Chile finally buries the ghost of Pinochet

Every school child knows that Chile is a country in South America which occupies the long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Perhaps they might also know that along with Ecuador it is one of two countries in South America which do not border Brazil.

Over and above that — unless they have special ties to the country — very little else.

Most adults if asked in 2009 what they knew about Chile would have said Augusto Pinochet and a military coup. The fact that they knew the name and that he had ousted the previous government to form a military junta would have covered their entire knowledge of the country. Most would just know the name Pinochet, that it stood for something very negative and that’s about it.

Basically people would know very little and the bit that they did know was negative even if they weren’t sure why.

Pinochet’s military coup took place in 1973 and was marked by human-rights violations. In October of that year dozens were murdered by the Caravan of Death. Later reports said that thousands were killed and tens of thousands tortured.

Although there was a constitution and civilian rule from 1980 — with Pinochet as its first president — Chile would still need to go some way to get back on the path towards democracy and respectability.

In 2010 Chile is one of South America’s most stable and prosperous nations with political stability, a decent quality of life, economic freedom, comparatively low poverty rates and ranking high regionally in terms of freedom of the press and democratic development. Like South Africa it does have substantial income inequality but it has moved a million miles from the days of Pinochet.

Yet, as indicated above, it was still perceived as the Chile of Pinochet.

In January 2010, Chileans elected Sebastián Piñera, of the National Renewal Party of the right-wing Coalition for Change, as president of Chile.

Piñera will be remembered, inter alia, for the fact that while he was being inaugurated the ground he was standing on was shaking.

As fate would have it on February 27, 2010, Chile was struck by a magnitude 8.8 earthquake — one of the largest ever recorded anywhere in the world. As a result hundreds were killed and hundreds of thousands of buildings were damaged. It was followed by multiple aftershocks. Initial damage estimates were in the range of $15 to $30 billion.

In March a 6.9-magnitude quake hit Chile south of the capital, Santiago.

In June the Chilean national team reached the round of 16 at the World Cup in South Africa despite many doubters. They beat both Honduras and Switzerland only losing 1-2 to champions Spain in the group stage. An incredible achievement. In the last 16 they were beaten by Brazil 3-0.

Overall a wonderful tournament for them.

Yet with all the earthquakes, the World Cup and the modernisation of Chile it was — to the outside world — still Pinochet’s Chile. It’s a bitch to change people’s perceptions.

Then on August 5, 2010 an access tunnel caved in at the San Jose copper and gold mine.

The planet learned on August 22 that there were 33 miners still alive and trapped half a mile underground and that it would take four months to dig them out.

Unlike the BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and despite the fact that the mine was privately owned, President Piñera and Mining Minister Laurence Golborne were disinterested in playing the blame game and immediately confirmed that whatever it takes and however much it costs they were going to get them out.

Chile rallied to the call of its government and the planet joined in.

Four months became two and the 48 hours expected to pull them all out was achieved in 22 hours. All were safe and reunited with their families watched by a billion people around the world as the cynicism of the BP debacle was put to shame. The president and minister genuinely happy to have saved their comrades.

While they were pulling each miner to the surface they were consigning to that deep dark black hole the spirits of Augusto Pinochet and his military coup.

Coming to the surface in their place was a new Chile, one that cares about its people and stands as an example to governments around the world.

The disasters suffered by Chile in 2010 have — in aggregate — offered this wonderful nation from South America a new dawn filled with opportunity and hope for the future.

It took a great leader in Piñera to stay strong and smile through all the tragedy that befell his country during the year until night eventually had to yield to this brave new day.