The Constitution declares that Ecuador is a “state of law and justice”, that its first duty is the defense of guarantees and freedoms, that any action or omission that threatens the exercise of rights will be unconstitutional. And… that governments will make us happy.

But where are my rights to integrity, to security, where is the right to carry out economic activities with minimal legal security and the right to a piece of peace? Who protects me? I ask because, like many Ecuadorians, I feel helpless, attacked, powerless. I feel that those of us who are not in the power play or negotiating juggling act are expendable, we are the kind of useful idiots, good enough to vote when the electoral discourse calls for us, useful to support propaganda and pay taxes that are made up and contributions that come from the magic of the wise.

I ask about my rights and the rights of others, because they express the dignity that distinguishes people; I ask why the “guarantor state”, the one that proclaims the Constitution that founded the land of happiness, disappeared and became hostage to the conflicts that overwhelm it, the administrator of the imposition of groups that each wants its own, in the rhythm of shouting and throwing stones, or negotiations and give and take. I ask because legality is diluted, institutions are dying and because, at this stage of tragicomedy, political representation is nothing more than fiction. Lie. I ask because I feel our rights are lost in uncertainty and wonder.

The state is in crisis, it is a useless entity. Particularism and direct action, outside the law and against institutions, bury political rationality, common sense and prudence. Violence is a method. Intransigence is style. Calculation is a doctrine. Tolerance and solidarity are big absences. Opinion is now a fake news network that thrives on the web.

Discord, particularism and mistrust were sown, which beats in many gestures and nests in spirits. Aggression is the rule. The fear of some and the arrogance of others overflow in words, in threats, in speeches. And in many silences. Belief in institutions and the principle of authority drag them across the country. We live entangled in election campaigns, overwhelmed by the promises of happiness and salvation of every candidate for redeemer. Shocked by the violence. Shaken by the fearlessness of agents of power. Here we are.

In such circumstances, we must demand our rights, our freedoms and mourn for a city that has lost its presence and dignity, a city that has renounced its “capital”, that is, the ability to command the country, suffocated by bureaucracy, lack of grandeur and commotion.

What happened to Quito, the capital, the face of the Republic, the benchmark of the country? What happened to the Light of America? (OR)