CHARLESTON, South Carolina — One of the pleasures of writing a column in this Age of the Internet is that people from all over the world write to me to express their views and feelings about Argentina. But the pleasure of correspondence with readers since I resumed writing in the Herald some two-and-a-half years ago has become agony. These days, people are writing to me to express their fears that the government is stamping out democracy and, worst of all, hope.
Most heartbreaking of all are the letters that tell of dashed hopes.
One of my correspondents, who has shared experiences of his life with me and has educated me in the process, came to Argentina to make a dream come true. He described Argentina as “the dreamed-of land.” He wrote about watering the trees he had planted on the land he had purchased and sent me photographs of the rolling hills that he was foresting.
His most recent letter told me what I feared he would say:
“So our choice is between a fantastic country, with immense possibilities, as everybody tells us, and as we have seen ourselves, with a stupid, selfish, but powerful and mean political clique” — or living abroad. He now sees himself like “the Argentines living abroad, longing for their chaotic, beloved home country. What a strange somewhat tragic situation. I would not be surprised if the new ‘Queen’ Máxima, shares similar feelings.
“Of course we would prefer very much to stay and support the people and the country within our limited possibilities! Reality is different though, alas.”
Another reader who came to Argentina in search of a dream writes that he feels “powerless to do anything but think of fleeing the country before it is too late, before I lose all the fond memories of how I moved to a new country at the age of 60 years and actually made it.”
A reader in Canada writes:
“My experience with Argentina (other than childhood looks at the encyclopedia and a hope that I would have a posting in a place as exotically named as Tierra del Fuego), started on Election Day at the end of Menem’s time.
“I have continued to live in Canada, but have spent considerable time in Argentina since, in two different small energy firms. After 13 years of pulling for the country’s potential, even I had to give up; rather, forced to give up, until this anti-logical regime runs its course.”
From Australia came this reminiscence:
“After having lived in Australia for almost 45 years, I still remember the frustration of my first 30 years in Argentina (with) the concern of not knowing what tomorrow will be like, and with the fresh feeling of impotence as to what to do next.
“‘The big question is: how is it possible those 45 years can be wasted without any organized change to improve the governance of the country. I know that the legal system does not help, but, order should prevail. The sorry state that the country is in now, compared to Australia, New Zealand or Canada indicates a total disconnect to what citizens should feel in their guts by living among such misery.
“I can tell you what my pledge was on leaving Argentina. I said, ‘If, within 30 years, there is improvement in this country I will return.’ Now you know why I am living here.
I might have become a fanatic of the British system of Law, not because I am a lawyer, but (because) I learned to respect (the law).”
The concerns of my Argentine readers are immediate and specific. The legal “reforms” that have been rammed through Congress prompted this comment:
“I am rapidly losing faith in democracy as a form of possible government, at least in my country. These reforms will mean that judges will be completely subjected to political pressures and that those who fail to comply and obey the government will be severely punished and removed: the gates of autocracy have been reached.
“And many people don’t seem to realize the grave dangers of these measures. I couldn’t believe that only a few hundreds citizens were protesting outside Congress when the continuity of division of powers was being debated inside the building.
“Furthermore, the opposition is weak and divided, and doesn’t have an active stand to counterbalance the government agenda. What if the Supreme Court decides it can no longer sustain the pressures that the executive power is putting on its shoulders?
“The history of the 20th century in Latin America has repeatedly shown us that the unthinkable is possible, that we shouldn’t rely on premature scepticism about dictatorships and autocracy, and that many political parties disdain liberal democracy. What if, then, what everyone thinks impossible, becomes possible?
“External pressures will surely begin to accumulate: the warnings of the OAS, and the UN and European and other foreign nations. The question is: will that do? Venezuela’s example shows that semi-autocratic nations have the power to despise these pressures and carry on with their oppressive policies.
“With a submissive judiciary, the next step is clear. Indefinite re-election, impunity and growing corruption.
“What should a citizen do when he or she faces these problems? How should the law-abiding commoner behave in a state which no longer recognizes democracy?
“As you can see, I have more questions than answers. I’ve been considering everything between peaceful resistance to emigration, but I still haven’t made up my mind about it. I love my country, but I’m not willing to live under a dictatorship.
“I hope my sorrowful letter has not bored you. I’m sure you have asked yourself these questions hundreds of times while living here in the 70s.”
My correspondent touched a chord in my memory. In the early sixties Argentina was in a state of limbo following the overthrow of president Arturo Frondizi. The provisional president of the Senate, José María Guido, had been allowed to assume the presidency by the armed forces because they could not agree who among them should run the country. Guido is celebrated by Wikipedia as “the only civilian to take power in Argentina by military coup.”
It was then that my wife and I decided that we would not stay in Argentina if dictatorship returned. We celebrated the return of democracy with the election of president Arturo Illia in October 1963 only to lament his overthrow in June 1966.
Then we stayed on through four dictatorships: Ongania, Levingston, Lanusse and Videla. I am now glad that we stayed on until we were forced out in late in 1979 because we have been able to return to take part in a struggle to keep the democracy that was so hard to achieve.
My correspondent sent me a postscript:
“I will not lose hope as long as there is someone willing to defend the principles of Enlightenment, those that give people a chance to be free and to constantly improve themselves. Of course, there are many Argentines that share such a belief, but sometimes it’s hard to kindle those feelings when you see government acting with such impunity and disregard for basic human rights and civil liberties.”
Amen.
Write to me at
bobc59@gmail.com