by LR Swartz

Created on: February 23, 2009

The President and Vice President of Guatemala both took office in January 2008. Both these men are extraordinary in that they both have limited, if any, political background. Both these men, President Colom and Vice President Espada bring a different perspective to government, one a trained Mayan Priest, the other a doctor. You have to wonder whether or not business will be as usual in this Latin American Country or will it change for the better.

If you look at both these men, you have to hope for the best. Although both these men come from the Elite class, white European descent, they have worked to make the lives of those less fortunate than they better. Vice President Espada is a heart surgeon. He has practiced in the United States at a hospital located in Texas. He returned to run with Colom for he felt there needed to be reform in Guatemala.

President Colom has ties to the government but they deal with the Mayans. A brutal Civil War ravaged Guatemala. This Civil War lasted 36 years and displaced tens of thousands of Mayans. He worked with both the United Nations and the government to bring these Natives back home. He advocated for the Natives. He was able to secure monies to refurbish areas that were hardest hit by the Civil War. These areas were in the Mayan territories. He did not stop here, he went one step further. He, himself, loaned the Mayan refugees money to return to the war torn area. To show their appreciation, the Mayan trained Colom to hold one of their most prized positions, a Mayan Priest.

Both men are working for the lower classes, classes that have been ignored for many decades. Governments of the past have dabbled a bit in socialism, many were dictatorships and this past government, under President Oscar Berger, was pro-business. The current government, under Colom/Espada, is looking to reform the ways of the past. Their agenda is to "move the country leftward, raise taxes, protect human rights and widen access to health care, education and housing."(AP, 2008)

Will their task be difficult? Most definitely! The last thing businesses and the elite want is the increase in taxes. In the situation of Guatemala, one has to look at what the past has offered. In Guatemala, it has not offered much to the masses. Here is a country that has gone through over 3 decades of a civil war. The country is torn. If there is no healing, it will continue to divide with the threat of a revolution. These men, who were part of the working elite, are looking at the whole condition of Guatemala and not just the elite. If you don't make your masses happy, if you don't stop oppressing them, if you don't give them the opportunity to make their personal lives better, then crises will never go away. I believe the government of Colom/Espada was elected to right the wrongs of the past and I believe they will succeed.

Herald Tribune. January 13, 2008, "Guatemala hopes new presidential duo peacemaker and heart surgeon can do some healing". The Associated Press, Published: January 13, 2008.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/01/13/america/LA -FEA-GEN-Guatemala-New-Leaders.php

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