“Killer, killer, killer!” [Archives:2005/836/Viewpoint]
Editor
The Ecuadorian people chanted these words in the streets outside the Brazilian ambassador's home in Quito last Friday trying to prevent Ecuador's dethroned president Lucio Gutierrez from leaving the country-seeking asylum in Brazil. We all saw the angry crowds on TV, thinking what could make people so mad, desperately mad.
It was amazing, the human mix of demonstrators coming from various orientations and backgrounds. One would think the poor people would go to the streets leaving the other classes observing from their homes. One would think the men would go while women and children remained silent and sheltered and one would think only educated activists and intellectuals would go out in the streets, like what happened last month in Yemen, leaving the merchants and business men safe in their shops trying to avoid any disturbance and social movements. The people of Ecuador are dignified warm blooded people. It seems they maintained their pride and freedom that believed in their rights and in the judiciary system. Even demanding on Wednesday that Gutierrez's stand trial in Ecuador on corruption charges.
Statistics indicate that during the charge of this ousted government the economy went down, inflation had risen and in the two years of his rule he imposed economic reforms without combating armband corruption in the country a matter which has made people in Ecuador poorer. The authorities did not gain any achievements for their people and the people did not trust their authorities or their strategies. And so, they did not give the old government much time before aggressively changing the situation.
I really admire the Ecuadorian people and all the free citizens of any nation who stood their grounds, put their foot down and said enough is enough. There are two types of people, those who are committed to their nations and those who don't care. The Ecuadorians knew the difference. I wonder what the first thing the next president would do once he is made in charge. Whatever it is, I am sure he would think twice before testing the Ecuadorians' patience. I do hope that Ecuador finds its new leader a good man who would set an example to the rest of the developing and developed world, providing a better life for his people.
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