…. In the peoples’name ….
Latin Trade Nov 2019
…. In the peoples’name ….
Ingo Plöger,
Brazilian entrepreneur, Pres., CEAL Conselho Empresarial da América Latina – Brazil
Popular movements and demonstrations intensify throughout Latin America, empowered by its flags the people exercise their political right, in Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, in all Latin America people use their political right and seek to ensure their participation in the political process, since the politicians are speaking on their behalf…
Crowds in civic engagement use their powerful democratic weapons, smartphones, handheld posters, flags with ready-made slogans, shout slogans with a new and straightforward mode of communication through street demonstrations, confronting those who speak in their own hands name, and it is clear that they want to take back their voice;
Politicians claim the demonstrations for themselves, by settling their street positions, get hold of a list of popular requests, go into collision with established governments tin an attempt to change them, by the so called “…in the name of the people…”
Increasingly, large movements are most often hatched from society by the free will of initiatives that do not originate with governments, political parties, trade unions or institutional representations. They are born at the core of a common discontent that happens in the very strong aggregation through social media. Their simple claims that directly affect the citizen are born of a weak economy, public deficits, tariff increases, impunity and corruption.
For a long time, politicians were the protagonists of the proposals, elected by the people, who now do not understand that there may be a different representation other than theirs or the opposition? And if there is a new political dynamic developing, it quickly collects itself and takes its position.
The streets bring simple changes to the status quo, with short, precise and objective arguments, with hand placards that are just 20 characters but long enough to show what they want, while platforms like Twitter with 280 characters, “explain” the content.
We observed in Bolivia, weeks ago, the outbreak of what the people’s power has achieved.
Not even Evo Morales expected the people’s rage to put him in a position with only one alternative: to leave power and the country in less than 48 hours. The people on the streets with the Bolivian flags said: enough! The time had come to change. Even with a positive economic scenario and high popularity it was time for Democracy to speak louder and they called a referendum to end the prolongation of a government that manipulated power and manipulate the election process. The OAS (Organization of American States), which for some time had no credibility, was called, the report prepared by auditors of democratic scrutiny left no doubt that the procedures were impossible to receive the guarantee of fairness. At the same time, the people were simply looking for the option of… Not him this time again…
Interestingly, Evo’s exile was accompanied by politicians, and some of the media, who distorted reality because it was not the people who ceased to support them, but a political ruse orchestrated by elites that knocked them out of power. This version ran the world… Of course, followers of Evo also protested and wanted at all costs to keep Evo in power. The security forces of Cochabamba and Santa Cruz joined the popular struggle and did not prevent the peasants from entering the cities, there was no more power support. The new president of the Senate is proceeding to call for new elections.
… In the name of the people… in Brazil protests escalate against the Supreme Court’s decision to invalidate the arrest law on the 2nd. instance. Lula released from prison started to do what he knows best… the campaign, for his own political benefit, convincing the people that he is innocent, the people have now witnessed a weak, reeling opposition. The people have long decided that this kind of politician would no longer be their voice, and Lula in every corner of the country receives incisive criticism… on behalf of the people…
… In the name of the people… civil societies rediscover a power to influence and make changes, regardless of who is in power or in Congress.
But there is a risk in this very important voice …
The risk of not being right, deep, not being able to discern, wanting the immediate without sticking to the consequences.
In this voice comes the risk of a tool like Twitter, the site of arguments, but where the superficiality of the solutions can lead just the opposite, where extremes are being incentivized to the populism offering the immediate right-looking and wrongly done. This will not advocate visions but becomes a nightmare.
If on the one hand… in the name of the people… we see course corrections, on the other hand we need to strengthen the institutions that were created for this purpose. The world is increasingly divided to extremes, even within the democratic framework, the people feel better understood by some, who articulate themselves… in the name of the people…
The voice that needs to be echoed is from leaders who have an increasingly difficult role to play, to interpret right… the voice of the people… and to send the right solutions in the right way.
