GUATEMALA: The peaceful strike that made our President resign.

The General Strike called # 27A was a historic day for the people of Guatemala. We woke up from years of repression and silence. This was the day we united and stood up in the biggest and most peaceful protest of all, all of which was convened by social networks.

Together as a nation we decided that enough is enough. We took the future of our county in our own hands. We raised our voices together as a nation, and demanded that the President, Otto Pérez Molina, step down due to corruption and the abuse. He is paying for all his crimes in jail.

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To begin my story, I come from an upper-middle class family in Guatemala City. I became accustomed to having a comfortable life, thanks to the hard and tireless work of my mother. With great effort, she enrolled me into one of the best all girls’ schools, the famous Monte Maria. It was there, and in the bosom of a family of intelligent and powerful women, that my desire to serve others was born; that is, to use my internal power.

1996 was the year I graduated from high school, and also the year the peace agreements to stop the civil war were signed in my country, Guatemala. I remember our graduation thesis was titled \"The Culture of Silence: Extensive research on the cultural aftermath of 36 years of internal war.” The findings: Our people had been suffocated by fear, suffering and repression. We were tired of enduring the abuse of power. We had deep wounds in the soul of the nation. The pain was so deep that we wanted only to forget.

I graduated, married, and left Guatemala for a time. However, I longed to return to my beautiful country. When I came back in 2012, 16 years after the peace agreements, I found a society asleep and indifferent. People had learned to be silent and not to look back, so they would not hurt anymore. Also, I perceived a lack of historical and institutional memory, selfishness and anti-patriotism. The society had accepted mediocre governments, relying on the saying \"It is better to know evilthan to wait for the unknown possibility of good\". I did not know what to do with the silence.

Guatemala is a democratic republic, with popular elections every four years. Each electoral year I heard friends and colleagues, gossiping and accusing candidates: he is a “narco”, this one is a thief, the other one a communist, or a puppet, etc. In Guatemala we tend to elect our government without any character analysis; without knowing anything about how government works. I heard people saying, “Let’s vote for the least bad candidate.” That is why I always felt outside the political life of my country, as if it were an extraterrestrial territory, where there was no place for honest and hardworking people, much less room for seriously minded, thinking women.

However, everything changed in 2015. This was the year that my true love for Guatemala woke up. And it woke up not only in me, but also in millions of Guatemalans; we woke up collectively. An environment of nonconformity was felt among the population of Guatemala due to economic instability, increases in poverty rates (59%[i]), the precarious situation of health and education systems, and the deterioration of the infrastructure of roads and services, among many other things.

The discontent of the people grew stronger everyday. The persistent feelings of having been abandoned and of not having had the slightest hope of thriving multiplied. In my job as a Certified Business Coach, I constantly heard about the economical crisis from my clients:

\"I would like to know where our taxes are going? Everything gets stolen! There are no medicines in hospitals; teachers are always on strike; women do not have opportunities to take our children forward, and at each turn, I earn less and spend more.\"

My sense of the growing crisis was confirmed when in April 2015 I heard this shocking news: the State Prosecutors and the CICIG (commission of investigation endorsed by the United Nations), made public the case of \"La Línea\"[ii], a criminal network within the Tax and Customs Administration in cooperation with the directors of the Tax Administration Superintendence (SAT). Later that year, they discovered that the President, Otto Pérez Molina and the vice president, Roxana Baldetti, were the masterminds of “La Línea,” defrauding more than 28 billion quetzales (almost 4 billion dollars).

At that point, I constantly followed the news through many social networks. More and more women and men in our community started complaining, feeling angry and betrayed. We all complained, but what came to mind was, what good is it to complain? Wouldn't it be better to ask ourselves what can we do? And even better, what can I do to make a change?

I, like many others, started researching, sharing, writing, posting, commenting, and inviting others to use our voices through social networks. I was really interested and feeling responsible and invested in the need to change the political situation in Guatemala. I wanted to take part and be a leader of change, to invite others to get involved, to share my voice and to express discontent.

Little by little more and more civic movements began to emerge via social networks. Peaceful marches were convened, i.e., the kind of safe march we could bring our children to, and still make changes. There were musical concerts, artistic events, and forums in various parts of the city, with the sole purpose to peacefully express our disagreement. More people joined the protests, as more cases of corruption and scams came to light. The power of my voice and other women’s voices, which dared to speak, grew stronger as the pressure increased.

Then on 27 August 2015, a national strike called \"# 27A\" was held, where thousands of businesses, merchants, educational institutions, trade unions, peasants and civil society stopped their activities to join their voices in a peaceful protest outside the Government Palace, demanding the resignation of President Otto Pérez Molina.

I went to #27A with my children, cousins and their children. I felt alive and powerful. At last I could do something meaningful to change the situation. In # 27A I met other mothers and fathers who, like me, wanted a better Guatemala; we wanted our children to witness the protagonists of a collective awakening.

We decided not to let ourselves be defeated and rather to take the future of our country into our hands. Our banners exclaimed: Enough is enough! No more corruption. Resign now Mr. President!

Thanks to the pressure of the population, the congress voted, by a majority, to remove the immunity of the President, which led to his impeachmentand his resignation: \"In the current situation and taking into account above all the interest of the State, it is my duty to continue due process. And therefore to bring myself to justice and resolve my personal situation\" the then President of Guatemala, Otto Pérez Molina said in his resignation letter dated September 2, 2015. [iii]

We were all in ecstasy. My kids said, \"Mommy, we made it together!\" We could not believe what happened. It was a holiday and a joy for all Guatemalans.

The success of this general strike and the resignation of our President fueled my own vision. I became more aware of the power of my voice and my leadership. This is why my vision of change lies in the economic empowerment of woman on three axes: leadership (mindset), business empowerment (skills), and the use of technology (digital awareness). We need all these to thrive.

Even so, there is still a long way to go. However, I learned some great lessons that I encourage you to follow:

• The first step for changing a country is to take responsibility of my own actions. Circumstances cannot stop me, since the power lies within myself.


• My voice is my weapon. I am no longer afraid of expressing my opinion, concerns or needs.


• I can use social networks to create awareness and momentum.

The “Culture of Silence” finally is broken. We are no longer afraid of raising our voices together. Even little, weak, or peaceful Voices can make big changes.

[i] http://www.prensalibre.com/guatemala/justicia/guatemala-retrocede-en-combate-a-la-pobreza

[ii] http://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias/2015/05/150507_guatemala_corrupcion_escandalo_vicepresidenta_baldetti_jp

[iii] http://www.prensalibre.com/guatemala/politica/renuncia-el-presidente-otto-perez