Have we forgotten?
$35 billion estimated in corruption; at least 35 unsolved murders; and other memories of the Correa regime decade
On April 13, the second round of elections will take place in Ecuador, between the president-candidate, Daniel Noboa, and the candidate of Correismo, Luisa González.
The former president Rafael Correa, now a fugitive from justice, used to repeat as a mantra "Forbidden to Forget", a phrase from a song by Rubén Blades.
But it seems that a high percentage of Ecuadorian voters have forgotten about the authoritarianism, corruption and high indebtedness of the Correista decade.
Luisa González is the friendly face of Correismo, having been only a second-level official in that regime (although she is glossed by the Comptroller's Office, for $880,473, for the misuse of presidential planes, which flew to tax havens for no official reason). But that does not prevent her from being the candidate, of Correa, Jorge Glas, Alexis Mera, Maria Duarte and others accused of corruption (some imprisoned, others fugitives, others released).
Many indigenous people seem to have forgotten about the persecution they suffered at the hands of the Correista regime; the murder of several indigenous leaders who fought against extractivism (Bosco Wisuma, Freddy Taish, José Tendentza, Bairon Morocho); the beatings received by Yaku Pérez, his partner Manuela Picq, Salvador Quishpe, and other leaders of Conaie and Pachakutik. They also seem to forget that Correa took away the headquarters of Conaie in 2014.
Social organizations seem to forget that during Correa's decade more than 800 social leaders were arrested; these included cases such as the 10 of Luluncoto, the 12 of the Central Técnico, the 21 of the Arbolito, etc. Karla Calapaqui documents in her book "Criminalization of Protest: 2007-2015, the victims of Correismo", more than 700 detentions, beatings and torture due to social protests, as well as some murders.
The leaders of UP have forgotten that Correa dissolved the National Union of Educators (UNE) in 2016, liquidated its assets and appropriated the pension fund of the Ecuadorian teachers, a financial entity of the UNE, which held 405 million dollars. These organizations forget that Correismo created parallel organizations to divide the social movement, such as the Central Unitaria de Trabajadores (CUT) and the Teachers' Network.
Does society forget that there are at least 35 unsolved murders, which include 15 journalists and people who denounced corruption, such as General Jorge Gabela, Quinto Pazmiño and his wife María Chancay, Fausto Valdivieso, among others?
Voters forget that there are allegations of acts of corruption estimated by the late president of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, Jorge Rodríguez, of at least $35 billion, in bribes, overpricing in public contracts, tax evasion, commissions on oil exports and on the import of derivatives, public debt and current spending. Other estimates estimate losses to the State of between $30 billion and 70 billion; that is, between 10 and 20% of fiscal revenues over the 10 years.
We cannot forget that former President Correa, former Vice President Glas, 10 former ministers, 4 assembly members, and directors of the IESS, Petroecuador, the Secretary of Intelligence, and the Legal Secretary of the Presidency were investigated and sentenced.
Correa said that dollarization "was a huge mistake," and former candidate Andrés Arauz said that a "good de-dollarization" would be promoted, through the creation of a digital "ecuadolar."
Hopefully the voters will remember.
A list of 35 murders during the Correa regime (of people who denounced corruption, fought against extractivism, protested), compiled by the magazine “Plan V”: https://planv.com.ec/historias/muertes-sin-aclarar-la-decada-correista-1/