Author: Jairo Alarcón Rodas
It is always the right time to do the right thing.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
It turns out to be a general criterion that the elector, the voter, decides that he will cast his vote for those he already knows or, at least, believes he knows, thus ruling out the new candidates, of whom he distrusts how his actions will be, if for under some circumstance they will succeed in the elections, branding them as opportunists, inexperienced and demagogues.
They think that no matter how minimal the work done, for example, by the current mayor’s administration, the little they could do is worth much more than the hypothetical approaches put forward by the new applicants. The reasoning consists of thinking that the old known is better than the new to know, they argue that the new ones do not have the experience to take control of the commune, the opposite thing happens with the current mayor who does have it.
Valuing the superficial over the structural is generally a mistake made by people used to paying attention to the cosmetic over the essential. Hence, the decorative aspect of a city acquires greater value than the substantive requirements required for the operation of a city. Issues such as transportation, environmental pollution, solid waste, water, are made invisible through the ornament of the city.
The city belongs to each and every one of the inhabitants is an important part of it, but there are municipal corporations that respond to the interests of privileged sectors and, for this reason, concentrate the works in the places that turn out to be beneficial for them. In Guatemala, journalist Sonny Figueroa recently denounced how the municipality placed a Transmetro station in zone 4, a short distance from another, in order to increase the capital gains of a building under construction.
A healthy society is one in which the municipal authorities pay attention to the essential problems and seek their solution. Thus, the excessive growth of the capital’s population, the concentration of inhabitants due to the lack of job opportunities in their towns of origin, creates pockets of overcrowding that would have to be contemplated and resolved in convergence with the central government.
A poorly planned city, with narrow streets and avenues, undoubtedly causes traffic chaos and if we add to that the terrible behavior of those who use automobiles to move from one place to another, read truck drivers, cars, motorcycles, especially motorcycle and taxi drivers who do whatever they want, violating any traffic regulations, with the complacency of the municipal police, the vehicular problem worsens, what’s more, it puts the lives of the people at risk. people.
An inefficient and insecure public transport, in which the user turns out to be belittled in his dignity, a poor maintenance of parks, lighting and what to say about drinking water and solid waste, sewage. The city has grown exorbitantly and the impact that this would have in relation to what constitutes living in a friendly city was not planned.
It is true that many Guatemalans have no idea of what an urban culture is, of what constitutes respect for the environment, good customs, that corresponds to a social existence that places them with due responsibility within the city and it is for Therefore, they continue to disrespect the rules of coexistence, disregarding what should be an ideal behavior within a community and thus, for example, they perform their physiological needs in the middle of the public thoroughfare.
Likewise, many people who have pets do not pay attention to or do not care about the responsibility that this entails and if, for example, they take them for a walk and relieve themselves, at least to contribute to the cleanliness and decoration of the city, they should collect their feces. In Guatemala there are no urban planning campaigns, or very few, that contribute to the strengthening of values for harmonious coexistence, proof of this is the disorder that reflects the city, the non-existent road culture, much less than what it means to be a citizen.
Societies with characteristics similar to those of this country require corrective measures that penalize the inappropriate behavior of their inhabitants, that penalize all those actions that go against the coexistence and harmony of its inhabitants, in this case, within the city, which can be an economic sanction or the allocation of community work hours to repair and correct the damage caused.
Thus, local development consists of a strategy aimed at improving the quality of life and well-being of the communities in which it is implemented. Therefore, anyone who intends to manage a municipality must have knowledge of what constitutes its management, know the problems that must be faced, have demonstrated the ability to solve similar problems, and promote strategies to link up with projects promoted by the government. central to the benefit of society.
For all this, the voter must review the work plan of each candidate, but also analyze the origin of the politicians who promote or are linked to a certain candidacy, who are the parties that support them, what trajectory they have had. Verify what has been the management of these politicians, if they have been elected or appointed to positions within the public administration, the role played in the case of private companies. Observe what law they have promoted, how they have voted in parliamentary sessions, in the case that they have been deputies, what contributions they have provided for the good of the community.
In short, it is important to review the resume, not only of the candidates, but also that of their main collaborators and financiers. Is it then that the old known is better than the new to know, when the management of the old officials has been a disaster? Responsibility in the election of new public servants requires a serene mind, free from value judgments and spurious interests, it requires a critical vision and an approach to politics.
