Authoritarianism that threatens us and how to face it

panama society it is in the middle of a deep crisis that affects all the elements that make it up. It is a structural crisis, which includes the economic sphere, social instance, as well as political, institutional sphere and culture. It threatens to deepen to the extent that it implies the normal reproduction of life in society.

Faced with this situation, it is observed, with increasing force, authoritarian attitudes of dominant parts of societywho demonstrated their willingness to move out of the way hegemony based on his false conception from the common good to a hegemony centered on force and coercion. Two facts support this observation.

First of all, there it is recent behavior of the country’s military commanders, who, violating of the constitution, made a public statement criticizing the results of the decision Legislature. Besides, an unusual pose alongside the Minister of Security by the commander or director of the various detachments of the public force, the one that resembles the picture Pinochet and his Board of Directorshe clearly responded to manifest interests hegemonic power. Paragraph passive before this fact by executive body This shows the power that the military has achieved, as well as its subordinate position with said hegemonic power.

Second, there is the vision of economically dominant sectors, which no longer use only their media to try to sell their social project as an expression of collective interest. The infamous campaign against the solidarity model pension is an example of this. What is new is the authoritarian language with which deepening is now being tried to be imposed the current style of development, whose fundamental goal is is to promote its growing advantages, including those that come from corruption that amounts to massive tax and quota evasion social security.

It is no coincidence that in the recent acquisition of one of the most important business unions of this country, its top leader not only stated that an economic-social plan for three decades is being prepared (apparently without the participation of the social sectors). He also clarified that he will provide that they don’t stay in the projects. Is it about securing it in any way? Obviously, it is a vision that would lead, for example, to imposing a transformation of the pension model through a parametric reform, accompanied by the generalization of individual accounts that would be managed privately for the benefit financial capital and please the IMF.

Then there is a the real danger that the dominant sectorswho do not intend to serve the interests of the vast majority, together with the military that feels empowered and supported by the hegemony, are trying to move countries towards authoritarianism. They would do this, as usual, in the name of avoiding anarchy and establishing order in the country, using coercive mechanisms against anyone who dares to question their petty interests.

This should draw attention to the need for a defense of true democracy, which is in principle the opposite of the authoritarianism of the dominant sectors. Therefore, it is important to develop a nationally popular project that strive to consolidate national sovereignty, ensure a style of development focused on social justice, in which full respect for mother nature is practiced. It is about thinking about democracy in which the population plays a leading role. Outside of this conceptual framework, one cannot speak of an effective constitutional process.