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THE LEGACY OF FORMER CHILEAN DICTATOR GENERAL PINOCHET:
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THE LEGACY OF FORMER CHILEAN DICTATOR GENERAL PINOCHET:
.jpg) BINNEH S MINTEH
STAFF WRITER.
The night time fires that lit the skies of the Chilean capital Santiago after the death of the one time controversial and powerful dictator General Augosto Pinochet brought his legacy to a heated debate. General Pinochet as one could recall, ruled the South American nation after a bloody coup that brought him to power. Overthrowing the regime of his predecessor President Allende in the early 1970’s (just 18 days after sworn in as the head of the Chilean army), Pinochet used the anti-communist umbrella to brutally torture and murder thousands of Chilean citizens. What does one therefore make of his legacy? Was he a national hero or the embodiment of inhumanity? These are some of the questions lingering in many hearts and minds today.
Images from the media tend to give an answer to what the Pinochet legacy constitutes. Thousands of Chilean citizens reacted to his death with joyful, chanting and drumming, a manifestation of redress for many victims of a brutal leader in the history of their times. Hundreds of other Chilean citizens rallied in support at the hospital where the General died, a manifestation of how divided the South American nation became under Pinochet. Situations in Santiago after the death of Pinochet ascertained social scientists notion that “There is no such legacy as rich as integrity” and “When a voice of integrity is silenced; its legacy will forever live on”. Was the late General’s legacy that of integrity and will the seeds he sewed continue to grow? Events in Santiago remained to be a testament to that validity.
Many Chilean citizens new Pinochet as not only a criminal, but one surrounded by falsehood with everything around him. One victim had this to say “I hope that this beast faced the worst suffering during his death”. Others, however, tend to see him as a savior. “He was a good statesman who meant good for Chile” said one of his supporters. General Pinochet’s legacy, therefore remain questionable as the Chilean government has ruled out a state funeral for the once-powerful icon in the history of South America.
According to Chilean constitution, a deceased former head of state should be laid through a state burial. However in Pinochet’s case, the undemocratic nature that nurtured him to power coupled with the seeds of discontent and brutality that he sewed on Chilean soil denied him a state funeral. In the book “Julius Ceaser” by William Shakespeare it is stated that “The evil that men do lives after them.” So seems to be the case with Pinochet. The former general will only be honored with a Military funeral as the former chief of the armed forces. President Barcelet of Chile a tortured victim who was forced into exile after the execution of her father by the Pinochet regime ruled out a state funeral and will not be in attendance. The State according to a Chilean government spokes-person will be represented by the Defense Minister during the funeral.
No one can deny that the former General succeeded in trampling on his leftist opponents and defeated communism in an era when political ideologies tend to be at a logger head. With the caprices of democracy he was compelled to hand over power to an elected coalition government. Knowing full-well that his committed atrocities against humanity might be challenged, the general employed and deployed strategies that would grant him immunity and impunity. He finally ceded to a democratically elected government while maintaining the rank of General as the armed forces commander1990. He retired from the army eight years later, only appointing himself as a life Senator; a position created with the aim of eluding justice.
Thinking that he has succeeded in eluding justice, the general visited England in 1998 where an arrest warrant awaited his extradition to Spain for crimes against humanity committed against Spanish citizens. In the United Kingdom, the General was put under house arrest for 18 months while the British Lord Judges decided his fate. Although he was the only South American ally to Britain during the bloody battle of the Falkland Islands against Argentina, Pinochet was stripped of immunity and the British Lord Judges ruled that he could be extradited to Spain for charges of torture. However with his deteriorating health, the British authorities released him and the General arrived in Chile on a wheel chair instead of handcuffs. It was at that juncture when a building block questioning head of state immunity came into effect.
Disgraced in London, during the widely publicized arrest warrant case, General Pinochet’s life as a former head of state began to be like living in hell. Knowing full- well that a foundation had been laid, Chileans began to pursue justice against Pinochet. The general was, on numerous occasions brought to trial, however, his appalling health kept him from justice. It was until recently that a court ordered medical doctor found General Pinochet fit to stand trial. Under house arrest for charges of crimes against humanity and tax evasion for millions of dollars he squandered, General Pinochet met his death at a military hospital for a heart attack.
While Chile remained divided, General Pinochet’s legacy is still undefined. Was he a success or a beacon of brutality? Will justice be ever meted as a redress for the thousands of Chilean citizens who suffered under a one time brutal dictator? What will Chileans and other brutal dictators learn from the Pinochet conundrum? These are some of the lingering unanswered questions.
The finality of his death is perhaps the only certainty left behind in the wake of Pinochet’s regime. As the former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher expressed sorrow for his death, Washington sympathized with victims of crimes against humanity under Pinochet. The former British Prime Minister Thatcher’s reaction is a testimony of the Cold War eras machination and mechanisms; whiles Washington’s reaction is a manifestation of a triumphant Western liberal democracy in the 21st century. Dictators and their accomplices must therefore understand that the world has changed and crimes against humanity committed anywhere shall be subjected to a challenge. General Pinochet’s legacy shall therefore not only remain a gloomy one in the annals of world history, but a questionable political conundrum that mankind must learn from. The night time fires that lit the skies of Santiago as well as reactions around the world after his death are a testament that Pinochet was not a national hero, but an embodiment of inhumanity and divisions in the history of South America. |
Posted on Monday, December 11, 2006 (Archive on Wednesday, December 27, 2006)
Posted by PNMBAI Contributed by PNMBAI
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