President Bachelet: “It is time for honesty and action; otherwise the country will not put its trust in us again”
In a ceremony at La Moneda Palace and accompanied by her cabinet ministers, the President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, was presented with the Presidential Advisory Commission’s report on conflicts of interests, the trafficking of influences and anti-corruption. The report was commissioned to generate proposals for raising standards of transparency in Chile.
Highlighting the commission’s role and thanking them for their work, the President announced: “While it is true to say that since the return to democracy, important efforts have been made by Government, the political parties and Congress to ensure greater transparency in politics and business, it is now clear that this was insufficient, it was not enough. What was for many years accepted as the normal way of doing politics or business; has been criticized by the public as an abuse of privilege for too long now.”
Similarly she said: “It is time for honesty and action; otherwise the country will not put its trust in us again. And we have to accept the truth, which is that we, in politics, in business, in Government, are indebted to Chile.”
She added that as President she will lead the process of change and renovation “to build a democracy for all, a transparent democracy in which society can place its trust and its aspirations.”
“We could have done more to ensure that transparency prevailed in politics and business” she noted. “We thought, mistakenly, as we are seeing today, that our laws could limit the bad practices that are now eroding the legitimacy of our democracy.”
President Bachelet urged for decisive action to be taken to rebuild public trust. “It is time for democracy. For a democracy that can confront its weaknesses. The strength of our political system will not be measured by the absence of conflicts or errors, but by the honesty and valor with which we are able to assume and rectify these problems on an institutional level.
In the first instance she urged judicial institutions to act “autonomously to determine individual responsibilities and penalties in each case.”
President Bachelet stressed that to bring about change in the future, “the key is in perfecting our laws. We must also tackle day-to-day irregular practices decisively. Just because these practices are small, they are still damaging to people’s lives, from not paying for public transport to paying for personal expenses using business invoices. We have to make the ethical values that guide us stricter.”
She reiterated that Chile is not a corrupt country, as clearly shown by the widespread public outcry at the abuses of privilege that have been revealed recently.
In this respect, she explained that her Government’s legacy will be “a democracy that is more transparent, more ethical and more legitimate in the eyes of the people. A democracy that truly belongs to all of us and not just to those with money, influence or contacts.”
“I promise I will not stop until I have strengthened the institutional and ethical foundations that will ensure our civic coexistence meets the standards of trust and transparency that Chile needs in order to be an equitable society. I will personally lead this process and will put all of my personal efforts and those of my Government into this process” she declared.