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Dionisio Gutiérrez

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Dionisio Gutiérrez
Dionisio Gutiérrez Mayorga
Dionisio Gutiérrez Mayorga in 2012
BornJuly 23, 1959 (59 years old)
Guatemala city
NationalityGuatemalan
EducationDoctor in Sociology and Political Science
Alma materPontifical University of Salamanca
Occupation(s)Businessman, communicator
Years active1979 - present
Notable workLibre Encuentro, Dimensión, Razón de Estado
TelevisionCanal 3, Guatevision, Canal Antigua, Emisoras Unidas (radio)
Parent(s)Dionisio Gutiérrez (father), Esperanza Mayorga
RelativesJuan Bautista Gutiérrez (grandfather)
AwardsOrder of Civil Merit granted by King Felipe VI of Spain (2014). Prize "Empowering Democracy" awarded by Power Awards (2012).
Websitewww.dionisiogutierrez.gt

Dionisio Gutierrez[1] (Guatemala, July 23rd, 1959) is a Guatemalan businessman and communicator. He is also the President of Fundación Libertad y Desarrollo[2]

Early years and family

Dionisio Gutierrez is the second son of Dionisio Gutierrez and Esperanza Mayorga.[3]

His grandfather, Juan Bautista Gutierrez, was a Spaniard businessman and entrepreneur who established in Guatemala in the first years of the 20th century.

He was one of the founders of Multi Inversiones, S. A. According to Francisco Pérez de Antón,[4] “…for Mr. Juan Gutierrez, life had only two purposes: to work and to create a heritage for his descendants[5]” which led him to build “one of the most solid and solvent groups in Central America”.[6]

In the decade of the 20s, Juan Bautista Gutierrez opened a small store in San Cristobal Totonicapan, a small town in the western region of Guatemala.

In 1936 he founded Molino Excelsior; in 1965 he started operations in the poultry industry with the Villalobos farm. In the decade of the 70s, by initiative of his son, Dionisio Gutierrez (father) and Francisco Pérez de Antón, he started in the business of fried chicken, with what would become the most emblematic company of the then Grupo Gutierrez (today, Corporación Multi Inversiones): Pollo Campero.

Today, Corporación Multi Inversiones has diversified into different industries: food, livestock, energy, finance, real estate development, telecommunications, among others, adapting to both local and international market trends.

Family tragedy

On October 3, 1974, the Gutierrez family suffered a painful and sad tragedy, when the small plane bound to Honduras, filled with medicine that had been collected by the Guatemalan Rotary Club for the victims of hurricane Fifi, and piloted by Dionisio Gutierrez father and Alfonso Bosch, plummeted in the midst of San Jose Pinula,[7] causing the death of them both.

According to Francisco Perez de Antón, that tragedy led to a “generational void” inside the Gutierrez family, since the sons of both Dionisio Gutierrez father and this business partner Alfonso Bosch, were too young to take on management roles in the family business. This is why Dionisio Gutierrez began to work in Grupo Gutierrez since 1976, when he was only 17 years old.

Besides, those years were socially and politically convulsive; violence from the local armed conflict and the consolidation of military governments, scourged practically all the Central American region.

Business career

By the end of the 70s, Dionisio Gutierrez and his cousin Juan Luis Bosch took on a shared Chief Executive Officer role at Corporación Multi Inversiones,[8] a family owned multinational corporation with over 45,000 employees, and presence in 14 countries in three continents.

For 33 years, Dionisio Gutierrez held the presidency role in the multinational company, founded by his grandfather in 1936. In 2010, he gave way his position in the company to his brother Juan José, to dedicate entirely to academia and political analysis from the think tank he presides[9].

He has also been Director of the Guatemalan Manager’s Association (Asociación de Gerentes de Guatemala), Director of the Trade Chamber, Director of Banco Occidente, and Vicepresident of Banco Reformador.

Civic career

His foray into politics starts in the sunset of the military regime, and the beginnings of the democratic era, towards the end of the 80s. Therefore, for almost forty years, Dionisio Gutierrez has had a permanent participation in the critical moments of the Central American region.

