Published 05:52 IST, November 2nd 2019
Chile: Sebastian Pinera, seeks forgiveness, offers rescue package
Sebastian Pinera pledged measures with a motive to quell the protests, such as a minimum wage, increase in state pension and stabilizing electricity costs
Chile's President, Sebastian Pinera, introduced a series of measures with a motive to put an end to the ongoing protests with a set minimum wage, an increase in the state pension and the stabilizing of the electricity costs. The Chilean president stated that the pension would be increased by a total of 20%, prices of medicines would be cut and also guaranteed a minimum wage of $480 per month alongside a law that will introduce a state-based critical illness cover.
A promise by Sebastian Pinera
In addition to this, Sebastian stated that he was in the hope of turning the violent protests into something that would help in making up for the lost time and an opportunity to solve the issues that led to thousands of people taking to the street, demanding him to step down from office.
Pinera acknowledged the fact that such issues based on inequality had been prevalent for the past many decades and the governments in power during those times failed on their part to recognize the problem at hand. He further apologized for the shortcoming of the previous governments.
The promises by the Chilean President came in after Pinera was criticized for stating that his country was at war with the people who were protesting against the issue of low wages and a very high cost of living. According to reports, at least 15 people have lost their lives in the protests that happened due to an increase in transport costs that led to Sebastian Pinera declaring a state of emergency over large parts of Chile.
Subway fare hike suspended
In the events that preceded this, Chile president, Sebastián Piñera, stated that the subway fare hikes have been rolled back amid violent protests. The announcement came in less than a day after Piñera, had announced a state of emergency amid public unrest in the capital, Santiago.
President Sebastián Piñera stated that he had heard what the people wanted to say before he rolled back the subway hike. Although, it was unclear if the suspension would put a complete stop to the ongoing protests.
For the first time since the end of Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship in 1990, Military was witnessed roaming the streets of Santiago in order to maintain peace after violent protests over the hike in subway fares from $1.12 to $1.16 resulted in a clash between the high school students and the concerned authorities.
With Chile not being able to produce its own supply of oil and importing it from foreign lands, it has led to high costs in terms of electricity, fuel, and transportation. The Chilean government stated that it was imperative for them to increase the subway fares in order to tackle the rising energy costs and employ further maintenance but that led to a sense of frustration among a lot of citizens.
Updated 05:52 IST, November 2nd 2019