MR. EDITOR:
The crisis over the sentence reductions for those convicted of sexual crimes against minors has left Minister Fernando Rabat with no political footing. When the very parties that make up the government are calling for his departure, this is no longer an opposition offensive, but an eviction from within his own house. La Moneda, meanwhile, responds that "no one is thinking of a cabinet change," and the President insists —from Europe— that he himself assumed the political responsibility. But assuming responsibility without consequences is not assuming it: it is deferring it.
The case is not an exception, but a symptom of a government that fails to coordinate with itself. Justice, when the scandal breaks, suspends the reductions; the spokesperson rules out changes while his coalition partners hold emergency meetings; Science is intervened from La Moneda, and it would seem that no one quite knows what the Second Floor does. Eight months into taking office, this is no longer a settling-in period. It is a method. The most plausible explanation is inexperience. The Republican Party is a young political organization, which entered electoral politics in 2021, with no track record in the State, and it came to power with a management-oriented cabinet and without the craft for political leadership.
What was an asset during the campaign —distancing itself from the traditional parties— is today a liability: governing requires negotiating with partners who owe no loyalty, and that is not learned from the opposition. Now talk of adding more political ministers is a con…
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CommentsTO THE EDITOR:The crisis over sentence reductions for those convicted of sexual crimes against minors has left Minister Fernando Rabat with no political footing. When the very parties that make up the government are calling for his departure, this is no longer an opposition offensive, but an eviction from within his own house. La Moneda, meanwhile, responds that "no one is thinking about a cabinet change," and the President insists —from Europe— that he himself assumed the political responsibility. But assuming responsibility without consequences is not assuming it: it is deferring it. The case is not an exception, but a symptom of a government that fails to coordinate with itself. Justice, when the scandal breaks, suspends the sentence reductions; the spokesman rules out changes while his partners hold emergency meetings; Science is being intervened from La Moneda, and it would seem that no one quite knows what the Second Floor is doing. Eight months into taking office, this is no longer a matter of settling in. It is a method. The most plausible explanation is inexperience. The Republican Party is a young political organization, which entered electoral politics in 2021, with no track record in the State, and came to power with a management-oriented cabinet and no craft for political leadership. What was an asset during the campaign —distancing itself from traditional parties— is now a liability: governing requires negotiating with partners who owe no loyalty, and that is not learned from the opposition. Now, talk of adding more political ministers is a belated confession. The question is whether the President will accept sharing power or whether he will keep confusing stubbornness with firmness, and firmness with leadership. Michelle Hafemann Berbelagua Academic, Institute of Political Science, UCMás sobre:PoliticsGovernmentRepublican PartyStubbornnessPresident