PRESENTATION

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR THE RIGHT TO VOTE AND CIVIL RIGHTS FOR CHILEAN CITIZENS RESIDING ABROAD

JUAN ANTONIO GARRIDO 

 

AUDITORIUM, LATIN AMERICAN HOUSE, PARIS - FRANCE

SEPTEMBER 8, 2006

 

Officials, countrymen, countrywomen, friends,

 

In organizing this event the Association for the Right to Vote wants to celebrate having become official (as Association 1901), as well as mark our anniversary, number 17. Seventeen years of struggle since in a day just like today in September of 1989 at the Lutetia Hotel where an emotional gathering took place between the Chilean community and then presidential candidate Patricio Aylwin and his entourage. It was there that we requested from this Concertacion por la Democracia candidate that, if elected, he would grant us the right to vote in elections of national importance, thus recognizing us, Chilean citizens, as free individuals with equal rights.    Next to him stood the current Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Alejandro Foxley Rioseco and the current Senator  Mr. Carlos Ominami.

 

President Aylwin fulfilled his promised. In January 1991 a group of congressmen (Elgueta, Bosselin, Rojo, Reyes, Matta, Molina, Pizarro and Velazco) led by Mr. Carlos Dupre Silva introduced a proposed bill that modified Organic Constitutional Law number 18.700 concerning popular voting. This proposed bill would allow us to vote.

 

After overcoming a series of problems the proposed bill was approved unanimously in 1994 by all those present in the room of the Lower Camera (Camara de Diputados), In March of 2001 the Senate Commission on Government, Decentralization and Regionalization approved the proposed bill by three votes in favor (senators Carmen Frei {DC}, Carlos Cantero {RN} and Ricardo Nunez {PS}) and two against (Marco Cariola {independent UDI} and Julio Canessa {designated}). However, the proposed bill has been “frozen” in the Senate ever since. 

 

Given the state of hibernation of the said bill, congressmen/women Isabel Allende, Rossi, Bustos, Aguilo, Montes and Encina introduced a second bill in July of 2005. In July 2006 President Michelle Bachelet let the Parliament know that she considered it a priority.

 

One of the speakers today will update us about the status in Parliament of these proposed bills and will let us know that an important political party has publicly disclosed that it would support it. That increases the probability of its passage during President Michelle Bachelet’s administration.

 

OUR ASSOCIATION

Our association has become a non-government organization of the Chilean civil community residing in France.  It is defined as a group of citizens open to all political, religious and philosophical shades. We want to resume this noble democratic Chilean tradition: to fight for values and principles. Our goal is to improve the Civic Rights side of our democratic and republican system.

 

Our Association was legally established on June 14th, 2006. Its existence was officially published in the “Journal Officiel de la République Francaise” on July 22^nd, 2006.

 

OPINION REGARDING THE RIGHT TO VOTE

I would like to mention an important opinion regarding the right to vote. In the Conference that took place in Santiago in November of 2002 the Constitutionalist professor Mr. Arturo Fernandois started his remarks by clarifying that the Political Constitution of the Republic of Chile grants the right to vote to all Chilean citizens that keep their nationality, and that the above mentioned proposed bill (modification of law number 18.700 regarding voting) does not seek to grant that right, but to remove the obstacles to exercise that right.

 

In other words, there is a legislative anomaly, which the legislator must correct so as to actually fulfill the dictate of the Constitution of the Republic.

 

The principle here is not about ‘granting’ but about regularizing the right to vote of the Chilean citizens living abroad, as stated in article 18 of the Constitution itself (confirmed by the 2005 reform), which says that “an organic constitutional law will determine its organization and functioning, will regulate the way the electoral process will be conducted and in everything else not anticipated in this Constitution.”

 

A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE

The human being is one. And his/her fundamental rights constitute an indivisible unit. To deprive a human being of a part of his/her fundamental rights is equivalent to denying him/her all of them.

 

We assert again that all Human rights are universal, can not be separated from society and are intimately connected among themselves. Regardless of the type of political, economic or cultural system a nation has, it is the duty of the State and of the legislators to promote and protect all Human rights and all fundamental liberties. 

 

Chilean public opinion ought to become aware of the scope of this regularization, because it grants the true legitimacy to the vote for president and to referendums.

 

THE REGION ABROAD

According to the most recent census dealing with Chilean residents abroad the Region Abroad consists of about 867,000 people. Approximately 629,000 (73%) of them have expressed their desire to participate in elections. In my opinion, Chile has over a million residents abroad, which in relation to its 15.6 million inhabitants is a very high percentage. To compare, France has 2 million residents abroad and a 60 million population.

 

Chilean communities abroad are responding to globalization by adapting; thus presenting big and interesting potentials for our country. First, they are present in all continents; second, they are spread broad and wide, which was not the case before, as the concentration use to be in mega cities; and third, there has been an economic assimilation that transforms every Chilean into a potential economic, professional or cultural link to Chile.

 

We believe there is a need to integrate and to involve the communities abroad in the development of Chile. Organizing and stimulating these communities (DICOEX’s turf) would allow Chile to generate a synergetic force best captured in the motto “Chileans helping Chileans.” In the economic and commercial front this would translate, for example, in an important push to increase the placement abroad of all potential exportable goods and services, thus generating employment and developing the small and medium exporting industry, which in turn would increase prosperity for all.  Minister Foxley showed that he is aware of this issue when in a speech to Congress he said that Chile must use the multiple channels that globalization has to offer.

 

THE SOLIDARITY OF RESIDENTS ABROAD

In fact, Chileans living abroad today contribute with remittances that go to help their families and or to invest (for example, to by a home, retire, invest in small businesses, etc). But there is also an important flow of funds to cultural, social, sport, and educational organizations, plus help for natural disasters. It would be long to list all this generous, humble and anonymous help that Chileans abroad lend day in and day out.

 

Most of the advanced countries try to stimulate and promote the links with the communities existing abroad because they are an untapped potential in the economic, political, cultural and technological areas. 

 

CHILE IS ALL OF US (CHILE: SOMOS TODOS)

The Republic of Chile must continue to broaden its vision and realize that Chile is all of us, and in this regard, a first step is to regularize the right of all its citizens to vote, which becomes a symbol.  A symbol of unity, of democracy and of fraternity.

 

Thank you

 

Fin.