First incursions in the civic scene

Since his college years, Dionisio Gutierrez got involved in projects of several student associations and groups, where he denounced both the actions of the military government and the Marxist guerrilla.

Among them Electorama 82,[10] which was an effort by young people to audit the questioned electoral process of March 7, 1982. A few weeks later, on March 23, General Efraín Ríos-Montt came to power through a coup d’état to the then president Fernando Lucas García.[11]

Gutierrez also participated with the “Student Committee Against Terrorism” and the “Civil Student Front”, with several publications in the independent journal El Imparcial[12] In 1983, when he was only 24 years old, takes on a role as a member of the board of the Guatemalan Trade Chamber.

Free Enterprise Chamber

For seven years he was president of the Free Enterprise Chamber and led one of the first programs of political surveys in the country. The first publication “Guatemala Responde 1987”[13] (Guatemala Answers 1987) revealed Guatemalan citizen’s opinion about the economic, political and social situation in the first years of Vinicio Cerezo.

Later, in 1989, he published a second edition “Guatemala Responde IV: Percepciones y opiniones del pueblo guatemalteco después de 37 meses de gobierno democrático” and in 1990, he issues a political[14] survey about the voter’s preferences on the presidential elections of that year.

Libre Encuentro

This was a TV show hosted by Dionisio Gutierrez broadcast in Guatemala, other cities in Central America and the United States during twenty years. Libre Encuentro [15]encouraged thought and debate among leaders from different sectors of the society, and became a referent for the public opinion in Guatemala, where he reached record rating levels. In his emissions, Gutierrez stirred debate and controversy among guests from all social sectors and experts. In many occasions even abandoning his role as moderator, and participating in the arguments.[16]

Serranazo

Six days after the rupture of the constitutional order perpetrated on Tuesday, May 25, 1993, by Jorge Antonio Serrano Elías,[17] in which he tried to dissolve the Congress, dismiss the Supreme Court of Justice, the Constitutional Court and the Human Rights Delegate.[18]

Several Guatemalan civil citizens, among whom was Dionisio Gutiérrez, issued a declaration "Given the political crisis the country is undergoing", better known as the document of "Los Abajo Firmantes",[19] where they rejected the violations of the Constitution by Serrano Elías, calling him "dictator" and demanding his irrevocable resignation as well as the restitution of the Public Powers of the republic.

In addition to this document, Gutiérrez, along with other actors of civil society, organized citizen protests, marches and rallies in front of the National Palace, through a platform called the National Consensus Instance.[20]

Presidency of Alfonso Portillo (2000-2004)

In early 2003, then president Alfonso Portillo attacks media calling them “clowns”, and stated they were “at the service of obscure interests”[21] and referred to Dionisio Gutierrez as “the circus owner”. Dionisio Gutierrez issued an answer stating that “the government called conspirator and subversive to any person who speaks the truth about the President”.[22]

Jueves Negro (2003)

On July 24, 2003, in the streets of several zones of Guatemala City, the General and former President Efraín Ríos-Montt, in an action that has been described as a "populist ruse",[23] demanded that the Supreme Electoral Tribunal register him as a presidential candidate, despite being banned for having led a coup d'état.

A few days before the event, on July 14 of that year, the Constitutional Court issued a decision denying the petition. For this reason, on Monday, July 21, the General indirectly led his followers to rebellion, and warned that he would not be held responsible if the protests got out of control.

On July 24, several people took different points of the city, and one of the most threatened places was the Centro Empresarial building, where the corporate offices of Multi Inversiones is located. One of the most fierce opponents of the inscription of Ríos Montt was Dionisio Gutierrez. According to Prensa Libre:

“That day, the lives of hundreds of employees in that building was put at risk, because several tires were set on fire, which made the air unbreathable, and the mob threatened to burn the building”.[23]

After being besieged for twelve hours, 900 people who had been trapped in the Centro Empresarial building were rescued and the protesters withdrew. The damage to property, life and production was invaluable.

