As the year 2020 comes to a close, Congress in Guatemala has just released their proposal for the country’s 2021 budget of 99.7 billion quetzals, which is equivalent to about $12.9 billion dollars. The public is outraged with the new budget, as it takes away money put towards healthcare, education, and human rights, while taking more money from the people. The citizens aren’t just angry with Congress, but with President Alejandro Giammattei as well, calling on him to veto the budget and/or resign. Thousands of people protested outside of Congress last week, some setting fire to the inside of the Congress building, and Guatemalan police tear gassed protesters who are now being treated for their injuries. Guatemala has been tormented through COVID-19 as well as two hurricanes, Eta and Iota, killing many and destroying crops.
The economy in Guatemala was already weak before COVID-19 hit, but the pandemic weakened it even more, and continues to do so. Giammattei was elected into office in January, about 2 months before the first wave of coronavirus hit, immediately placing him in the position to make huge decisions for his country right as he begun his term. The lockdown measures taken further damaged the economy, making him unpopular before he’d barely even started his presidency. With the economy in such a fragile state, when the hurricanes hit, taking away many families’ sources of income and food, the economy was further crippled. This continued to eat away at Giammettei’s popularity. The proposed budget was the last straw for many people, as it blatantly ignored those suffering greatly from COVID-19 and environmental destruction- the poor. To the public, this appears as legislators attempt to secretly pass the budget while the rest of Guatemala is too distracted to respond. Additionally, a recurring theme I’ve noticed throughout my analysis posts has been police brutality, and the same applied to this article.
This article can be connected to what we’ve been talking about in class through looking at the collective goods problem at a domestic level. Giammattei must choose which people in his country he wants to prosper from the new budget, and which ones will continue to suffer. When proposing a new budget there is no option that will satisfy everyone, and when one group is satisfied another will still be unhappy. Many people throughout the country have similar interests as to what the budget should be applied towards, but many also have conflicting interests, so finding a balance between these is almost impossible. This is why we see anger and protests from many Guatemalan citizens, as they have probable cause to feel the way they do.