La Nueva Constitucion
Trip Start
Aug 29, 2008
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4
9
Trip End
May 29, 2009
Quito, Ecuador,
Ecuador
Thursday, October 2, 2008
A large number of Ecuadorian citizens, including Correa, identify as Catholic. The Church has a powerful voice in Ecuador. Many "hot-button" issues for the Catholic Church involve the open door that now stands for same-sex unions and the right for a woman to have an abortion. Furthermore, the constitution integrates elements of indigenous language and spirituality, recognizing the diverse nature of Ecuadorian people.
The constitution also aims at ameliorating the living situation for the youth of Ecuador (that comprise a majority of the population). It promises free education through University for all Ecuadorian citizens, gives the right to vote to people as young as 16 and allows people to serve as senator (a democratically elected position) at 18.
A worry held by many is that the new constitution consolidates power, giving too much to the president. Most decisions must be run by the president and his "cabinet" before going into effect.
One might consider this a step in the direction of the Chavez government in Venezuela (whose constitutional proposal did not pass, by the way, last year) or the government of Morales in Bolivia or Castro in Cuba. There is no doubt that the constitution, in many respects, takes a decisive socialist direction.
The entire Ecuadorian experience thus far has been coloured by this new constitution. It is a constant topic of conversation at the dinner table and on the news. Everywhere you go you see flags, posters and graffiti rooting for either ¨sí¨or ¨no.¨ I would go as far to say that everyone has an opinion. This provides stark contrast to political discourse in the United States, people are generally much more invested in politics here. There are probably several reasons this is true, though an obvious is that voting is mandatory for all Ecuadorian citizens.
It is interesting to see the opinions of the families with whom the students on this program are staying. The majority voted "no," which is likely due to class. Sangolquí is a wealthy community (as far as Ecuador goes) and a number of our families would be middle to upper-middle class even by United States standards.
Reasons that I have heard for voting "no"? There are the religious quarrels listed above. Some voted "no" because they fear the direct effect that the constitution will take on their family - a few are worried that they will lose their job: the constitution says that people who have been working in the same place for 25 years must move on to make room for young employees, and an emphasis on public schools will cut resources to private schools who already face numerous financial difficulties (note: this is based strictly on hearsay, the government document is thick and convoluted, not to mention in Spanish, thus it is hard to negotiate said constitution and find the truth for myself).
My family was very happy about voting "yes" and shouted "¡Ganamos! ¡Ganamos!" (We won! We won!) upon hearing the results on the news at about 6:30pm the same day the polls closed. My host mother and host father have both praised the rights-based approach that the constitution takes, giving rights to women, gays and lesbians, indigenous peoples and other marginalized groups, as well as the emphasis that it puts on environmental protection (a very important topic in Ecuador, especially considering its economic reliance on Oil).
In any case, the new constitution passed and now Ecuador waits to see which de jure policies will translate into de facto realities.
I have translated the preamble below to share the flavor of this constitution.
Preamble
We, the sovereign nation of Ecuador
Recognizing our millennial races, composed of women and men of diverse backgrounds,
Celebrating the natural environment, la Pacha Mama (Mother Earth in Kichwa - the primary indigenous language of the Andean region), of which we are a part and which is vital for our existence,
Invoking the name of God and recognizing our diverse forms of religiousness and spirituality,
Appealing to the knowledge of all cultures that enrich our society,
As heirs of social struggle for liberation, facing all forms of domination and colonialism,
And with profound obligation to the present and the future,
We decide to create
A new form of citizen coexistence, in diversity and harmony with nature, with the intent of attaining a better form of life, el sumak kawsay; ("sumak" is the Kichwa word for beautiful or marvelous, while Kawsay is the word for existence, costume, culture and life)
A society that respects, in all its' forms, the dignity of people and communities;
A democratic country, dedicated to the integration of Latin America -the dream of Bolivar and Alfaro - peace, solidarity and with all communities and people of our earth; and,
In exercise of our sovereignty, in the City of Alfaro, Montecristi, the province of Manabí, we give ourselves the present.
p.s. photos to come for both new entries...this internet cafe does not have the program necessary to upload my pictures.
