At first glance, Rigoberto Queme Chay’s Western features, previous rejection of his Mayan ethnicity, and past history of alcohol abuse make him an unlikely champion of indigenous rights. But Guatemala’s first indigenous mayor committed years ago to changing his life, and his bid for the Presidency will allow him the chance to change the lives of his countrymen.
Queme Chay finished a three day visit to Washington D.C., where he campaigned to bring the profile of his presidential bid to an international audience. A large part of Queme Chay’s political agenda has been improving Guatemala’s dodgy human rights record, something the previous administrations have been reluctant to address.
The Mayor’s platform focuses primarily on the social and economic development of Guatemala’s poor, many of whom are indigenous. He met with Senators and Representatives in the Senate to share his goals of a more democratic and representative Guatemalan government. Later, he met with State Department, US AID, and Inter-American Development Bank officials.
An important part of Queme Chay’s visit was quelling concerns that his platform might be anti-American, he said.
“I want to promote the idea that an indigent political movement is nothing to be scared of - that it does not pose a threat for North Americans,” he tells Cultural Survival. “We want modern democracy, positive globalization, and human rights.”
The current administration’s lackluster implementation of the 1996 peace accords - especially those related to indigenous rights - has jeopardized the country’s international aid, according to The Economist. Queme Chay maintains that ties between President Alfonso Portillo, organized crime, and the nation’s elite will limit the country’s progress. He advocates the full implementation of the peace accords, which ended a bloody 36-year civil war, as one step towards bringing Guatemalans out of poverty.
“There is a historical necessity to implement the peace agreements,” Queme Chay says. “Because the political parties are not composed of indigenous people, they follow the interests of the militarily and economically powerful sectors.”
Drug interests are gaining an “ever closer union” with government, police, and military officials, according to The Economist. The government is not doing enough to combat drug production and trafficking and is in danger of “decertification” by the American government. According to an American report, Guatemalan officials have stolen twice the quantity of drugs officially seized. None of this surprises Queme Chay, who says that the traffickers have deep inroads in the government.
“The government depends on crime and drug trafficking,” he says. “We are trying to do something new for Guatemala – to no longer depend on illicit sectors. That will get us closer to being a just state.”
Queme Chay will focus on education – rather than land redistribution – as a way to improve the plight of Guatemala’s poorest. One of the biggest tasks facing the country is the reform of its monocultural educational system, he believes. He wants to create an intercultural system that teaches the validity of both cultures, while greatly improving the technical skill of the work force.
The majority of Guatemala’s indigenous population does not want to be mere peasant farmers, which is why Queme Chay has not emphasized land redistribution as the solution. Many of them, he says, currently live a semi-urban life and gravitate towards an urban lifestyle.
However, he does acknowledge that much of Guatemala’s land has been controlled by an “oligarchy” that does not cultivate it. Agrarian reform is necessary for Guatemala to become more productive, he argues. While he intends to champion indigenous causes, Queme Chay cautions that his movement will not center only on Mayan issues.
“I advocate dual development, because poverty is not just an indigenous problem when 70 percent of the population is poor,” he says. “At the end of the day, it’s a national problem.”
The road to the presidency will not be easy, as Queme Chay faces a well-funded opposition. And in Guatemala, as elsewhere, money counts. He said that in trying to go against the current without much funding, his campaign faces serious hurdles. But his hurdles are easier to confront than the ones facing the opposition. They face corruption, lack of credibility before the people, and lack of real proposals. That, he says, is where he has the advantage.
And Queme Chay is no stranger to long odds: his 1996 election as mayor of Quetzaltenango set off political shock waves. He was Guatemala’s first indigenous mayor, and his 2000 reelection prompted the federal government to cut the city’s funding in an attempt to keep him out of office. The protracted battle delayed him resuming his duties for six months.
According Montreal’s The Gazette, racism is deeply rooted in the Guatemalan society. Indigenous people are routinely banned from upper class sports and social clubs, and the atmosphere has led to widespread self-loathing among certain Mayans. Queme Chay can testify first hand to such behavior, as he for many years refused to use his non-Spanish surnames.
“About 95 percent of the indigenous population lives precariously in isolated communities,” Queme Chay points out. The social and political domination is evident… many have accepted their plight while others are in a constant fight.”
Furthermore, an obvious support base – fellow Mayans – has not proved as helpful as Queme Chay had hoped. Much of his time is spent convincing them that they should vote, and that it is not shameful to vote for a Mayan.
Queme Chay is considered Guatemala’s most educated and internationally experienced Mayan, and he backs up the reputation with a Masters in Social Anthropology from the University of Paris, and another in Public Administration from a national institute in Guatemala.
Special thanks to Rigoberto Queme Chay for this interview.
