A few weeks ago, Chile celebrated "Día del Patrimonio". It is a day where the public can tour all the government buildings. This, to me, is one of the great things about a democracy, and it is a shame that a day like this does not exist in the United States. Transparency is an important element in a democracy, and I sometimes feel that this is ignored in my home country.
First, we visited the presidential offices, known as La Moneda. "Moneda" is Spanish for "coin", and before it housed the executive offices, the building was a mint. It is a fine example of Spanish colonial architecture. We saw lots of elegant meeting rooms and the area where the president receives visitors, but the actual office of President Bachelet was closed. I came to Chile wanting to at least catch a glimpse of the first female president in Chilean history at some point during my year here, and a few weeks later I actually did see her exiting a building. The police would not let me go nearer than half a block, however. I was amused to see that she rides around in a Peugeot instead of a BMW or a Mercedes.
Within La Moneda, I posed for a picture with a member of the guards. The police in Chile are called "carabineros" and their uniforms are the same color green as the guard's. Speaking of cars, I also saw the old presidential vehicle. It's an old Ford Galaxie convertible.
Later we toured the Banco Central de Chile (pictures were not allowed) and the Santiago Stock Exchange (seen in the last picture). With the Chilean economy growing as quickly as it is (6.6% last year), this place is probably pretty busy during the week.
In response to a comment made by Gary, the picture from yesterday's entry was taken from the patio of La Moneda, facing Santiago's main thoroughfare and the buildings housing the Ministry of Defense.
4 comments:
Matt,
You probably won't get a chance to drive in Chili, but just remember if you ever get caught speeding, just slip the carabinero a five spot. Keep it on the down low and smile.
Dick
Very interesting. I loved the photos. No, don't be flipping a cop a five spot, I'm not sure it would work in Chile. G
I am surprised to hear you disparage your home country in such a way. The Government Accountability Office, the Library of Congress, the Freedom of Information Act, and various other agencies and laws ensure that our government is very transparent.
Furthermore, you can indeed visit the White House, Congress, and Supreme Court almost any day of the week. Many other government agencies offer tours. Additionally, one of our constitutional amendments grants us the right to petition (lobby) the government and we are able to do so in person in the offices of our representatives whenever we want.
I think our country was much more open years ago. Unfortunately the times they are a changing. Now we have to stay ever alert for radical people who feel their rights superseed those of the citizens of the US.
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