In European countries, monarchies exist because the people want them that way. I notice that they like their monarchies and support them; it's like an ancestral reflection of their identity.
Monarchs are given salaries and their expenses paid. As they are established nations with strong economies, they logically have the money to pay them this amount, in exchange for activities that benefit their nations, as in England and Spain. They carry out acts of state and public relations that benefit their countries. I have noticed that Queen Letizia is looking to help poor women in some countries suffering from extreme poverty.
History shows us that many monarchies have fallen, for example the French one, where while the monarchs lived very well, the people suffered from famine. The Russian monarchy, which unfortunately suffered persecution, and well, there are so many historical films about those monarchies that have fallen.
I compare President Bernardo Arévalo, his wife, and children to the French monarchy. A few weeks ago, the first lady held a baby shower for her daughter at the presidential residence. The Secretariat of Administrative and Security Affairs of the Presidency of the Republic reported that they spent Q170,000.00 for the family event.
I believe that catering for a baby shower is an excessive expense that has offended the population, given that Guatemala cannot be compared to European monarchies, which can incur expenses for their monarchs' events.
The president has a salary, and the first lady should not touch public funds for personal expenses. They also point out that the children there are still eating and living at the presidential residence to avoid personal expenses.
President Arévalo remained in power because the population dreamed of "the democratic spring in Guatemala" with former President Jacobo Árbenz, or Juan José Arevalo, father of the current President Bernardo Arévalo.
The sad thing is that Bernardo Arévalo doesn't even dream of resembling his father. He's been gorging himself on cakes that are overcharged and tripled in price and billed to who knows which family and friends, in order to benefit from exorbitant bills. It's worth seeing how much the baby shower cakes were overpriced and who benefited.
This situation has disillusioned Guatemalans, seeing how the budgets in several ministries are not being implemented, and all the government's work is slow or simply not being carried out. Seeing how, overnight, he wanted to force lower-class people to buy car insurance, without even considering that the people often don't have money to eat or feed their families.
I've been paying car insurance for years on my 2001 car. I do it in case I get a flat tire, they'll come and change it, ha ha ha, or if the battery dies. Thank God I have a new battery now, but when I can't afford insurance, my kids pay for it. Newer model cars all pay for insurance, but for those of us who don't have newer models, paying for car insurance is a luxury. I'm not against car insurance, but it should be done intelligently and offer low-cost insurance depending on the car model, rather than being forced overnight.
And now, with this baby shower situation, it's clear that the tenants of the presidential palace are only thinking about filling their stomachs and pockets with our tax dollars. This presidential outlook contrasts with the Guatemalan reality, as UNICEF indicates: Guatemala is currently the sixth country in the world with the worst rates of child malnutrition.
Artículo de Unicef, desnutrición infantil en Guatemala
Guatemalan women, mostly indigenous, are malnourished and logically have malnourished children. It's inhumane for the president of Guatemala to spend money on a baby shower for his grandson while Guatemalan children, who are his responsibility, are dying of hunger. He should feel a little ashamed. The first lady is supposed to work and ensure the development of Guatemalan children, yet she doesn't even consider her conscience, and they have no heart or love for the Guatemalan people. The presidential couple believes they are a monarchy, while here we are a Republic, with severe childhood malnutrition.
This is why God wants to defeat secularism in the State, because those who have Jesus in their hearts would work for the poor and fight to overcome childhood malnutrition; they would not tolerate the people suffering from hunger. Let us remember Mother Teresa of Calcutta, a great Christian who worked for the poor. Not all Christians are like her, but true Christians suffer when they see the hunger of others.