population of Recoleta was a good indication of the nation's satisfaction with Cristina, he said not at all. He went on to explain that all of the rich people hate her because she taxes them heavily. 

Well, the protest I observed was certainly more than just the residents of Recoleta and the problems with Cristina extend beyond her taxation policies. There are myriad reasons why people dislike Cristina, including her restrictions on imports, heavily taxed imports, and law against buying American dollars. In addition, her government is allegedly corrupt, severely Socialist, and "going the way of Venezuela or Cuba." 

The main purpose of the protest was to stop Cristina from changing the Constitution. Cristina has proposed a change that will allow presidents to hold office for three terms instead of two. The crowds of people walked all the way from Santa Fe, a large street in Recoleta, down Avenido 9 de Julio, to the Plaza de Mayo, where Casa Rosada is. For an hour, I watched hoards of people banging pots and pans, holding signs, clapping, and chanting. There were people of all ages including old women with canes and young children in strollers. This protest was carried out in many other cities across Argentina. 

My first thought about the protest was, "Wow! Now this is political involvement! The United States is so complacent compared to the citizens here." But my enthusiasm slowly changed. There was something sad about the fact that the president would even have the opportunity to change the constitution for such a self-serving purpose as wanting another term. Where are the checks and balances? Problems with inflation and unemployment are out of control. Policies can change so drastically between presidencies and the economy is such a disaster that companies don't want to invest here. Argentina has historically been isolationist, so they do not have a strong support system of other nations. All of this compounded with the inescapable history of military dictatorships and unstable governments makes this current situation urgent for all Argentines who do want a successful democracy. 

The night after the protest, I was talking to my host parents about the protests. My host mom, Patricia, started to cry. She is the third adult I have seen cry about the government in Argentina.

 

What I experienced was not a gay pride parade or an Occupy Wall Street movement. This is not a part of the population looking to change social policies or stop a war or save the environment. This is fear.  Argentines are afraid of what is going to become of their government and their country. 

Maybe many Americans are complacent, but we have never had reason not to be. And for that, I feel very lucky.