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Chile lives a reality that I would like to express in first person to my foreign friends and especially to Chileans, on last October 16th, 2019 a social movement began that got out of our hands, going through moments of great confusion and ignorance regarding what was happening, and with that generating a lot of fear and damage to the country itself, then a series of events occurred that allowed us to have greater clarity regarding what was happening. However, at the beginning of 2020, the no lesser problem of the Pandemic that we share worldwide was added, and that despite being a small and apparently intelligent population (according to external visions regarding how we have built our society) we are within more infected countries. In addition to the above, this October 25th, Chileans face what some intellectuals define as a change of society to a next generation or commit a mistake and go back several years. Fortunately, the time of confinement made it possible to clarify what is happening and have more clarity regarding what to do.

TL; TR

I write this article from an impartial point of view, as a Chilean detached from political or social classes. I am someone who cannot be called either a fascist or a communist, I hope to express my opinions with respect, objectively, based on my personal experience and economic numbers, however at the end of this post, and after the analysis itself, I indicate which one is my alternative and I consider it better for Chile in the next Referendum on October 25th, respecting the winning option. This post was written on an important date for Chileans “September 18th”, a date that represents the beginning of something that all Chileans are proud of, our Freedom.

The article is divided into 6 points, and for easy reading it contains a list of arguments when it refers about improvements recommended, find a quiet 15 minutes to read it, which is also the estimated reading time:

1. Who am I and why do I allow myself to deliver some humble tips to improve topics such as Education?

I am a Chilean, born in the Atacama region, together with my mother, Rosario and my older sister for 7 years, Valeska, we are fortunate to be a small family, of humble origins and that to this day continue to harvest fruits and enjoy a quiet life through honest, balanced and dignified work that my Mother has given us as an example. Today I work on my own focused on science and technology.

As a Chilean, today in the midst of a pandemic, I ask myself: Would a Chilean be willing to live with the repression and lack of freedom of Singapore, China or Germany? It is true that some of these countries are very beautiful and represent the face of a country that has managed to carry the country’s wallet and politics in a good way, which is what ultimately solves the problems, but in terms of freedom that exists in those countries, A true Chilean would not be able to tolerate the lack of freedom for long, unless the cost is worth it and it goes with his personality and missing Chile a lot, a country that, in addition to being advanced, is free and that is what it does it better than Germany, said German friends whom I host for a few months in Santiago at the beginning of 2019.

However, there are things that the State of Chile should improve and I would like to share some ideas of what and how Chile should improve in Education, and the fundamental idea to improve the main axes of a State such as Health, Pensions and others.

2. How to improve Education in Chile?

In my Primary and High Schools, I was never the best in the class, nor the worst, in fact I remember that I was always in the third or fourth place in grades in the course, I liked the anonymity of not offering expectations and it never worried me. At the end of High School, at 17 years old, I received a book about the Federico Santa María Technical University (in Chile) from the High School vocational counselor, Mr. Patricio Jorquiera. It changed my life, the only thing I wanted at that time was to study at that University, I didn’t know what to, but I did know where to, even though I didn’t have the resources to cover my studies.

A few time before the registration for the National University Access Test began, at the time the PAA and Actual PSU, I received from the same Vocational Counselor, one of the scholarships that the Ministry of Education distributed to take the test free of payment ; Mr. Jorquiera himself also motivated me to contact the University Social Assistants to learn about the available alternatives to study. Thank you Professor Jorquiera. From there everything was in my hands.

Short story, at the beginning of the year 2000, the state of Chile covered 95% of my first degree through the Mineduc Scholarship, I received monthly about $40 USD a month as a President of the Republic Scholarship and also, from the Santa University María, a food grant 3 days a week in his valued casino, and financial help to pay the student residence (about 900 kilometers / 560 miles from home). In return, I knew that I had to pass the subjects, that is, dedicate myself to studying and not having fun. I do recognize that in my last year of my degree, when I had approved the most important signatures and I was certain that my degree was going to end very soon, I went to all the parties organized by the student federation.

