  |
Garcia, ex-president recast for new century, sworn in again in Peru
By Reynaldo Munoz
AFP
LIMA
Petroleumworld.com 07 29 06
- Ex-president Alan Garcia, whose populist first term was a crash-and-burn failure, was sworn in anew as president of Peru Friday, now as a self-styled political moderate committed to social change.
It marked the culmination of a stunning political comeback for Garcia, whose populist, disgraced 1985-1990 government, plagued by corruption and insurgencies, also sent Peru to financial ruin.
Garcia now says he has embraced moderation on the economic front -- like Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva -- but remains committed to achieving social change in a country in which half the population of 27 million lives in abject poverty.
Garcia, who was sworn in before delegations from Europe, the United States and Asia as well as Spain's Crown Prince Felipe, said he wanted to make Peru "a country that is on poor people's side."
Creating jobs and guaranteeing workers' rights would go a long way toward achieving that, Garcia said as he presented a cabinet led by Jorge del Castillo.
It was time, Garcia said, "to put things right, make the (economic) data stop seeming impersonal, ... so that all Peruvians can experience justice."
Garcia, the leader of Peru's oldest party, known by its Spanish-language acronym APRA, succeeded economist Alejandro Toledo, who was Peru's first democratically elected indigenous president.
The new president is hoping he can improve on the record of his first government, when hyperinflation hit annual heights of 7,600 percent and Lima was reviled by international lenders when Garcia threatened to link Peru's debt servicing to its export earnings. All of that, as the Maoist Shining Path rebels gained ground.
Thursday, Garcia broke with the past by unveiling a cabinet in which only six of the 15 members are from his ruling party.
Garcia allotted the defense ministry post to Allan Wagner, the current secretary general of the Andean Community of Nations (CAN), an economic community grouping together Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.
Pilar Mazetti, who was health minister under Toledo, was named to the interior ministry post.
Analysts say Garcia should not face rough waters in the legislature because conservatives, at least for now, are comfortable and feel represented in his cabinet.
Populist and nationalist fervor that heated up the campaign trail largely petered out since Garcia defeated Ollanta Humala on June 4 with 52.6 percent of the vote.
He is said to be keen to boost the country's economic integration with regional heavyweights Brazil and Chile.
Before taking his oath, Garcia met with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and Bolivian President Evo Morales.
Peru's grim social situation -- from grinding poverty to widespread social protests in recent years -- at least has had some good news, as economic growth is running at about five percent a year.
Toledo, 50, a political conservative, told The Washington Times this month that leftist-populist leaders such as presidents Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and Morales of Bolivia have risen to power because they "promise to give people fish instead of teaching them how to fish."
He said the United States and other governments, by helping to alleviate poverty in Latin America, could bolster the region's democratic institutions.
"People here need to see the interconnection between poverty and democratic government, how good policies can help create jobs for the greater benefit of the people," said Toledo.
AFP 28 1836 GMT 07 06
Copyright ©2006 AFP. All Rights Reserved.
Your
feedback is important to us!
We invite all our readers to share with us
their views and comments about this article.
Write to editor@petroleumworld.com
Any
question or suggestions, please write to:
editor@petroleumworld.com
Best
Viewed with IE
5.01+
Windows
NT 4.0, '95, '98 and ME +/ 800x600 pixels