The Independent (UK) on Ollanta Humala

Post author By Michael Ha
Post date April 18, 2006
12 Comments on The Independent (UK) on Ollanta Humala

Ollanta Humala: ‘Everyone in Peru wants change, a new message and a new messenger’
The Monday Interview: Peruvian presidential candidate
By Gavin Esler
The Independent on line, 17 April 2006
You have to get up early to catch Ollanta Humala. Four o’clock in the morning. I’m in Lima, trying to arrange an interview with the Peruvian presidential candidate and current front-runner. His advisers say he will be on the 6am plane to Cusco, the ancient Inca capital 3,500m up in the Andes. If I travel with him, he will talk to me. A few minutes before take-off, Humala, his smiling young wife and a dozen aides – all dressed in red T-shirts bearing the words “Love For Peru” – bound on board. They look like workers at a theme park, fit, healthy, muscular.
“Don’t talk to him now,” an aide warns. “He needs sleep.” I turn to an educated, middle-class Peruvian lady next to me.
“The red shirts,” I wonder. “Is he a socialist?”
His precise political affiliation is hard to pin down. Humala is regarded as the newest recruit to what for George Bush has become the Latin American “awkward squad” of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, Evo Morales in Bolivia, and Fidel Castro in Cuba – or, possibly, he might join the more amenable soft left governments now in power in Brazil, Argentina and Chile.
“Socialist?” the woman replies, puzzled. “No. He’s a Nationalist. Red and white – the colours of Peru.” She detests him. Humala – a former military commander – tried to overthrow the Peruvian government a few years ago.
The guidebooks say the worst thing you can do is fly from sea level in Lima to 3,500m in Cusco and then do something strenuous. It brings on altitude sickness. Humala has obviously never read the guidebooks. He trots out of the airport, begins a tour, a series of speeches and walkabouts. The big rally is at dusk on the steps of Cusco’s Catholic Cathedral. It’s raining hard. The crowd is many thousands strong, almost all indigenous people, almost all poor. Humala bounds across the stage, his T-shirt sodden, telling Peruvians there’s a difference between the wet weather and the world economy. With the weather, when it rains, everybody gets wet. With globalisation, the rich get everything and the poor get nothing. The crowd goes wild.
I meet Humala in the Spanish colonial hotel where he is staying. There’s a chess set on the bar. I suggest a game. The chess men are Incas and Conquistadors. He chooses the Incas.
So how would it change Peru, I ask, (moving my Conquistador King’s pawn) if you become president? “Peru has been robbed of its democracy,” he says, moving a pawn towards mine. “There’s a dictatorship here headed by the economic powers that just hasn’t allowed my country to develop. The economic model that’s been followed has given economic growth but it hasn’t allowed the country to develop. We’re going to … concentrate on policies that look toward development.”
This is a neat but vague response to those who point out Peru’s GDP has risen strongly and consistently in the past few years. Maybe, Humala concedes, on growth. But life for the poor is no better.
“Everyone in Peru wants change. They want a new message as well as a new messenger.” He moves one of his pieces. I move a bishop, then suggest that his rhetoric scares off investors. The Bush administration has already had a bellyful of Hugo Chavez’ antics in Venezuela – Chavez has begun to take over foreign-operated oilfields.
“My responsibility as a Peruvian has nothing to do with George Bush,” he says. His bishop is supporting the llama attack on my left. “I am not at all anti-American. I think Peru has to work on policies in hand with the US. We need to agree on issues like the farming of the coca leaf, drug trafficking and bio-diversity … defending development in my country doesn’t mean I am right-wing or left-wing. These definitions are meaningless since the end of the Cold War. What we have to do is make a better system by building on the institutions we have. We need to make sure the natural resources we have here benefit the Peruvian people. I am not saying that multinational companies should be stopped from making a profit out of them, but there should be a … re-distribution of wealth.” The woman on the plane told me Humala’s wife has a degree in media studies and coaches his answers to make them non-threatening. He has clear political skills.
So, do you agree with President Chavez in Venezuela who suggests George Bush is worse than Hitler? “I’d just say the situations in our two countries – Venezuela and Peru – are completely different,” Humala says. “The fact that we have an important agenda of change here doesn’t mean that we want to join in the ideological conflict between Venezuela and the United States.”
In the past century, the US has undermined or overthrown about 40 Latin American governments. George Bush’s father invaded Panama in 1989 to arrest the drug-running gangster Manuel Antonio Noriega. The following year US proxies in Nicaragua – the Contras – undermined the Sandinista government of Daniel Ortega. Now Washington is more preoccupied with Iraq and Iran, but the Bush administration has begun to wake up to increasing anti-Americanism in their own back yard.
“What worries me as a decent human being is how a government like the US government can pass the boundaries of international law and interfere both physically and militarily in the development of other countries.”
The chess game has become chaotic. I am sure Humala moved one of my knights by mistake, and I moved one of his pawns.
So, why do you keep going on about the evils of globalisation, I say, when Peru has to trade with the outside world to raise everyone’s living standards? Humala answers in a way which explains why the Lima Stock Exchange plummeted since he emerged as the presidential front-runner.
“I think that ideological confrontations of left and right in Peru are over,” he says. The Maoist insurgency of Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) faded away years ago. As a military commander Humala helped defeat them, though some accuse him of direct involvement in human rights abuses.
“That all came to an end when the Cold War finished but the (American) empire that won that war has built up a process of capitalist globalisation. We need to defend our country from being totally globalised. They’re breaking into our sovereignty, weakening our national industries, and most importantly the application of the neo-liberal model hasn’t benefited normal Peruvian families.”
Humala is through to the second round of the presidential elections. Win or lose he represents two great themes in Latin America in 2006 – profound discontent that a rising tide of economic prosperity is not helping the poor, and the perpetual South American hope that a strong man might be able to solve their problems.
Will he win? Well, when our chess game was over he promised me a rematch, inside the presidential palace in Lima.
Gavin Esler is a presenter on Newsnight

