In the 28F elections, it was the second time he had voted, the first had been for Nayib and he knew that doing it again was the right thing to do.
Two years ago, we celebrated the removal from office of that corrupt political class that, from the Legislative Assembly, designed mechanisms for decades to rob Salvadorans of their money, their security, and their dreams. We managed to take away the Assembly from a band of public “officials” who served nothing more than to stop what the Salvadoran people asked President Bukele to do.
That political class that saw in our town a way of doing business, of accumulating power and of feeling untouchable before the law, never saw an end in their way of negotiating democracy. With each assembly that passed, the same as always sat down to negotiate how they were going to divide up the country. It was the most disgusting “give me what I give you” in history. I can only imagine those dialogues between the heads of the bench saying to each other: “Stay with the prosecutor but give me the attorney” and others saying to each other: “Look, which champagne do you want me to order for the Christmas party.” This is how they governed and this is how they lied to us every day, saying that checks and balances were the formula for having a better country. They learned that script so well that their bosses ordered them to defend it as long as they could, thinking that only then could they stay in power.
Today, there are people who are not as interested in the country as they are in derailing the Government and the new Assembly. They think that with their lobby abroad, their “national assemblies” and the creation of political parties with archaic characters they will be able to deceive the country again. That’s not gonna happen. The corrupt pact is not going to be able to take away everything that Nayib Bukele and the new Assembly have given us. The corrupt pact has become a senseless state opposition that remains incarnated, because they never accepted their defeat.
Now, we have a generation of politicians who generate pride, because those who were before were ashamed. From having a Lorena Peña who renovated her closet with public funds, we now have Alexia Rivas who is tirelessly taking charge of unmasking the corrupt who governed us. We went from Medardo González, who was a master at negotiating under the table the dirtiest agreements in history, to having an economic talent like William Soriano, who legislates every day so that we can achieve the #SalvadoranDream. We took out characters like Shafick Handal Jr., Benito Lara, Norma Guevara and Martha Evelyn Batres to give true patriots like Edgardo Mulato, who fights for the respect of workers’ rights, we now have Marcela Pineda giving legal lectures in the plenary sessions against the false arguments of the opposition. Deputy José Urbina is also fighting alongside Minister Alabí so that more Salvadorans can receive the health services they deserve. I cannot fail to mention Deputy Raúl Castillo, who each time gives us a lecture on how things can be done well, always handling himself with respect and distinction.
And our President, who is the true author of this story, knows how to do things so well that he managed to see how the current ambassador, Milena Mayorga, was the voice of the people in the last legislature. She not only recognized her courage, struggle and commitment, but he called her to serve in the Government of all Salvadorans. She went from being an honest deputy to an exemplary ambassador. She is the ambassador of all Salvadorans.
And having the largest bench in history, the most numerous, the most effective and the most humane, I close this column with a special mention to Christian Guevara for being the deputy who makes things happen. He organizes, leads, listens and ensures that the mandates of the people become law. He sets the example on the bench of how to forget the attitudes of legislative foreman and be more servants of the nation.
But for this project for the country, led by President Bukele, to be carried out, it was necessary to have an honest, generous and truly committed President of the Assembly. That leader is called Ernesto Castro and he is simply the best leader our plenary session has ever had. Thanks to him, things have been working out.
There is nothing left but to congratulate the Salvadoran people for their decision to take the reins of their own history, electing what has become the most effective legislature of all democracies.
Thank you Members, hopefully one day I will learn how to serve Salvadorans, as you do now.
Paolo.