For about a month now, citizens of Chile have taken to the streets, protesting economic problems. The citizens of Chile feel like they’re being left behind as the economy moves forward without them. Almost a third of all Chileans are working in jobs that are only temporary, and almost half of all Chileans have low literacy skills. This, in contrast with their stable and advancing economy, makes the regular people feel left behind. They feel as though they’re being governed by the rich. These protests have been getting pretty violet, with 20 people killed and many more injured. To their credit, the government is attempting the best they can to resolve these issues and please protestors, but nothing they do is good enough. President Sebastian Pinera really seems to be a good guy at heart. He’s put forward all of these potential solutions, and when none of those worked, he agreed to consider drafting a new constitution. This won’t take effect immediately; First, the public must vote on whether a new constitution is necessary. There’s a constitutional referendum happening in April of 2020. And if everything goes well, eventually there will be a vote to accept the new constitution, a vote mandatory for every Chilean citizen of voting age. This new constitution is said to be “100% democratic”. It’s good to know that even the president, rich and powerful as he is, sides with the people and recognizes the problems in his own country. Hopefully, this constitution will open the gates to more equality within the country. Rich people and those in power are going to do everything they can to stop it, but it’s very reassuring to know that the president, at least, is all for this. Of course, Pinera might have some ulterior motives, but if he does we haven’t seen them yet. In fact, we’ve seen the opposite: Pinera seems to genuinely want to fix the problems in his country for the good of the people and for the good of the future of Chile. However, with how opposed to this rich people are, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see attempted assassinations in the future. The constitution is a good solution; however, in the time between now and when it takes effect, the country will still be torn. Proposing the constitution doesn’t immediately dissipate all of the chaos; it just distributes it differently instead.