Today I return the hand to the State being a taxpayer who pays its taxes pleasantly and I look for ways to pay more taxes by generating employment and thereby contributing my grain to move the economy. And above all, being a citizen who supervises the good use of fiscal resources.

Therefore, I can tell many politicians face to face that It is a lie that in Chile there is no access to quality education if you do not have the means. In a pragmatic way I attest that for many years, if a Chilean wants to study, he can do it and in good Universities. Different thing are the students who ask to have free education as in neighboring countries, where since it is free, many students take more than 10 years to finish their careers, bleeding the state’s wallet and ignoring the consequences that this takes for the country in the medium and long term. In Chile there is also a minority of students who do not understand the social danger that comes with living off the teat of the state as a Right in aeternum (for eternity).

Given that after finishing my first degree, I finished, by my means, studies at two other Universities (USACH and Universidad de Chile), I can say that I know closely the reality that exists in them. I can tell you with certainty that the Chilean is very humble in general and does not boast of the quality of Education that we have, ahead of South American countries in about 10 years thanks to the academic infrastructure that the country has, except for the difference with Uruguay which is more limited, if you do not believe me, I invite you to take a tour of some institutions such as the Beauchef Campus of the University of Chile, or the mythical University of Concepción in the South of Chile, in mining matters, the University de Atacama has worldclass profesional and scenario, not to mention the infrastructure in private universities in Chile, there are many, in the meantime I will write a list of what, in my humble opinion, should be improved in Education in Chile:

  1. Student representative must take a supportive role. The work as Student representative would be much more noble to collectively support students who are going through some need, to achieve their studies. The functions of a Student representative cannot be allowed to be limited solely to mobilizing strikes, takings and organizing parties, even going so far sometimes, as to harm their own classmates by making lose them a full academic Year (A year of their life wasted in unnecessary causes or political interest).
  2. Student representative who lead the Federations must maintain an approval rate of signatures within the 2 best quintiles. In simple words, student representatives, theu who are going to represent you, must be also interested and above all, in to study.
  3. Improve language teaching, by Obligation 3 languages ​​must be taught. Chinese, because inevitably and fortunately the future is integrated with the other side of the planet also some original language, in case of Chile for example, Mapudungun connect society together with its origins, then English, what has been and will be for a while, another International language.
  4. The National Accreditation Commission (CNA) must urgently correct “the Accreditation requirement for a low failure rate in careers”. It is absurd not to understand that improving the quality of education precisely consists of delivering good professionals and for this, those who do not have the skills should be rejected and guide them to different professional areas.
  5. Understand as citizens that as better tax wallet, better benefits in education and more. The country must be able to produce resources, prevent money from leaving the country, and above all prevent money from arriving at criminal or corrupt hands (reality of other countries in the 20th century).
  6. Give teachers the importance and living conditions they deserve. In Chile students MUST CONTINUE WITH ONLINE CLASSES while there is a risk of contagion, understanding all the pain and problems that this could means and as long as respect for academic authority is not regained, lost when politics met the student federations during last decade, students are a risk for the weakest population (retired) by gathering in strikes that some students still support wrongly.
  7. Prohibit student representatives from relating to political parties. Good students in universities are concerned about performing well academically and what a job! They cannot be concerned about what student representatives do or did. They must to prove detached from politics and demonstrate good academic performance. Most of the students are smart enough to realize that politics is too discredited and has caused a lot of damage, how to also allow it to be ‘the politician’ who represents the students while they focus on studying. There are a few students who go to the University only to pursue a political career, this reality can be seen in current Chilean Deputies such as Camila Vallejo, Gabriel Boric, Giorgio Jackson, Karol Cariola, among others.

There are many indebted for education in Chile, something that should not happen, and the only solution to avoid this, it is to have a state with an strong financial situation to distribute wealth into education.

In last 2 decades the benefits in Education have only improved, thanks to the fact that the Chilean economy grew constantly, except in the last government of Michelle Bachelet, where communist policies were implemented that almost damaged country’s economy. It is not a personal opinion, the numbers say it.

