In a ceremony on Monday, the president presented the ambassador of the United States with two awards, including one he invented for the occasion.
“This is a day to commemorate, but it is a somewhat sad day as a good friend of our country is leaving,” said the president of the republic, Nayib Bukele, on the night of Monday, January 18.
He then presented to the Ambassador of the United States, whose office ends today, the National Order José Matías Delgado in the rank of Silver Cross, the highest award the executive can bestow.
Likewise, the president invented a new order, the Francisco Morazán, and the first to receive it was Johnson himself for his service to the country.
SEE: Ambassador Ronald Johnson: “America’s Friendship Depends on Respect for Democracy”
During his tenure as a US diplomat, the ambassador sought mainstream support from the country, especially in the context of the pandemic, where he managed significant donations of personal protective equipment, ventilators and tests.
However, during his tenure, and outside of his proximity to the country, Ronald Johnson showed an almost unconditional friendship with the President of the Republic, and this was not always compatible with El Salvador’s interests and democratic health.
When the State Department called on the Bukele government to weaken democratic institutions and attack critical media, Johnson limited himself to saying that both governments were friends and that friends “did not always agree on all issues.”
SEE: Freedom of speech is essential to democracy, Ambassador Johnson says
Faced with reports of press freedom blows, the ambassador said he felt “motivated” because there are no imprisoned journalists or closed media. He said little about the ongoing harassment of journalists, the insults of the president, the instrumentalization of institutions to intimidate the media, and the political use of the guide.
This behavior is in line with Trump’s foreign policy and is willing to pass up abuse as long as his allies join his projects, even if they violate human rights.
On Monday Nayib Bukele said goodbye to an ambassador and “his” friend. Johnson’s successor may be less slow about his abuse.