Opposition to the government of the UNE (2010)

On Thursday, July 1, 2010, the government of then President Álvaro Colom denounced a "destabilization plan composed of attacks on security forces and reports in some media outlets" in the public complaint, the president accused Dionisio Gutiérrez as one of the responsible for that plan. In response, the businessman said "With all due respect, I ask you not to fall into the totalitarian trap".[24]

Months later, Dionisio Gutiérrez started one of the most controversial episodes of 2010 due to a comment against President Álvaro Colom and his wife Sandra Torres at the National Entrepreneurs Conference.[25] After the incident, Dionisio Gutierrez ended up taking distance from the “Libre Encuentro" program and the country, alleging, among other reasons, the "evident increase in forms of harassment and intimidation, even constant death threats" against him.[26]

Fundación Libertad y Desarrollo

In 2012, already back in Guatemala City, Dionisio Gutiérrez created the Fundación Libertad y Desarrollo (Freedom and Development Foundation), which is an independent, private and proactive think tank dedicated to the study and analysis of social, economic and political issues to promote values and principles of a free society. As president of the Foundation, Gutiérrez leads a team of intellectuals with whom he works in multiple civic activities and develops the articulation of long-term state proposals for Central America.[27]

Dimensión

On January 27, 2013 was born the television show "Dimension", sponsored by the Fundación Libertad y Desarrollo, which was broadcast weekly on Canal 3, under the direction of Dionisio Gutiérrez until August 2018. The show dealt with social issues and tried to promote participation "to generate reflection on the complex problems that afflict Guatemalan and Central American societies”.[28]

Confrontation with the Partido Patriota Government (2015)

In August 2015, following the announcement of the participation of Vice President Roxana Baldetti and President of the Republic Otto Pérez Molina in a structure dedicated to customs fraud in Guatemala known as La Línea, Dionisio Gutiérrez asks the resignation of the then President Otto Pérez Molina in a Public Letter from the Libertad y Desarrollo Foundation. [29]

In an interview in a local media outlet, Dionisio Gutiérrez said about Otto Pérez Molina:

“An individual I met in the Serranazo days, and with whom I no longer had a significant contact until the end of 2010, when he was the most persecuted opposition politician, and I was the most persecuted civil citizen by the government of the UNE party. And four months after he was appointed President, I denounced his would be another government taking Guatemala towards lost paths”. [30]

Citizen Conventions

In September 2016, through the Fundación Libertad y Desarrollo, Dionisio Gutierrez opened the first Citizen Convention with a speech focused on inequality in the country. Since then, these meetings have become an annual experience that is replicated in other cities in Guatemala, where key personalities from different sectors of the society get together to discuss about different topics of national interest. In April 2017, the second Citizen Convention was held, in which the country reality was analyzed, with emphasis in politics, inequality and underdevelopment.

On March 7, 2018, the main topic on the third Citizen Convention focused on the importance of the fight against corruption in Guatemala. [31]Then Attorney General Thelma Aldana and the Chief of the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), Iván Velásquez were invited as panelists, the latter participated through a pre-recorded interview. In his keynote, Gutierrez said that president Jimmy Morales had not been invited and encouraged him to “stop shaming Guatemala” and to “stop representing the obscure forces that don’t want the country to change. Your actions contradict your words”.[32]

On Wednesday March 6, 2019, the IV Citizen Convention treated the electoral year under the title "Free elections or sequestered democracy?". More than 2,000 Guatemalans participated in the event, who came to listen to the conference by Dionisio Gutiérrez; the panel of former presidents Luis Alberto Lacalle (Uruguay), Andrés Pastrana (Colombia), Jorge Tuto Quiroga (Bolivia) and Felipe Calderón (Mexico)[33]; the presentation of the First Electoral Survey 2019; and a panel of national analysts on the outlook for the 2019 elections.

