Forbes Ecuador completed its first year, and in its anniversary edition, our VP for the Andean Region and Brazil, Carmen Sánchez-Laulhé, analyzes the recent social and political movements that have taken place in Ecuador, with a reflection on the demand for accountability from those in power, as well as from ourselves as citizens.
“As the political chessboard takes shape at the regional level, there is no shortage of opportunities for, at best, conversation and debate. Also, in other cases, to spoil family lunches. It seems that politics, like religion or, surprisingly, soccer, continue to be topics that make us become highly emotional beings, causing our “supreme rationality” to disappear.
However, there is something that few of us disagree upon–accountability. We agree that the elected politicians currently occupying positions in our various institutions must be held accountable. However, it is interesting that we demand it from the “opponents,” those we did not vote for, and we blame them for everything.
I am sharing this reflection because there is no conversation about politics in which someone is not defending their party or candidate as if it were their brother, and this is the key to a change of perspective. When we vote for a party, coalition, or candidate, it is the recipient of that vote who is indebted to us, who “owes” us something, who has the responsibility to be consistent with the program or the arguments that have led citizens to vote for them and, therefore, to trust them.
In this context, logic and coherence tell us that we must demand from those we have voted for. The opponents may be making things better or worse, but they do not owe us anything from the perspective of the trust derived from a promise. Of course, they owe the citizens the responsibility of their office and the salary they receive for it, but it is not the objective to delve into the obvious. This promise of the future, of action and change, is why we have paid such a valuable price as is our vote, and in return, we must expect the corresponding fulfillment. We must see that what led us to have faith become a reality, turned into something tangible, and when this is not the case, we must have the capacity to make constructive criticism, for what goes wrong is not always the fault of the person in charge. We must question where our capacity for self-criticism lies, not only in the political sphere but also in the business and personal spheres.
Without self-criticism, it is difficult, if not impossible, to improve; therefore, we must undertake this practice as employees, people in business, families, and citizens. This directly impacts events such as those experienced a few weeks ago in the country, the consequences of which are a burden for a much-needed and expected recovery.
Protest is legitimate; whether or not we agree with the motives, it is the beauty of living in a democracy. However, violence and vandalism are not. If you ask me, when you lose respect, you lose your rights, in the same way, that when I was a child, my grandmother (with the wisdom of grandmothers) told me that if I shouted, I automatically lost my reason, and my arguments ceased to matter.
The fact that some are convinced that without violence and vandalism, goals are not achieved leaves us with yet another element to think about, because it reflects that the root of the problem goes beyond the circumstances and the moment. Perhaps we are not listening; we are not seeing or being aware of what the reality of life means for many people.
We must be able to analyze constructively and with a critical perspective so as not to forget where our responsibility lies. That of institutions, companies, and organizations. That of each one of us. We must distance ourselves from ideology or political tendencies and focus on what the country really needs, on what the people need. On the future we want, the future we aspire to. We need to listen and understand. We have the responsibility and the obligation to close gaps, shorten distances, and work so that a similar situation does not happen again. We must demand, starting with ourselves.”
From ATREVIA, we congratulate Forbes Ecuador for this first year of journalism and unique stories, and we are grateful for having made us participants.
