Congress opens dialogue with indigenous authorities for inclusion and political participation

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Sonia Gutiérrez, the only indigenous woman and representative in the current Guatemalan Congress and with a seat on its board of directors, is calling for a national dialogue on Tuesday with indigenous authorities from across the country in an effort to achieve their inclusion and political participation in the Central American nation.

In an interview with The Associated Press on Monday, Gutiérrez recalled that the indigenous people, who according to her make up 44% of the Guatemalan population, were one of the most belligerent groups in the defense of democracy during the last electoral tournament when two actions of The Attorney General’s Office sought to prevent President Bernardo Arévalo, winner of the elections, from assuming power, according to critics.

“The people and, above all, the indigenous authorities played a predominant role in the political crisis (that the country experienced), but unfortunately the State has historically relegated them,” said Gutiérrez, explaining that as the only woman identified as indigenous in the Legislative takes on the challenge to undertake a dialogue with that sector through that State Power. She hopes this will also happen with the other organs.

Gutiérrez assured that indigenous residents are still waiting for what the new government of President Arévalo can achieve. He mentioned that three months after coming to power, one of his important promises to achieve the departure of Attorney General Consuelo Porras, who is held responsible for the undermining of democracy in the country, has not been fulfilled.

“There is a total issue that the government has on itself and it is the protection and defense of the territories, it is a hot topic and the government knows it; In the towns there has been the claim of the entire extractivist form and capitalist vision that their resources are used only for exploitation and the indigenous populations are the main protectors; We will have to see the actions that the government is going to take,” said the legislator.

The representative also said that indigenous populations are also an important factor for the country’s economy, since the departments with high indigenous populations are where most migrants leave for the United States and who then send remittances. According to the Ministry of Finance, in 2023 migrants sent 19 billion dollars in remittances from that country.

“Let’s talk about the 300,000 women who work at home, mostly indigenous, in agriculture or the peasant sector, that is an enormous potential that if we see it in quantitative terms is shocking; “We have not dimensioned the economic potential that we have and we have not linked it to the political potential,” the legislator highlighted. She considered that it is therefore important to start with this dialogue mechanism that, according to her, had never been launched by Congress.

“In general terms, what indigenous peoples are demanding from the State is the recognition of their rights,” the representative stressed and added that there are some legislative initiatives that sought to protect and respect those rights but that were never approved, such as bilingual education, (Spanish and Mayan languages) and intercultural health.

“Guatemala has been an exclusive State, (from its configuration it has been conceived) a republic where it does not see indigenous peoples as subjects of rights but rather second or third category citizens and they were never recognized as such, which is why racism persists” , he claimed.

Gutierrez, who dresses in an indigenous costume, explained that racism is still palpable, even for a representative like her.

“When I come to Congress, the protocol people ask me if I am a secretary or deputy assistant,” she said. “It is difficult for them to look at indigenous women in a decision-making position, in that social imaginary, sadly, women The indigenous people see us as the ones who make the tortillas, which is a decent job, but they want to see us there.”