By Richard Brown and Patricia Mac\u00edas – November 2015<\/p>\n
Luis Grijalva, the unexpected victor by a wide margin of the 2015 race for mayor of Xela, met with EntreMundos in a restaurant in Zone 7 in October. He arrived without bodyguards, and answered our questions openly, except, for strategic reasons, those that had to do with specific plans to fight corruption and crime. Below is part of the edited interview. See the videos and read the complete interview at www.revista.entremundos.org.<\/span><\/p>\n You\u2019ve said that your participation in social struggles has given you a clear idea of the reality of the country. What struggles were you referring to?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Since the late 70s and early 80s, as a university student in the engineering department at the Universidad de San Carlos, we witnessed a lot of social problems, like all the inequality that exists in our country, and also that there weren\u2019t opportunities for everyone. One had to participate in helping communities in some way, so I volunteered some as a student. Later, seeing the problems faced by the youth, I also worked with a lot of youth groups. The most recent was to start to build the movement for transparency in Guatemala as cofounder of the Citizen Platform for Transparency, because we saw that it was necessary to work for and demand accountability.<\/span><\/p>\n What memories have most stayed with you from your days as a student activist?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n I remember when some of the university professors were shot down, murdered. I remember accompanying funerals. From there came this desire to change things in the country. Even so, every day things got harder, and next thing you know you start to live differently. You get married, you have kids, a family, and, well, later, when you\u2019ve already met all those responsibilities, that desire to do something great for the country comes back again.<\/span><\/p>\n How did you win the election with such a small budget?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Our spending totaled around 50,000 quetzales [about $6,450]. How we won is very simple: the campaign. I went all over the city, telling everybody that this Luis Grijalva they know is now a politician and wants to be mayor, and has a record over all these years.<\/span><\/p>\n You\u2019ve said that the pre-election polls were manipulated. How do you know that?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Basically from the results. It\u2019s not possible that 20 days or 15 days before the election they put me in eighth place with 3.8% and 15 days later we appear with 33%. There were different polls, each one from the different political parties. Friends who were also fighting to win the election would always tell me, \u201cLook, you\u2019re in first place\u201d or \u201cYou\u2019re in second according to the polling we have.\u201d But they were polls that weren\u2019t published. We showed in the end that the definitive poll is election day.<\/span><\/p>\n You\u2019ve said that you want the people of Xela to accompany you over the next four years. How do you want us to do that?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n We have to transform Quetzaltenango, but the mayor can\u2019t do that alone. All of our citizens are going to take part. And that\u2019s something wonderful because we\u2019ve had many, many meetings and everyone has this goal of participating. We\u2019ll be an administration that we\u2019ll want people to remember for two things: One, for transparency. And two, for public participation. This is how democracy really works. Democracy isn\u2019t just voting every four years, but rather public participation.<\/span><\/p>\n (Sometimes) the calls to meet will be over social media, but the meetings have to be in person, meetings that we\u2019ll have by sector, by neighborhood, by community, but also through groups like professional associations, chambers of commerce, universities, local development councils, a lot of ways. This is going to be hard work, because you have to make time to meet\u00a0 <\/span>with everyone.<\/span><\/p>\n Will you collaborate with popular movements, like #Vos, for example?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019ve been involved in popular movements since the moment I first looked for change. Now, collaborate with a specific group X, no. Because we don\u2019t want these groups to become politicized. We, as the party we are, as new authorities, we\u2019re simply going to ask, and we\u2019ve been asking the public, \u201cAudit us, please! Count what we spend!\u201d How much and everything else, because that\u2019s democratic action.<\/span><\/p>\n Why do you think the city authorities didn\u2019t turn over the financial and administrative report that they\u2019d promised you?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n There are two things in play: One is that they could be trying to hide something, and the other is that they simply don\u2019t have organized information to give. So it may be a combination of the two.<\/span><\/p>\n What\u2019s your impression of the city\u2019s financial situation?