| Neither Cancer, Nor Aids: Strengthening Citizenship and Fighting Against Inequality - By Alfonso Wieland and Rolando Perez
Neither Cancer, Nor Aids: Strengthening Citizenship and Fighting Against Inequality by Alfonso Wieland, Co-International Directorand Rolando Perez, Advocacy and Communications Director The final balance of the Presidential Elections in Peru - during which not only a new President will be elected, but also 130 new Congress members - has left behind a bitter aftertaste among half the Peruvian population. The outcome of Ollanta Humala and Keiko Fujimori as the two final candidates (for the run-off vote) of the Presidential Election was one of the worst scenarios for those who were trying to strengthen democracy in a country that only ten years ago escaped from a dictatorial and corrupt regime. Nevertheless, another interpretation of this political outcome is that half the Peruvian population has demonstrated its discontent with the seemingly successful economic system (Peru is growing at an average rate of 8 to 9% a year, one of highest growth rates in the region) because this economic model has not been able to reduce the high levels of poverty and social inequality in the country. In a recent report, the World Bank has emphasized the important challenge of making the economic growth process more inclusive, so that it will also reach the poorest population in Peru. “In order that economic growth benefit all Peruvian people, it is essential that the State, citizens and the private sector work together in key issues like malnutrition among children, improvement of the education system and the maintenance of the quality of investments and public spending¨, stated the report. Although different indicators show that poverty has been reduced in Peru from 48.6% to 34.4% between 2004 and 2009, the regional levels of poverty are still extremely high. While in the urban areas the level of poverty has been cut in half, in rural areas poverty is still growing. The Fuerza 2011 Party’ Presidential candidate , Keiko Fuijimori (35 years old), has built her political career in the shadow of her father Alberto Fujimori, who was the first President convicted and imprisoned for violating human rights. The political environment that surrounds Keiko Fujimori is almost identical to the one surrounding her father, which enabled him to form one of the most corrupt governments in Peruvian history. Ollanta Humana (48 years), an ex-military and leader of the Peruvian Nationalist Party, stood out into the political scenery after having lead a military uprising against President Alberto Fujimori together with his brother Antauro (year 2000). The violent rebellion was rapidly controlled, but the brothers Humala were eventually granted amnesty. Afterwards, his name was again involved in a new revolutionary attempt in the Andean city of Andahuaylas. It is clear that Ollanta has been able to capitalize the image of being anti-system and battle-hardened, which in some way also came from his brother who is now incarcerated for the crime of insurrection. In 2006, Ollanta run for Presidential Elections but was defeated by Alan García. That year, his discourse was very similar to that of Hugo Chavez and Evo Morales. During his current campaign, Humala has tried to diminish the fear he had generated among some sectors of society during his first electoral campaign, by softening his image and detaching himself from Hugo Chavez. He has announced his commitment to respect the legal stability of the country, respecting contracts with foreign companies and respecting the freedom of speech. He has also claimed that he will not participate in the next Presidential Elections, if he would be chosen as President this year. It is ironic that half the Peruvian population that did not vote for Humala or Keiko, now has to choose between the two options that provoke most resistance and fear. “It is like choosing between Cancer and Aids”, as the Peruvian Nobel Prize Winner of Literature Mario Vargas Llosa has put it. It can be true only if democracy is conceived as being representative, which means that the population only mobilizes every five years in order to choose their national authorities. But it is something different if we conceive democracy as a participative process in which citizens are actively involved in decision-making, which implies being better informed and ask authorities for transparency and accountability. From this perspective, citizenship can play a crucial role in order to avoid authoritarian and other antidemocratic practices. It is not an easy task, but the situation has never been like this in Peru. It implies a kind of ethical civic engagement as well as a profound commitment of every citizen to play a role in citizenship surveillance. In this sense, the new Peruvian political scenery constitutes a good momentum to strengthen citizenship and fight against inequality and exclusion. It is also a great opportunity for the Christians, who believe in the God of justice and mercy, to continue contributing to the promotion and defense of human rights as well as raising our prophetic voices against the abuses of power and injustice. Lima, April 10, 2011 | |
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