Position regarding CICIG and the fight against corruption

In late February 2018, Gutierrez makes a public appearance, in the days of the formation of the Frente Ciudadano Contra la Corrupción (Citizen Front Against Corruption), formed by businessmen, activists, Mayan authorities, communicators and several personalities from the society, who manifested their commitment in the fight against corruption and impunity in Guatemala, and also their commitment to support the permanence of Iván Velásquez as Chief of the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), and the work of Thelma Aldana as Attorney General of the Ministerio Público.[34] The role of Gutierrez at the front of the fight against corruption has earned him several criticism from different sectors.[35]

On April 30, 2018, given the smear campaign against CICIG and the lobby that was being made in Washington against the Commission, Dionisio Gutierrez sent a letter to twelve Senators and Congressmen of the United States, about the importance of the permanence of CICIG in Guatemala.[36] In that letter, Gutierrez lists a number of prosecuted officials by the Guatemalan justice due to corruption. He also stated that CICIG “has demonstrated its ability to bring justice to Guatemala, and for the first time in recent history, let Guatemalans have trust and faith in their government institutions. [37]

Razón de Estado

On September 19, 2018, after three years away from the television, Dionisio Gutierrez makes a comeback to the screen with the show “Razón de Estado”,[38] broadcast through Guatevisión channel, on Wednesdays at 9:30 PM. According to the show's website, “it is a tribune for debate and reflection, engaged with freedom, democracy, and rule of law”.[39]

Several content formats are used in this show: documentaries, interviews, discussion panels, and coverages.

Fifth Citizen Convention and the proposal of the Central American Economic Community

On Wednesday March 4, 2020, Dionisio Gutiérrez and Fundación Libertad y Desarrollo hosted the Fifth Citizen Convention, regarding the Central American economic integration. The event was titled: “Central America, shared threats and opportunities; a common destiny”, which addressed the shared challenges of the Central American region[40] and was attended by more than 30 global leaders, including current and former Presidents of Ibero-America, intellectuals, civic leaders, and former officials of the various United States security agencies hemispheric security experts[41].

At the Fifth Citizen Convention, Dionisio Gutiérrez presented the “Joint Declaration on the Central American Economic Community”[42], a document that was born out of the citizenry and seeks the presidents of the region and all the sectors involved in decision-making to join this commitment. the consolidation of regional economic integration as an option for the future of Central Americans[43].

Awards, acknowledgments and relevant positions

In 2012, the Power Awards and the American Business Council Foundation of the United States[44] recognized the efforts and trajectory of Gutiérrez by bestowing upon him the award “Empowering Democracy".[45]

In 2014, His Majesty, King Felipe VI of Spain, awarded him the high honor of the Order of Civil Merit in Commendation to Gutiérrez.

He is also a founder and trustee of the School of Government in Guatemala, [46] an educational entity whose mission is to transform the way government and politics are conducted in Guatemala.