12 replies on “The Independent (UK) on Ollanta Humala”

Do we know who pays for Humala’s campaign? We assume that Lourdes is paid by the right/conservative people who have the money in Peru. We know that Alan is paid by the people who have the money in Peru (after his 80’s government), and the contributions of his party. Certainly I don’t believe that what the peasants can give to support Humala’s campaign would be enough.
Somebody can enlighten me?

CHAVEZ Y SU PSEUDO BOLIVARISMO!

Hey javier why don’t you and Rospigliosi do an article on it. I believe it would be a wonderful expression of the creative imagination mixed with several handfulls of vindictive spirits. I’m sure you can spin Lourdes Flores Nano’s rejection of any governmental coalition, should she win, to include the PNP/UPP which represents about 31% of the electorate.
Sure I have an idea Lourdes won’t work with the UPP congress b/c she wants to be free of authoritariansm and corruption. It would work save for the fact that authoritarianism is well represented via the Alianza Por el Futuro, which Flores admires so, while the corruption is brought to the fore by Alan Garcia and his APRA buffalo’s, not to mention Lourdes own constituency. And for a little spice lets add some under the table dealing, nothing like a lack of transparency to polish of that good old Mario Vargas Llosa style “democratic” rhetoric.
Oh not to mention that a government by a cynically and consistently smiling, well propped candidate who officially stated, she would turn her back on the roughly 43 seats in office that the UPP electorate repesents, is the shinig example of right wing politics in Peru. Ignore them they’ll eventually assimilate or starve to death.
I wonder what field day would the media have if Humala said he wouldn’t even listen to or work with a particular area of the electorate made manifest in congressional representives, if Humala were asked that question.
Hey did Rospigliosi find that evil Humala Keiko connection yet? I heard its out there. Perhaps Humala, is conspiring to corrupt APRA and UN by rejecting outright political alianzes that way representatives of either UN or APRA are stuck with an authoritarian clique of teen spirit dancers. Yeah! Javier thats the ticket. Humala is conspiring to corrupt UN and APRA by send APF over to those groups. Since we all no UN and APRA wouldn’t collude with a party who seeks to cut a deal for the release Alberto Fujimori out of their own volition.
Lets blame Humala. Pin the tail on the donkey?
Where is Rospigliosi when you need him!

You put the accent on the basic flaw of a certain functionnig of democracy!
Jes, if one let functions that system, the people (demos) never will be able to be represented! for it will not have enough money to finance a party of its own! Do it is democratic? Do it is just?
If humala has extra financing it is primarily to be seen as a happy exceptionnal luck, that brings for this time a bit of justice in a system biased for the rich!

He probably gets some money from Chavez. But it’s probably less than Flores gets from American business interests.
If you know how to make a contribution to Humala or his website, please let me know. I want to contribute to his campaign.

Victor,
you stealing my writing style?
Just putting the fat, over-dressed, over-educated, underhanded, backroom dealmaker Flores next to the fit, servant of the people Humala says it all. Who is going to represent the interests of the 82% best?

I can’t write an article about financing because I have no idea, and it bothers me that some of the people here supports Humala being ignorant of where he comes from and focusing only in Humala’s promises.
He may change. Alan did, Fujimori did, Toledo just couldn’t deliver. Why such a strong faith?
Those who believe only in electoral promises fail to analyze the recent history of Peruvian presidents.
I think it is inconsistent that someone who is being in trained in the USA military system suddenly becomes an advocate against TLC. It does not fit the stereotype. Let’s give him a chance? What else at this point?

