By Marcos Maranges on November 11, 2021
Photo: Agencia Andina
Yesterday Peru’s President Pedro Castillo addressed the nation to talk about his government’s achievements during the first one hundred days of his presidency. It was a good speech, full of new and ongoing actions to improve the living conditions of a large part of the Peruvian people; but the president forgot to mention his current and upcoming challenges, which can bring his project to ashes.
Castillo talked about the hypocritical attitude of the opposition, which is spreading lies that his government has not made any progress, while its dozens of previous presidents have done nothing for the nation in the last 200 years. However, we must say that the opposition, in fact, has done huge things for the country.
For example the past governments took almost one-third of the Peruvian population into conditions of abject poverty, they turned their backs to the indigenous people that account for over one-fourth of the population, not to mention the millions and millions of dollars looted by corrupt practices, which ended in 4 presidents being accused by the General Attorney’s Office, in the last 30 years alone. Lately, they came with more neglect by leaving the COVID-19 pandemic to run freely over the country’s economy and health system, causing over 200,000 deaths and leaving 3 million people without work. Meanwhile, their ministers and public officials, including the president, were getting vaccinated secretly. So, yes, right-wing governments have done a lot of things for the country, but sadly, in the opposite direction. With that in mind we should understand that when they accuse Castillo of doing nothing it is a good sign, because we already know what they mean by “doing things for the country.”
Taking this into account, Castillo has done little except to clean up their mess. One of his most impacting actions is the investment of over $450 million in vaccines, which skyrocketed the country’s vaccinated population from 15% to almost 60% within 100 days. It allowed stopping the second wave of the pandemic. Not satisfied with this, Castillo went further by allocating $750 million to fight a possible third wave and he pushed ahead with the vaccination campaign for people under 18 years old.
Economic recovery is another pillar of this government and Castillo’s team may achieve it somehow since the most conservative forecasts say the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will grow by 10.5%, while many experts agree on near-12% growth. The president talked about his economic strategy, whose main bases are tax reform and agriculture development. The first one is a way to increase the public budget, while the second one will benefit a depressed sector, which employs an important part of those who live under poverty conditions. A “land reform”, he called it after making sure to calm everybody’s minds by adding that his government will not take a single piece of land from anybody. Both of these committments truly honor the president’s electoral promises and prove that Castillo governs thanks to the people and for the people.
Starting in December, the president announced a 7.5% increase in the minimum wage, meaning at least $250 per month. At the same time, he assured a government allowance that will reach 13 out of the almost 33 million people of the country to help them face the higher cost of living in the country due to inflation and the pandemic.
Castillo went on about many other public investments including transport, water, and health. The education sphere, which he knows perfectly since he is a teacher, will also be better funded. For the first time in the country’s history, public schools will count on books to teach in 41 indigenous tongues, which is a great leap for the indigenous population and Peru’s culture. Moreover, school teachers will be permanently hired, putting an end to the unfair practice of temporal labor contracts, which used to cast uncertainties over the guild.
Many of these planned measures require Congress approval, and this is the sticking point where everything is at risk since the Legislative is controlled by the opposition, which certainly does not want any of those things to happen. This is the biggest challenge Castillo has, one he did not address directly. The President was emphatic on urging Congress to debate as soon as possible the necessary laws, but he refused to be critical and say that all those positive steps have been jeopardized by the opposition in the Congress.
Castillo also mentioned negotiating with the private sector over the price of gas, since he intends to expand the gas service in the country through public investment. This dialogue came after the government urged Congress to pass a law to nationalize the gas. Nationalizations are commonly recognized as a state’s constitutional prerogative all over the world, but not in Peru, where a 1993 neoliberal Constitution is in force. This is precisely the other big challenge missing in Castillo’s speech.
Peru’s president has an enormous task ahead since he intends to change the country’s history. He said he obeys nobody else but the people, but unfortunately, this is not the whole truth. He has been forced to form two cabinets in 100 days due to political pressure and recently made an unfortunate critical statement against the result of the presidential elections in Nicaragua which gives us some clues about other forces influencing Castillo’s policy through political blackmail and pressure.
The President is having to deal with a furious right wing sector, which is not happy with a teacher sitting in the presidential chair. However, he is still showing muscles and announced he will sit down with private companies to renegotiate their over 20 years of lasting debts with the government, accounting for $7.5 billion. Castillo also said he will sell the Presidential plane and use that money for social expenditures showing that who serves the people should live like it; therefore, Peruvian officials are no longer allowed to travel anywhere in first-class.
So to answer the title of this article the answer is probably no. The facts show that Peru’s neoliberal system remains intact, and the President may fail to change the cornerstone of that system that resides in the Constitution. However, he is making great progress by giving the people what belongs to them, and he promised to keep doing it as long as he rules from Pizarro House. Looking at it that way we can say Castillo may have lost some battles, but at 100 days he is fighting very well to win the war.
Source: Resumen Latinoamericano – English