By Celia Medrano (*)
For the second time this year, The Washington Post dedicates its editorial to the President of El Salvador. The first one was after the militarization, by orders of the president, to access at the Parlament facilities on February 9 with the title «The President of El Salvador alarmingly violates the democratic norms ”.
On this occasion, the US newspaper, one of the most respected at the worldwide, expresses its position supported by its board of directors with the title “The president of El Salvador is using Covid-19 as an excuse to abuse his power. »
The publication appears in the same week as Congressmen Eliot L. Engel and Albio Sires, of the Committee of Foreign Affairs of the United States House of Representatives, send a letter to Nayib Bukele urging him not to jeopardize democracy in El Salvador.
It also coincides with a call made by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights who expresses her concern because «some governments are using the crisis caused by the pandemic to Restrict Human Rights and impose less democratic management models. We have seen cases where ignoring and disobeying what the judicial courts dictate or the Legislative Power is ignored ”.
Regarding the first editorial, in February The Washington Post opened its pages for the president to exercise the right of reply, where he wrote «I respect the separation of powers» and «The separation of powers is not at risk in my country».
A short time later, we would read the phrases «a thousand times cursed» from the official twitter account of the mandatory, referring to opposition deputies in the Legislative Assembly, and «5 people are not going to decide the death of thousands of Salvadorans,» alluding to the 5 magistrates of the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice whose Resolutions he affirmed that he will not follow.
The Chamber has resolved that it is unconstitutional for people who are on the street to be taken to police delegations and containment centers as punishment for disrespecting the house confinement decreed by the government, claiming that these are arbitrary arrests.
The Chamber has also resolved that detainees be taken to their homes so that they continue with the quarantine and their vehicles can not be confiscated, as well as providing protective equipment for health staff and that if adequate conditions are not guaranteed in the contentions centers, the people should be released.
It is these Resolutions that the President has said he will disregard, giving in response the order for a curfew that he called a «sanitary cord» in punishment of an entire town in the port of La Libertad. This, in contrast to the authorities’ over tolerance to a demonstration alluding to the international labor day that unionists related to the government-held on May 1, touring the main avenues of the capital.
Apparently, those who are part of or related to the government can circulate in the streets without retaliation, even in cases where they have been found driving drunk, as a supposed private adviser to the director of the National Civil Police and GANA party manager, fact denounced by a virtual journal.
Unfortunately, The Washington Post says, «… Mr. Bukele no longer respects legal limits …». Like a child who is punished by his father for lying but who sees others lie, people will hardly obey the authorities if their president does not obey the authorities he is obliged to respect.
What remains then is what will come in the coming days. More punishment, more punishment, more states of siege, and even more authoritarian measures against anyone who is designated as a detractor or, simply, disobedience.
Gone are the international notes in favor of the image of the then newly elected president in June last year. There was talk of a promising millennial, the son of a respected business leader, fluent in the English language, who had managed to break the partisan flaws of the two main political parties that, during their respective terms, left disappointment in an enthusiastic and credulous population to their promise to make a difference, not being «more of the same».
That same population will gradually realize, as the international media is already doing, as The Washington Post says, that “… the main interest of the populist president is not to protect Salvadorans from the disease; rather, it is consolidating its personal power at the expense of the country’s fragile democracy… ” Hopefully, when we wake up, it won’t be too late.
* @celiamedrano15
Salvadoran journalist who specializes in human rights and peace education.