To understand how god or bad is education and economic in middle of 2020 in Chile, should know that emblematic public universities such as University of Santiago de Chile, among others, when pademic began, in a period of 2 weeks delivered computers and internet connection to all students who did not have wherever they are, and clases continues during 2020.

3. How to improve Pensions, Health, Justice and other main areas of concern of a State?

  1. Changing bad public employees and politicians and filtering new ones according to technical and altruistic abilities.
  2. Supervise in an unprecedented way the entire Legislative Power and have efficient procedures to sanction Corruption, Nepotism and Lack of Capacities for its work.
  3. Supervise in an unprecedented manner the entire Judicial Power and have efficient procedures to sanction Corruption, Trafficking of Influences and Political Operators.
  4. Foster an economy that encourages entrepreneurship by preventing large companies from attacking small ones with practices such as dumping, for example.
  5. Understand that the State, with help of private sectors (we), must take care of Pensions, with a look of gratitude towards our ancestors; of Health, Education, and Security, with a view of justice towards the citizens, and above all Promote the production and entrepreneurship so that its citizens are free and can live according to the fruit of their own work. Along with recognizing that we all together produces what makes a better country, a better world.
  6. Require to public employees to be as effective as it is in private companies, and this is achieved by eliminating the bureaucracy that prevails mainly in the public sector. In addition to ensuring that unions work on common sense ideas, where productivity is the axis to generate more dignified and better quality work and it is understood that the Union is the company as the Company is the union.

4. How to understand politics to make a good decision to vote on October 25th?

I will tell you a story that I had close to politics in 2000, a college classmate invited me to a barbecue organized by RN youth (right-wing political party in Chile), I participated even though I have no affinity or aversion against any political party, also in student days an invitation to a barbecue is very appreciated. At the meeting I joined a group conversation, which went something like this:

  • Person 1: Hey, you knew our candidate won in La Calera! (La Calere is a small town in fifth region Chile)
  • “Everyone celebrated”
  • Me: Sorry! What is the name of the candidate? - I asked innocently.
  • “… few seconds of silence”
  • Person 1: I don’t remember! What’s the name of La Calera? - he asked loudly.
  • Person 2: I don’t know! I think ‘person 3’ knows!
  • Person 2: Hey! (Asks out loud )… What’s La Calera candidate? (Person 3 a few meters away in another group)
  • Person 3: He is ‘x’.

Sorry I don’t remember the names are not important, it was the first and only time I saw them and the names do not influence, since what surprised me was not that several did not know the name of the candidate from La Calera being in Viña del Mar, but regardless of who he is, how honest or corrupt is, what his administration capacities are, they celebrated him simply for being from the same party. An irrational fanaticism only comparable to hooligans in football and that surely applies in all sides (Left, Center and Right).

Last October 16th, 2019, in Chile, an organized movement began, much more organized than some have realized, first pieces to move were, students. Two days later, those who are organizing (a political sector), coordinated destructive and criminal protests, even burning Santiago Metro stations in a coordinated in a short period, among other damages to public property and private in various parts of the country. It is not that Chileans are stupid and when we proteste we destroy everything in our path, what happened is that we did not realize that this was politically and criminally articulated and what was seen on TV was as if the Chileans were doing that, but it was not so.

I am sure that the students were not the ones who committed the destructions, because we students mobilized as a healthy purpose to express our annoyances, our complaints to the system, but the limit is that a true student will not destroy property of someone else or less public. However, the mobilization of students was necessary to trigger the second phase of coordinated destruction, to then force the President, as a third step, to do the same thing that Hugo Chavez did at the beginning of his government in Venezuela just over a decade back, propose a new Constitution.

I am sure that you do not know, and neither do I, how much was the fortune that moved political-military power in Venezuela in corruption and drug trafficking. just to say some safe topics. Because if you understood, you would be doing something to supervise his own “current and future” politicians.

