The 34th Miner

The 34th Miner

On October 13th, 33 miners were rescued from a mine in Northern Chile after this collapsed trapping them for 69 days underground. The massive rescue operation was broadcasted live all over the world. For 24 hours, millions of people witnessed how one by one of the miners made it to the surface. The endeavor, considered a miracle, impressed people around the world; never before had miners survived that deep underground for that long, state-of-the-art technology was employed, there was massive media coverage, and to the surprise of many, the Chilean President, Mr. Sebastian Piñera, welcomed each miner, all 33, as they emerged to the surface. This type of commitment by an elected official is hard to come across.

As the Time Magazine article narrates, Mr. Piñera is an example of leadership. He took to office with the support of the business owners and conservative politicians early this year. Translating it to United States political terms, here he would be the equivalent of a Republican. He is the first right-wing President to be elected after the dark Dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, which ended in 1989. Lacking the support from large segments of the country, Mr. Piñera was considered to be cold-hearted conservative and exposed to the scrutiny and criticism of the public. When the devastating earthquake stroke Chile in late February of this year, the Chilean President was taken by surprise. Yet he took action to mobilize the country towards the assistance of the affected Southern area, but his leadership was not so well demonstrated until the accident in the mine took place. In this instance, the President acted quickly. He organized the rescue team and even convinced UPS to ship equipment from the United States for free.

Mr. Piñera, with entrepreneurial mindset some may argue, took this opportunity to portrait Chile as a developed nation able to operate a rescue mission that required expertise and dedication with patriotism. His actions preparing the rescue reflect good managing and good leadership; however, it was his presence during the 24 hours of the rescue mission that really proved his commitment to the country. One may never really know the intentions of Mr. Piñera, he could very well have used this opportunity as a political tactic to gain supporters, or he may have done it as a sincere gesture of solidarity and dedication to his nation. Regardless of the motive, one may conclude that he demonstrated his situational leadership to the full extent of the word.