Pinochet takes "political" (but not legal) responsibility
On his 91st birthday, Augusto Pinochet has issued a statement in the form of a letter read by his wife (audio is here), saying that he takes “political responsibility” for everything that happened while he was in power, a shift from the past, when he blamed “excesses” on subordinates. I’m not sure what “political” responsibility is versus other types of responsibility, though I am guessing in legal terms it is supposed to be different from “criminal” responsibility, so that this letter can’t be used against him in court. In other words, he’s not taking much responsibility for anything.
Over the past several years, since his arrest in Great Britain, Pinochet has issued a number of similar letters, and I don’t see this one as especially different. They all do the following:
--assert that the military saved Chile from a totalitarian dictatorship
--argue that current human rights proceedings are political motivated and unfair
--portray himself as a selfless advocate for the country
--offer up platitudes about achieving national unity and harmony
Ultimately, he really wants to be a hero in Chilean history, and is concerned that as he gets very old, it isn’t happening.
2 comments:
There are still plenty of people in Chile who would agree with the first 3 of the Pinochet claims you mentioned above:
--assert that the military saved Chile from a totalitarian dictatorship
--argue that current human rights proceedings are political motivated and unfair
--portray himself as a selfless advocate for the country
In fact, of the people from the right side of the political spectrum, I would have to struggle to find anyone who would disagree with these claims, even after all the banking scandals, save for perhaps the final one (offer up platitudes about achieving national unity and harmony).
Pinochet will go down as a hero after he dies and is already a hero today. But only to a subset of the population. Strangely, I think that only after Pinochet dies can the right reassert itself and win a national election in Chile. Maybe that will be his final legacy.
I agree, but he doesn't want to be a hero only to a subset. And I think that subset is shrinking over time.
Post a Comment