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s terrible! We\u2019re totally underfunded and apart from that we have huge debts. This is the financial situation: this is a city that is not sustainable, in which really it appears that there\u2019s some kind of subsidy, but that subsidy doesn\u2019t exist. The debts pile up and the underfunding gets worse and worse.<\/span><\/p>\n One of the big problems is not knowing exactly how much money comes in nor where it\u2019s coming from, because there\u2019s one single account. The other is that not knowing exactly how much is coming in and not knowing where to raise rates or taxes means we\u2019re never going to have any money. And with everything we need to fix considering all the city\u2019s issues, we need funds. That\u2019s why what we have to do is change how we collect revenue, and above all how we keep real records of what comes in.<\/span><\/p>\n Have you thought of raising taxes or the price of electricity, for example, to shore up the city\u2019s finances?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s pretty complicated. I personally don\u2019t want to raise any rate, any tax. On the other hand, the city government can\u2019t subsidize every service, because two or three or four years later, there won\u2019t be a single cent to invest, and we won\u2019t solve any of our problems. That\u2019s why we\u2019re talking about an issue of justice. Everyone paying for the service they\u2019re using. That is simply justice.<\/span><\/p>\n What are the lessons that we should learn from the social mobilization of the last months?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n I think the lesson learned is that yes, united we can, so to speak, fight for our rights. We can achieve a lot. We can make changes. If we move forward selfishly, we\u2019re not going to effect any change because real changes will benefit everyone, and that\u2019s why I think that the demonstrations will in some form continue next year. Because, what is it that people want? Structural changes. Today, the president and the vice president are in jail, plus some other officials, and more are soon to fall. Still, structural change hasn\u2019t happened yet in Guatemala, and I think the protests will continue until those structural changes really happen.<\/span><\/p>\n What books from Guatemala would you recommend to everyone?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n El Se\u00f1or Presidente<\/i> (Mr. President), by Miguel \u00c1ngel Asturias; Guatemala: Nunca M\u00e1s<\/i> (Guatemala: Never Again); and La Mansi\u00f3n del P\u00e1jaro Serpiente <\/i>(The Mansion of the Serpent Bird), by Virgilio Rodr\u00edguez Mac.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Richard Brown and Patricia Mac\u00edas – November 2015 Luis Grijalva, the unexpected victor by a wide margin of the 2015 race for mayor of Xela, met with EntreMundos in a restaurant in Zone 7 in October. He arrived without bodyguards, and answered our questions openly, except, for strategic reasons, those that had to do […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1982,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[424,427,1,435],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1986","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","category-public-figures","category-uncategorized","category-xela-en"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/gri.jpg?fit=2648%2C2376&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7ljt7-w2","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1389,"url":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/uncategorized\/luis-grijalva-wins-race-for-mayor-of-xela\/?lang=en","url_meta":{"origin":1986,"position":0},"title":"Luis Grijalva wins race for mayor of Xela","author":"EntreMundos","date":"10 noviembre, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Quetzaltenango - 7 September 2015 By Richard Brown Xela\u2019s mayor-elect, Luis Grijalva, appeared in the Central Park this afternoon to thank supporters. Grijalva won a decisive victory, receiving twice the votes of his closest rival. With his party, Encuentro por Guatemala, Grijalva ran a small-budget campaign that, he says, spent\u2026","rel":"","context":"En \u00abPolitics\u00bb","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/category\/politics\/?lang=en"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/img_21001.jpg?fit=839%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/img_21001.jpg?fit=839%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/img_21001.jpg?fit=839%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/img_21001.jpg?fit=839%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2962,"url":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/xela\/caras-alegres-and-the-youth-of-xeul\/?lang=en","url_meta":{"origin":1986,"position":1},"title":"Caras Alegres and the youth of Xeul","author":"EntreMundos","date":"30 mayo, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"By Allan Ort\u00edz, Caras Alegres mentor The Caras Alegres Association is a non-profit NGO that works with children and young adults in the Xeul neighborhood of Xela's Zone 5. It was founded in 2004 by a Dutch couple who felt for the community and decided to work to support local\u2026","rel":"","context":"En \u00abFrontPage\u00bb","block_context":{"text":"FrontPage","link":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/category\/frontpage-en\/?lang=en"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/caras-alegres.jpg?fit=750%2C750&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/caras-alegres.jpg?fit=750%2C750&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/caras-alegres.jpg?fit=750%2C750&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/caras-alegres.jpg?fit=750%2C750&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6304,"url":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/xela-guide\/cultural-activities-for-the-end-of-the-month\/?lang=en","url_meta":{"origin":1986,"position":2},"title":"Cultural Activities for the end of the month","author":"EntreMundos","date":"26 febrero, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Thrusday, February 27th: 17:30 hrs. Cian Meetup, Casa No\u2019j, free entrance. 18:45 hrs. Rutas en Ruedas, night rides, Utz Ulew Mall, free. 19:00 hrs. Storytelling, Innovation and Entrepreneourship at El Teatrito Xela, free entrance. Friday, February 28th: 11:00 hrs. Lovers Danceathon at Interplaza Xela. 14:00 hrs. Bird Photography Contest Exhibit\u2026","rel":"","context":"En \u00abThings to Do\u00bb","block_context":{"text":"Things to Do","link":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/category\/xela-guide\/things-to-do\/?lang=en"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/teatro.jpg?fit=720%2C481&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/teatro.jpg?fit=720%2C481&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/teatro.jpg?fit=720%2C481&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/teatro.jpg?fit=720%2C481&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6369,"url":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/xela-guide\/events\/cultural-activities-from-march-12th-to-march-15th\/?lang=en","url_meta":{"origin":1986,"position":3},"title":"Cultural activities from march 12th to march 15th","author":"EntreMundos","date":"11 marzo, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Thrusday 12th: 17:30 hrs. Conference The Essence of Forgiveness, Casa No\u2019j. 18:45 hrs. Route on Wheels, Utz Ulew Mall basement 4, free entrance. Friday 13th: 10:00 a 11:00 hrs. Thermoformado course, Victoria Bookstore Xela, Paseo San Jos\u00e9. 19:00 hrs. Play \u201cReturn to the Desert\u201d Teatro Municipal de Quetgo. Saturday 14th:\u2026","rel":"","context":"En \u00abEvents\u00bb","block_context":{"text":"Events","link":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/category\/xela-guide\/events\/?lang=en"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4859,"url":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/xela-guide\/brunch-in-xela\/?lang=en","url_meta":{"origin":1986,"position":4},"title":"Start Your Day \u2013 Breakfast and Brunch in Xela","author":"EntreMundos","date":"28 mayo, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Want to start your day off by going out to breakfast? Here are a few options for you to enjoy. PANQUEWAFFLES Specializing in unique pancakes and waffles that come filled with a variety of sweet and savory ingredients. Each item on the menu has been created so that you can\u2026","rel":"","context":"En \u00abFood\u00bb","block_context":{"text":"Food","link":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/category\/xela-guide\/food\/?lang=en"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/desayuno-huevos-revueltos-tocino-plato-cafe-negro-fondo-alimentos-endecha-plana_290947-1423.jpg?fit=417%2C626&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4943,"url":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/xela-guide\/craft-beer-in-xela\/?lang=en","url_meta":{"origin":1986,"position":5},"title":"Craft beer in Xela – where to go and what to drink","author":"EntreMundos","date":"14 noviembre, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"With the ubiquity of Guatemalan mainstays Cabro and Gallo, it's easy to feel like cheap lager is all that the country's breweries have to offer, but this is simply not the case. We've put together a list of the best places in Xela to find great artisanal and craft beers,\u2026","rel":"","context":"En \u00abNightlife\u00bb","block_context":{"text":"Nightlife","link":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/category\/xela-guide\/nightlife\/?lang=en"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/artisanal-beers.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/artisanal-beers.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/artisanal-beers.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/artisanal-beers.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/artisanal-beers.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1986","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1986"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1986\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1987,"href":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1986\/revisions\/1987"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1982"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1986"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1986"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1986"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}