5. What should a Chilean bear in mind before voting on October 25th?

  1. On This Referendum Only politicians would write a new Constitution. There are some people who are unaware that a Non Political Person, also know as normal person or simple citizen will not be able to participate in writing “THIS” constitution. The politicians have armed apparatus to prevent a normal person from being elected for these cases, which in a month will not be able to be changed, since an non political person will not only have to deal with not receiving millions of pesos to spend on the campaign that those who belong to political parties will, and a normal person should also forget about putting political propaganda on public roads, since the politician of the sector (councilor, core, mayor) will be in charge of removing it and fining him/her, and as if that were not enough and no less important It must win not only by being a majority, but also by adding more than the total votes that politicians from the same party add, something like an electoral gang that adds their votes to eliminate normal people. Did you know that reality of Chile? Neither did I until this Referendum, but I expected it from politicians.

  2. The majority of Chileans reject, but it is in the politician’s interest that older adults do not vote. If you don’t believe me about the majority, do the exercise yourself of reading the comments receive on social networks Politicians of both parties, then count them. In Chile there are thousands of people who do participate in peaceful protests, but we keep silent about our vote until the time for voting comes, since we understand there are irrational people that if they don’t like what you think, they respond in a bada way, we prefer to live in peace and speak by voting. We are also millions of Chileans who understand that both the majority of the media and surveys are and have been owned by the same political powers. That is why I am calm, since as Chileans like to learn, we make our judgment through the Internet, at our own discretion, instead of consuming traditional media that hide the political side to which they work.

  3. This change of constitution is planned only to give more political power to the politicians themselves, if you don’t believe me, count on your own the times France, Norway vs Argentina and Venezuela have changed their Constitution, Just as an example and also consider the aforementioned little secret to avoid Non-Politicians people on the road.

  4. It is a lie that Chile’s problems are solved by changing the current constitution. Here I share some humble recommendations to solve Chile’s problems and They do not need constitutional changes now. Chile has a very good and improvable economic model, in other side, a bad political model that must be replaced in “next” Constitutions assemblies. To do so Today is to spend a double parliamentary diet (several million of dollars) and to have two congresses under pandemic and crisis, economically it is not a good idea, including the USD$ 40,000,000 (forty millions of dollars) of cost for this referendum.

6. What’s better for Chile this October 25th?

After the previous analysis and when verifying that this constitutional change in 2020 only serves politicians with clear influences of well-know Latin American politics, and that a constitutional change should be carried out in a near future, under safe and wealthier conditions and written by Majority of Non Related to Politics People. So, The best thing to do for Chile IMHO this October 25th is:

  1. Understand the importance of going to vote. Why do you think a politician like to do a Referendum in a pandemic? They do not want too many people vote, nor that older adults vote.

    referendum venezuela 1999

  2. Go to Vote well protected and in calm. If possible use gloves, your own pencil and face shield in addition to the mandatory mask, do not touch your face, Keep your distance from others and use your alcohol gel or alcohol-water spray before, during and after. When you return home, remember to disinfect the soles of your shoes, clothes, and hands.

  3. In your vote, clearly mark a line in the #Rejection, “Whoever has articulated this plebiscite will understand it as a rejection of the last chance to be able to change the economic as to they want.”

  4. Regarding the second vote on ‘How would a new Constitution be written’, mark both votes, write anything over the vote. BUnderstand that on the other side of the table are people with many skills to cheat (current politicians) … in the near future, when the fiscal coffers are going through better economic times and the public is not put at risk population, “we will carry out a Constitutional reform”, which makes it clear that if you are a public or political servant, you are going to work for the citizens in an honest, efficient and transparent way, for which you will be paid according to new rules, and you must also be the best with technical qualifications to lead within our territory and, above all, to be at the service of citizens.

  5. When the Rejection wins, do not participate in violent protests. That is where those who articulated the Plebiscite will show their faces and have faith in ‘current’ intelligence and respect for human rights with which our armed forces and the police will do their job. Soon we will have peace again.

  6. Wait a while economic and health conditions to be better, and for normal people without political ties to make changes, wait intelligently to know “What those changes will be” and then, let’s face politicians again, this time to change them for · political public servants ·.