Lourdes is the only intelligent and sane vote possible here. More, she’s the best opportunity for a bright future. Since Peru is a country filled with un-educated, hopeless and scared people (I am Peruvian myself), who can be surprised by Humala’s popularity, not to mention Alan García’s sudden popular rise ?
– Let me remind readers who Alan García is (and was) : by far the worst President of Peruvian history EVER. Peruvians are so blinded by their daily problems that they forgot the legacy of corruption, foreign debt, inflation, terrorism and insecurity this president has left, before he fled the country to France to live a decade in exile. (Fujimori by comparaison was nothing – and at least he has brought some concrete positive results : end of terrorism, end of inflation, economic boom). Voting for Gacría is like voting for a known criminal who wants to clean his own dirty name. He doesn’t deserve this opportunity after what the country suffered under him. García’s only skill : he is a fantastic speaker (encantador de serpientes) and he will make you believe whatever you want to hear.
Humala, on the other hand, is a political amateur. He has no plan, no concrete vision. He rides the current Latin American wave of populism because it’s a wave that might get him elected. Also, Latin American history has shown us repeatedly (including Peru) that military backgrounds, dictatorships and politics turn out disastrous – Humala has a known and strong military background. And his “Peruvian idol” is Velasco. Do I need to continue ?
So why Lourdes ? – For one, she’s a woman. Which is much much better for Peru than any male politician. Second, she is a realistic visionary and embraces future economic growth because she embraces globalization. Globalization, dear readers, is a machinery that cannot be stopped. There is no way back – so you either embrace it, or keep fighting for something you cannot stop anymore (read the book “The World is Flat” by Thomas Friedmann).

Jaoquin,
Again your discourse about the peruvian electorate that did not vote for the candidate that coldly and cynically but with a smile said she would not work witht the congressional candidates of a party that represents about 31 percent of the electorate, is typical. Yes their dumb illiterae, poor, ignorant, scared etc. Lets add to that list, while were at it, they have bad breath, few teeth, smell bad, just recently climbed off the trees, are incapable of thought, even their speech is weird. People like you who would back a candidate, who stated she would not work with representatives a large portion of the electorate, would rather see all those people who don’t think like you dissapear whether it is obtained by turning your back on them and pretending they don’t exist like MVL does, or not working with them in a process to promote fundamentally necessary change. There are some bloggers out there who have said and I quote “the problem with stupid people is not that they are stupid it is that they continue to reproduce” > Which can be found at: http://el-acertijo-cretino.blogspot.com/2006/01/llegaron-los-reyes-nos-traen-humalitas.html
In a previous blog here I recall saying that even the anti globalization activist are not opposed to globalization. THis is obvious since how can activist from different country’s ethnicities, cultures all meet in either Brazil or Venezuela if it weren’t for globalization. The critique is not from point of view against capitalsm, since the cold war is over and the free market has proven its efficiency over state bureucrats. My concern is that globalization through free trade agreements are marketed as a panacea. They are not and I have in teh past included links to articles of the intensified migration from mexico and the inability of the NAFTA pact to generate enough work to make up the difference from the destruction of smaller scale agriculural sectors. What I continue to assert is that if export led growth is one engine of an economy it is insufficient and requires other engines to be developed which can include the informal and small scale agricproducers. Lastly, Fujimori, Garcia, Humala, and even Arguedas have all scene the potential of marketing the biodiversity of the andean fauna in peru. THis may be realized by either Garcia or HUmala but it requires that either of the candidates not lock themselves into asymetric relations that compromise manueverablity with markets in Europe and Asia.
Max I am not against your position. All that asked was that you show more tack and diplomacy. Its obvious that reactionaries like javier, and the spat of cuban americans that sign in pretending to be peruvians are out to heighten peoples reaction. You shouldn’t be so easily goaded. Did you like my change in writting style? I figured you would. Conpiracy theory and Rospigliosi go hand and hand, except he is a right wing guy doing it. I guesse that is why it is treated as being more credible. Well thats what they want people to believe.
Ask me anytime anybody of what I perceive are venezuela’s mistakes under chavez, and also for an assessment of Chavez and Uribe. Dominant personalities come from both sides of the political spectrum.

Victor,
I entirely agree with your second paragraph. I can’t understand why you believe that Humala will be any better or will accomplish anything. Contrary to what you think, going to the military in Peru is not about ‘serving the country’, it is a choice that gives you bribing power. There is virtually no middle class in Peru, and going to the military is one way of going up and have a salary in a country with high unemployment rate.
I am still looking for information of all he’s done while training in the US (it is in his CV public). I don’t like what I have found so far, though I agree it sounds like a conspiracy theory.
I won’t comment in your qualification’ reactionary’. You should be smart enough not to use old fashion stereotyping

Peru is a country that works best under economic colonialism….face it people !!!!
The mind set of the leaders and the population is one of semi-slavery and exploitation as a result of decades of domination from the US and its corporations with prior training from the spanish…of course.
In any other form of environment , more democratic or socialsitic they are like fish out of water….
They can’t digest Humala’s notion that the resources should be used on the benefit of the people…..say what????….what a dictator!!! …a troublemaker !!!…a communist!!!!…..We have them in our back-pocket….we own their resources and they like it that way.
Besides radio and TV work to manipulate and coerce the capitalistic way….tehy have no way to escape

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