Members of the organization 48 cantons of Totonicapán gave a ultimatum on Tuesday, April 1 to the Congress of the Republic to repeal the agreements with which the deputies prescribed a salary increase. Otherwise, they will take de facto measures that include preventing the passage of drink trucks and the closure of shopping centers in Totonicapán.
Community leaders reported, at a press conference, that on Tuesday they were scheduled to travel to the capital; However, they were informed that he was not summoned by plenary session in Congress. Therefore, they chose to analyze the situation, since the period of five days they gave was fulfilled and there is still no response to their demands.
The five -day deadline has already been fulfilled and they have not done anything. We make them see that, by these media, the actions are already ahead. We ask the people of Guatemala, we ask the Cacif to join this effort, community leaders said at the conference.
They ensure that the measures are starting from this Tuesday and that they will be suspended until the Congress repeals the agreements on the salary increase.
Last week, the Board of Directors of the Congress reported that it had suspended the salary increase of the deputies, but indigenous leaders say that this is not enough and demand that the agreements be repealed.
Although we value this first step, we consider that the simple suspension is not enough, so we demand from the Plenary of Congress the immediate repeal of the decree, since it represents an unfair and disproportionate decision in a context of economic crisis and precariousness in the basic services of the population, says a statement of the 48 cantons.
They add: We make an energetic call to the deputies of the official party to legislate with transparency, maturity and responsibility, presenting law initiatives that really contribute to the development of the people and not those that only serve as a political show. It is essential that they work in a serious way, negotiating and dialoguing with the deputies in search of rapid solutions for the country.
Details
The salary increase approved by the deputies, which at first seemed to go unnoticed, soon became a social debate and has now also visible an internal conflict between legislators.
The division within the Congress has become more evident with the statement of the president of Congress, Nery Ramos, who accused other deputies of being “opportunistic hypocrites” for changing positions on the salary increase.
The increase, approved in a context of secrecy and without a previous discussion with citizens, deepened the distrust of the Guatemalans towards their representatives.
The measure not only unleashed a flood of external criticism; As the days advanced, legal actions were also presented to challenge the decision, and civil society delivered more than 5,000 signatures in rejection of the measure.
Of that account, on February 28 the deputies received their first salary with the approved increase.
The February form revealed that the base salary went from Q9.550 to Q46,700 per month.
This increase, added to additional payments for diets and other assignments, results in total income of until Q66,300 for ordinary deputies and until Q81,300 for the members of the Board of Directors.
The president of Congress, Nery Ramos, receives a salary greater than Q97,000.