The funeral of former Chilean president Sebastián Piñera had a special symbolism for Chile and for Latin America, as an example of national unity and civic friendship, of a democracy that has managed to mature and in which alternation in power and political coexistence are considered an acquired good.
Perhaps the tragic circumstance of his disappearance has contributed to the shock it produced, when the Chilean people had not fully recovered from the shock caused by the fires in the Valparaíso region.
The description of the scene made by José María del Pino, Clarín correspondent in Santiago, is eloquent:
“The trumpet tone sounds in front of the La Moneda Palace.
President Gabriel Boric, with a solemn expression, stands alone at the door of the Palace and pays honors to the late President Sebastián Piñera. The image is moving and also, sadly, a rarity
.”
Funeral of former president Sebastián Piñera, at the Palace of the National Congress, Santiago de Chile, on February 7, 2024. Photo: Rodrigo Arangua/ AFP.
The entire political spectrum of Chile, from left to right, as well as family, followers and the famous 33 miners rescued from an accident during his presidency, bid farewell to Piñera with a standing ovation, a long standing applause and the singing of the national anthem in the former seat of the Chilean Parliament.
President Gabriel Boric, present at the ceremony, highlighted that
“he was a politician who paved the way throughout his entire history for a liberal, democratic right, open to dialogue.”
“He was a man who always put Chile first, who never let himself be carried away by fanaticism and resentment.
All of us who are in politics should take note of these virtues
,” said the president, a political adversary of Piñera.
Former socialist president Michelle Bachelet highlighted: “
There is something that no one can take away from him: the differences did not bother him, his liberal heart encouraged them
.”
This state funeral with which Chile bid farewell to its former president is also the symbol of an era that is saying goodbye, that of a generation of leaders who marked milestones in its recent history.
A few weeks ago, former president Ricardo Lagos did so through a video in which he announced his retirement from public life, at the age of 85.
Rodrigo Pérez de Arce, researcher at the Institute of Society Studies, writes about both figures in El País of Madrid: “
To look at the journey of both statesmen is to examine the recent life of our country and political activity itself.
Their trajectories leave us several lessons: that in politics defeats are never definitive and victories are always mortgaged;
that joy and uneasiness are related almost like sisters;
that democracy is an always precarious achievement;
and, above all, that the line that divides good and evil runs through the hearts of all men without distinction
. ”
A generation of leaders who forged the transition to democracy and were able to learn, amend and agree on fundamental principles above their ideological differences and political and social conflicts, leaves a legacy that transcends the lights and shadows of each of their successive governments.
Chile knew how to do it. And it makes it known in different ways.
In its joys and its sorrows, which transcend its borders.