Chile: serving the people in the midst of the floods

In recent days there have been heavy floods in the central zone of Chile, affecting the O’Higgins, Ñuble, Bio-Bio and Metropolitana regions. But especially it has been catastrophic in the Maule region, specifically in the Mataquito valley. Due to the rise of the river flow, it almost completely flooded its historic center, Licantén. Also affecting other towns such as Calpún, Lora, Placilla and Idahue (Licantén commune), Paula, Docamávida, Domulgo and Curepto (Curepto commune), nearby Puente Paula, El Molino (Hualañé commune), Majadilla and Palquibudis (community of Rauco).

Faced with this natural catastrophe, the most affected are the people, but especially the poor peasants that have been affected by most of the damage. The houses have been completely flooded, and the masses have had to throw away all their most essential belongings such as clothes or appliances. It did not take long for solidarity campaigns to appear on the part of the masses in other cities to show solidarity with their neighbors. Given this, real communists, revolutionaries and democrats are participating in these campaigns to clean up and help with the floods, under the slogan “Serve the people wholeheartedly” according to the report of Prensa Chiripilko here.

The newspaper also denounces how the Chilean State seeks quick and ineffective solutions to the problems of the masses. For example, Chiripilko denounces that they wanted to bring water without ensuring that it was fit for human consumption, adding more danger to the health of the masses, which is already seriously affected. “Communists and revolutionaries actively participate in this struggle, ensuring that the water that is delivered to the masses is suitable for human consumption. To achieve this, they had to put pressure on the authorities and fight opportunistic leaders who wanted the masses to settle for water ‘from any source’.The health of the masses must always be defended!”

It is not strange that the old State seeks to cleanse its image in the face of electoral campaigns and electoral purposes with the tragedies of the people. “They co-opt aid and distribute it among the families, but not before taking a picture of themselves smiling and emphasizing that such and such a person was ‘the one who helped’”. In addition to sending the Armed Forces and the police to “help” with the cleanup tasks. What is being seen in the region is that instead of cleaning the streets and houses they are dedicated to trying to “protect public order” demonstrating the character of the State even in the catastrophes of the town. With the slogans “Militaries with shovels and not with rifles” and “Boric a liar and a thief” they denounce this situation.

Prensa Chiripilko denounces how state agencies operate in these catastrophes, as happened in the 2010 earthquake or the 2017 forest mega-fire. “The masses themselves denounce that municipal officials distribute among themselves the best clothes and items donated by the town while they prefer to throw perishable food and other supplies into the river rather than distribute them among the population. And when they make the deliveries, they always first assure their relatives, friends or close ones who usually coincide that they are not exactly the ones hardest hit by the catastrophe nor are they part of the poorest”. They also denounce the individualism of people who ask for help when they have not been affected, usually people related to the officials of the old State. And the increase in the price of food, with the example of the potatoes, which has risen by 15%.

The article ends by calling for continued solidarity among the people and to continue the tasks that real communists, revolutionaries and democrats are carrying out: “The cleaning tasks and distribution of supplies continue. The masses, with all their creativity, are developing hundreds of support initiatives, which demonstrates an excellent state of health in the feeling of helping the class, especially the poor peasants who abound in the Mataquito valley and who are usually them and their families who suffer the most from the current floods. “