Ecuador’s Demise (Opinion-blog)

Rebeca Morla / panampost.com

Thinking that Ecuador’s societal change must come from public policy is not only wrong, but borders on irresponsible. (Geoffrey Fairchild)

A few days ago, I was accosted at gunpoint as I walked back to my home in Guayaquil, Ecuador. “Give me your things!” the assailant demanded. “Why?” I asked. Surprised by my response, he screamed, “Give me your stuff now!”
“Thinking that Ecuador’s societal change must come from public policy is not only wrong, it borders on irresponsible.”

“Tell me what I’ve done to you and why you’re robbing me,” I responded. He then stared at me, and told me to go.

Why did I say this? I don’t know. Why did he let me go? I don’t have an answer for that either. What I do know is that behind every criminal, as with any person, there is a long story, and it certainly isn’t a happy one.

As I pondered the ordeal, the last thing I said to the assailant came to mind. He probably would have told me that he wouldn’t harm me, but that he didn’t have a job and needed the money to pay for his children’s school. Or that he earned very little, and because he didn’t finish school he couldn’t find a better job. Or maybe his wife was sick, and he couldn’t afford the medicine she needs.

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Whatever the case, all these hypothetical answers are related to a lack of opportunity (and I am not referring to socially engineered equality). These are the types of problems that citizens of this country confront on a daily basis, while politicians try to convince us that everything is hunky-dory.

It is sad to see so many young university students unable to find work, while the government of Rafael Correa inundates us with propaganda about how the Citizens’ Revolution continues. Likewise, it pains me to see children begging on the streets, while our political representatives continue to approve laws that benefit a select few and harm the majority of citizens under the pretext of “Good Living.” Read Article
Rebeca Morla is currently studying Political Science and International Relations. She is a member of the Executive Board of Estudiantes por la Libertad and lives in Ecuador. Follow her at @RebecaMorla.