Guatemala: Comedians, Corruption, And Rainbows

GUATEMALA

Comedians, Corruption and Rainbows

Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales had a problem – namely one pesky anti-corruption official. He created a solution: Kick the nuisance out.

In doing so, he created a bigger problem. Now, he is being accused of a “vendetta” against the head of Guatemala’s International Commission against Impunity, reported Reuters.

“I think it’s fair to say this is a constitutional crisis of the gravest proportions,” Wilson Center expert Eric Olson told the New York Times. “The train is veering off the tracks, and it’s not clear who will stop it.”

The story started two years ago when Ivan Velasquez, who directs the United Nations-affiliated anti-corruption commission, helped Morales win office by probing his political opponents. But late last month the president tried to expel Velasquez from the Central American country, triggering a conflict.

That’s because Velasquez had recently called for a corruption investigation into the president. Authorities also arrested Morales’ son and brother in January on corruption charges.

People took to the streets against the expulsion. A cabinet minister quit in protest, and the foreign minister was fired for refusing to expel Velasquez. The courts issued a stop order against it. Morales rescinded. “The rule of law should always prevail,” the president wrote on Facebook.

The uprising was a welcome change that reflects new hope in the region.

“One adjective often used to describe corruption in Latin America is ‘chronic.’ Or, even worse, ‘entrenched,’” wrote the Christian Science Monitor in an editorial. “Such a fatalistic narrative, however, has been challenged in recent days by the people of Guatemala.”

Now advocates of good government are hoping the crisis ends with the Guatemalan judiciary strengthened.

“The court’s ruling must prevail and Morales must abide by it,” wrote former Guatemalan judge Claudia Escobar and National Endowment for Democracy researcher Eshe Hill in the Washington Post. “This is exactly the sort of crisis that tests the effectiveness of democratic institutions and the need for balance of power.”

The trial against brother Samuel and son Jose Manuel, meanwhile, has begun. They’re charged with tax fraud. Samuel also faces money-laundering charges. Both deny the allegations, according to ABC. The proceedings are likely to produce high drama in the coming weeks.

Morales is a former television comedian, a political outsider who promised clean government. Now his hardline tactics against Velasquez could backfire on him politically. Guatemalans have lived through decades of corrupt leaders. They know the tactics.

“You commit crimes and you blow up one of those who is investigating,” a former Morales supporter told the New York Times. “Wherever you look, this is unacceptable. Jimmy has to resign.”

It’s doubtful Morales will step down.

But his turnaround in the face of popular opposition and acknowledgement of the separation of powers might be the best precedent he will ever set in his administration.

In Guatemala, that’s a rainbow after the deluge.