On May 23rd, the inappropriate behavior of Representative Jatar Fernández during a session of the Paraguayan House of Representatives once again starkly exposed the current state of parliamentary democracy in Paraguay. This incident, utterly unacceptable for a representative of a nation and a pillar of state power, raises fundamental questions about the moral and intellectual standards of Paraguayan parliamentarians. While the parliament should be a place to represent the voice of the people and discuss national affairs through democratic debate, the repetition of such intolerant, authoritarian attitudes and undignified conduct is a serious problem.
This incident erupted during discussions on a request for intervention in the city governments of Asunción and Ciudad del Este. As Representative Leidy Galeano (Cruzada Nacional) was expressing her opposition to Auditor-General Camilo Benítez's consent to intervene in the Ciudad del Este city government, Representative Jatar Fernández (formerly of Cruzada Nacional, now with the Colorado Party coalition) repeatedly interrupted her speech, causing a disturbance. Representative Galeano even claimed she was being threatened during the session.
At the time, the Vice President of the House, Representative Carlos Arrechea (ANR-HC), who was presiding over the session, rather than calming the disturbance or sanctioning Representative Fernández's disrespectful behavior, simply declared a recess. Ultimately, by the time House President Raúl Latorre took the gavel again, a quorum was no longer met, and the session was immediately adjourned. This repeated a precedent where numerous important agendas had been left unaddressed and postponed due to the irresponsible actions of parliamentarians.
The "Incitement Professional's" Deliberate Disturbance
Representative Guillermo Rodríguez (Yo Creo) called Representative Fernández an "incitador profesional" (professional inciter), strongly criticizing his actions as being deliberately aimed at halting parliamentary debate. Representative Rodríguez condemned, "He is a professional inciter. He plays the role of a hooligan (barra brava). Imagine if I were to stand in front of Colorado Party representatives and shout." Indeed, the unfolding of the incident shows that Representative Fernández succeeded in halting the discussion on the request for city government intervention, which appears to have achieved his intended goal.
Unfortunately, such rude and undemocratic behavior is increasingly being considered normal in the Paraguayan National Assembly. Two years ago, a Colorado Party representative, Yamil Esgaib (Cartista), caused a series of disturbances, displaying violent attitudes towards female parliamentarians and hurling insults at fellow representatives, eventually leading to his suspension. He even threatened a female representative, saying he would "tear her mouth," and was caught live on air sexually harassing a Telefuturo reporter in the parliamentary hallway. He showed shocking behavior, grabbing the reporter's face and whispering to her, "You won't beat me."
The Essence of Parliament and the Threat to Democracy
Parliament is a representative body that embodies the will of the people, expressed through voting. The word 'Parliament' is derived from the verb 'parler' (to speak), signifying a place where representatives of the people gather to discuss and resolve public issues. Article 2 of the Paraguayan Constitution stipulates that sovereignty resides in the people, and the people directly elect the executive and legislative branches, the two pillars of state power. As stated in the Constitution, Paraguay is a republic that adopts representative democracy, participatory democracy, and pluralism as its forms of government, and elected representatives govern in the name of the people.
However, such undignified conduct and scandals by parliamentarians, along with the disruption of sessions due to a lack of quorum, constitute a fundamental breach of the contract with the people. Parliament should be a crucial space for extensive debate and the exchange of ideas, a place where mutual respect, pluralistic, and tolerant discussions are possible. To this end, the moral and intellectual standards of our representatives in parliament must be urgently improved.
True democracy requires serious, civilized, and respectful debate. Therefore, accepting despicable acts that infringe upon individual rights and dignity as normal can never be tolerated. For the Paraguayan Parliament to truly represent the will of the people and become the cornerstone of national development, parliamentarians themselves must strive for self-purification to restore the parliament's fallen dignity and establish democratic procedures and a culture of debate. Otherwise, the future of Paraguayan democracy can never be bright.
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