Declaración
Pública
“En el contexto de la grave crisis sanitaria y económica producida por el Coronavirus, COVID-19, el Consejo de Rectores de las Universidades Chilenas (CRUCH), integrado por 30 instituciones que representan las más diversas tradiciones intelectuales y culturales del país, ha estimado un deber cívico y una responsabilidad propia de su misión hacer un llamado a la conciencia pública nacional, fundado en las siguientes consideraciones:
1.- That it is evident that this dangerous emergency that threatens the lives and health of thousands of people came to us in a social and political situation of acute tension and unresolved antagonisms. That it itself gave way to an institutional process that should lead to relevant political decisions of the greatest importance for national history.
2.- Given this unfortunate coincidence, we allow ourselves to call all citizens and especially their political representatives, not to confuse the plans because the country urgently needs at this time, its greater cohesion and unity of purposes. That to achieve this objective we must be able to put down our mistrust and prejudice, as well as the economic or political advantages that we may have.
3.- In this sense, we must all join in and support the efforts being made by the health authority, our government and the political system as a whole, civic loyalty that certainly does not exclude discrepancies or legitimate, respectful and well-founded criticism.
4.- In accordance with the social function that we fulfill in the task of generating and contributing knowledge to society, our universities will continue to offer and collaborate with all their available resources, from their research centers, with their professionals and experts, as well as with its COVID-19 diagnostic laboratories and the production of supplies that can support the protection of people.
5.- We also want to publicly thank, on behalf of our university communities, all the people who are serving in public or private health establishments, clinical laboratories or in other service areas, whether in security, administration, transportation, supply or others, because these Chileans make possible the protection of all the others, sometimes at serious risk to their own safety or integrity.
6.- When we come out of this health crisis, whose economic and social effects will be very serious and more prolonged, we will be on the verge of a constitutional plebiscite or other relevant institutional decisions for Chile. It will be much better to arrive at that moment after a careful, visible and convincing effort of cohesion and social solidarity.
Por tales razones nos permitimos esta vez, más allá de lo que hacemos siempre dado el rol del CRUCH, llamar a que contribuyamos cada una y cada uno de nosotros toda vez que el propio altruismo cívico sea necesario, antes que emplazar o interpelar a otros(as). La mejor vocación democrática y republicana para esta dramática perturbación de la vida pública y privada, será la que nos haga capaces de identificar cómo superar juntos los peligros y daños sanitarios que ya asolan al país, pero también sobreponernos hoy y mañana al dolor y las graves consecuencias de las pérdidas económicas que tendrán las personas, las empresas y el país. “