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Former Conadi Directors and Their Views on Possible Proposals from the Commission for Peace and Understanding

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The former director of the National Corporation for Indigenous Development (Conadi), Luis Penchuleo, stated that the proposals from the Presidential Commission for Peace and Understanding must be validated by the communities through a consultation process.

Similarly, other former leaders of the institution pointed out that the key issue is quantifying the demand for land in the Southern Macrozone.

Just over a week remains for the commission to deliver its results to the President of the Republic, Gabriel Boric, after more than a year of work by members representing both right and left-wing political parties.

Learning about the proposals has been one of the most complex aspects, as the commission has worked in silence to avoid any kind of conflict, though some of its members have revealed part of the options under consideration.

This is because not only land restitution is being considered as a form of reparation, but also other options such as subsidies and productive support, among others.

For the former Conadi director and member of the Broad Front, Luis Penchuleo, this is possible due to the long wait communities must endure for their demands to be met.

Additionally, he said that each of the proposals from the Presidential Commission for Peace and Understanding must be validated by the communities.

Another proposal is for Conadi to stop being responsible for land restitution, something that does not convince the former national director of the institution and member of Evópoli, Ignacio Malig, who noted that the demands would likely fall to another public service.

Another former Conadi director and ex-member of Evópoli, Jorge Retamal, said the most important thing is for the commissioners to be able to accurately calculate "the debt" regarding land restitution for Mapuche communities.

So far, eligible communities wait an average of 17 years for Conadi to restitute land, and currently, 741 are on this list.

The commission, meanwhile, must deliver its results by January 31, though for Penchuleo, the "red line in terms of time" is March, to stay within the parliamentary agenda.

Source: BiobioChile