References

  1. ^ Gutiérrez, Dionisio. "Dionisio Gutiérrez".
  2. ^ "Fundación Libertad y Desarrollo".
  3. ^ "Juan Bautista Gutiérrez".
  4. ^ "Wikiguate Francisco Pérez de Antón".
  5. ^ Pérez de Antón, Francisco (2012). Memorial de cocinas y batallas. https://books.google.com/books/about/Memorial_de_Cocinas_y_Batallas.html?id=uREWrSqMQWMC: Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial México. {{cite book}}: External link in |location= (help)
  6. ^ Pérez de Antón, Francisco (2012). Memorial de cocinas y batallas. https://books.google.com/books/about/Memorial_de_Cocinas_y_Batallas.html?id=uREWrSqMQWMC: Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial México, 2012. p. 113. ISBN 978-9929576582. {{cite book}}: External link in |location= (help)
  7. ^ Pérez de Antón, Francisco (2012). Memorial de cocinas y batallas. https://books.google.com.gt/books/about/Memorial%20de%20Cocinas%20y%20Batallas.html?id=uREWrSqMQWMC&redir_esc=y: Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial México. pp. 105–106. ISBN 978-9929576582. {{cite book}}: External link in |location= (help)CS1 maint: location (link)
  8. ^ "Coporación Multi Inversiones".
  9. ^ Díaz, Marcos González (2019-05-14). ""El éxito casi nos destruye": la historia de Pollo Campero, la millonaria empresa que exporta uno de los sabores más emblemáticos de Guatemala". Retrieved 2019-05-15.
  10. ^ "Fundación Libertad y Desarrollo".
  11. ^ Luján Muñoz, Jorge (2002). Breve historia contemporánea de Guatemala. https://books.google.com/books?id=ZPZqAAAAMAAJ&q=breve+historia+contempor%C3%A1nea+de+guatemala&dq=breve+historia+contempor%C3%A1nea+de+guatemala&hl=es-419&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjkl8a9k_XcAhVJ0FkKHYlxCDkQ6AEIKDAA: Fondo de Cultura Económica. ISBN 9681666070. {{cite book}}: External link in |location= (help)CS1 maint: location (link)
  12. ^ Prensa Libre, Guatemala. "Surge El Imparcial".
  13. ^ "Cámara de la Libre Empresa". 1989.
  14. ^ "Fundación Libertad y Desarrollo".
  15. ^ Fundación Libertad y Desarrollo. "Libre Encuentro".
  16. ^ Zarco, José Eduardo. "Insoportable Prepotencia". Prensa Libre, 5/28/2006.
  17. ^ "El Serranazo".
  18. ^ Luján Muñoz, Jorge. Serranazo. p. 385.
  19. ^ Prensa Libre, Guatemala. "Los Abajo Firmantes".
  20. ^ Nómada gt, Guatemala. "Cómo fue el Serranazo, el último golpe en Guatemala hace 25 años".
  21. ^ Siglo 21, “Portillo ataca a la prensa”. "Portillo ataca a la prensa".{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  22. ^ Sexto Estado, 7 de febrero de 2003. "Nos gobiernan tres chiflados".{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  23. ^ a b Prensa Libre, 07/24/2003. "Jueves Negro".{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  24. ^ Siglo 21, 7/05/2010. "Gutiérrez pide a Colom evitar caer en tentación totalitaria".{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  25. ^ El Periódico. Guatemala, viernes 24 de diciembre de 2010. Página 4.
  26. ^ Prensa Libre. "Dionisio Gutiérrez deja el programa Libre Encuentro".
  27. ^ Quienes somos. "Fundación Libertad y Desarrollo".
  28. ^ "Dimensión".
  29. ^ República GT, 08/24/2015. "Dionisio Gutiérrez a Pérez Molina: "General, márchese usted"".{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  30. ^ Prensa Libre, 03/05/2018. "Dionisio Gutiérrez: Está claro el lado correcto de la historia para que Guatemala avance".{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  31. ^ Fundación Libertad y Desarrollo. "Encuentros Ciudadanos". Archived from the original on 2018-09-14.
  32. ^ Prensa Libre, Guatemala. "Tercer Encuentro Ciudadano | Participantes coinciden en que prevalece captura del Estado".
  33. ^ "Expresidentes llaman a la ciudadanía a luchar para rescatar el país – Prensa Libre" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-04-15.
  34. ^ El periódico, Guatemala. "Diversos sectores conforman Frente Ciudadano Contra la Corrupción".
  35. ^ Enrique, Naveda. "Siete tesis para el desconcierto de Guatemala".
  36. ^ Dionisiogutiérrez.gt. "Carta a Senadores y Congresistas de Estados Unidos".
  37. ^ Guatevisión. "Empresario Dionisio Gutierrez envía carta a senadores de EEUU por CICIG".
  38. ^ Dionisiogutierrez.gt. "Razón de Estado".
  39. ^ Dionisio Gutiérrez. "Razón de Estado".
  40. ^ Lopez, Esvin. "Siete aspectos del V Encuentro Ciudadano". Publinews (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-04-15.
  41. ^ "Líderes políticos y económicos buscan trabajar por destino común – Prensa Libre" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-04-15.
  42. ^ Pocasangre, Henry (2020-03-04). "Encuentro Ciudadano aboga por concretar acciones para Centroamérica". República.gt (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-04-15.
  43. ^ Guatemela, elPeriodico de. "Celebran el Quinto Encuentro Ciudadano de la Fundación Libertad y Desarrollo". elPeriodico. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
  44. ^ Estrategia y Negocios. "Poder Awards reconoce al Dr. Dionisio Gutiérrez".
  45. ^ Exteriorres.gob.es. "El Embajador impone la condecoraciones a Dionisio Gutiérrez y a la Hermana Uti" (PDF).
  46. ^ "Escuela de Gobierno".
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