Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales and his foreign minister Carlos Raul Morales are in the habit of calling the BDF "unprofessional" - but what military values do they really uphold? President Jimmy Morales is being criticized for some very controversial comments on Sunday, July 3, when he praised the Guatemalan Army, calling their work "exemplary". As we've reported, this is the very same Army which carried out the genocide of over 200 thousand Indigenous Guatemalans during the 1960-1996 Civil War, a period of military repression in that country.
He was speaking at an official ceremony for Celebration of the Guatemalan Army Day. Seen here, Morales was photographed marching with very senior military officials including his Defense Minister, Williams Mansilla, who's on his right, and General Juan Manuel Perez, the Chief of the Guatemalan Armed Forces, who at the front in the far left of your screen.
In his speech he told those gathered, quote, "The military has been an exemplary institution, contributing its abilities for the benefit of the public." End quote.
But, almost contrary to Morales' claim of public confidence in the military, his government administration had to backpedal in their push to hold army parades in the streets of the capital. That's after the firestorm of controversy which was unleashed when Guatemalans learned of his intent to reinstitute the Army parades. Those had been suspended since 2008 by Guatemala's social-democrat President, Alvaro Cocom. That decision was taken so as to not offend the memory of the victims that genocide.
Ultimately, the Morales and his military officials had to resort to holding the parades inside the military precincts of the Central Air Command. Guatemalan Defense Minister Mansilla denied accusations that millitary families were obliged to attend the ceremony. To account for the numbers, he said, quote, "...It was a spontaneous demonstration by the population that believes and trusts in its army." End Quote. He also commented to reporters, "we want" the army once again to conduct parades on public street. "in the future".
Of course, that intention to reinstitute the army's public parade only adds credibility to the perception Morales has deep military ties. He was elected last year on a platform of anti-corruption, and as an outsider to the military influence, which was a major element of the downfall of jailed former President, Otto Perez-Molina. It is well documented that contrary to that campaign, Morales' main presidential advisors are individuals with military backgrounds, and he is also backed by former military officials. In fact, his political party, the National Convergence Front, was formed by a group of retired army officials, some of whom are veterans in the same Guatemalan Civil War.
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