MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bachelet speaks freely with reporters

President Michelle Bachelet held an informal breakfast Tuesday with the National Press Association and frankly discussed many issues surrounding her presidency.

Bachelet, who personally greeted each of the 34 journalists in attendance, answered questions on diverse subjects such as her style of leadership, social conflicts, and the much discussed delinquency problem.

Bachelet was first asked about what some call her "citizen model" style of governance. "We have to learn from my election," said Bachelet. "If the traditional process of choosing the name of a president had been used, I would have never been a candidate. What made me president was popular cohesion, legitimacy, and credibility."

Bachelet continued her discussion on governance and said, "Social and political processes much be closely watched. I don't label my way of leadership as a distinct ?citizen model.' The government makes decisions, but the government must create space for people who have opinions, desires, and demands, patient people as well as the impatient, and above all, people who see democracy as more than just voting for a representative. The people have the power. Democracy has produced changes, and the government will have problems if it does not realize this."

Bachelet defended her use of commissions to study diverse issues such as electoral reform, education, infant care, and the growing crime problem. She argued that commissions allow the government to hear from diverse sectors of society and that the people who are affected by an issue must play a role in the decision-making process.

In response to critics who say commissions take power away from Parliament, Bachelet said, "Commissions will never replace the Parliament. Congress will always be able to vote on any proposals. Commissions have never had to reach a consensus. If they do, great, but if not, there will be a vote. Commissions are not permanent; they have concrete tasks and defined instructions."

Bachelet went on to depict protests, such as the recent student revolt, as inevitable, but controllable. "You can not always avoid a crisis, but you can steer it," she said, continuing, "This is extremely difficult in a country that has made so much progress in just 16 years. There are still major unresolved issues, and it will be a great challenge for our democracy to resolve them adequately."

Speaking about the recent "crime wave," Bachelet called for solutions instead of just statistics. She said recent media coverage has created a "sensational environment of fear," but did not dispute the facts. Bachelet took issue, however, with coverage that focuses solely on the crimes and offers no discussion of underlying causes or solutions.

Bachelet ended the breakfast on a more personal note. When asked what she read, Bachelet said she read the Chilean news dailies, international press, and books about international politics and economics. She admitted not having much time to watch television or read literature, although she just finished reading "Neruda Returns to Valparaíso."

The breakfast took place in the CasaPierda and was attended by the directors of El Mercurio, La Tercera, La Segunda, and nearly all the other major Chilean papers. The Santiago Times - News about Chile