By Milagros Leiva Gálvez, El ComercioAdapted from Spanish by Diana Schwalb
Mercedes Aráoz says she will celebrate her 50th birthday at the government palace and that she will be Peru’s first female president, not Keiko Fujimori. Divorced, mother of one and about to get married, Alan Garcia’s favorite economist is determined to win.
El Comercio ran a story on June 6 that said you and Velásquez Quesquén celebrated your presidential bid in Olmos. Why did it take you so long to announce it?
No, we celebrated a major project in Olmos.
How did you decide to do it?
It was a long process. Javier Velásquez, Jorge del Castillo, Mauricio Mulder and the president himself were the ones who talked it out with me all this time.But it was García who finally convinced you…Nothing can happen in the APRA party if it hasn’t been talked over with president García. Besides, I value his opinion. He talked me into it. He said we had good chances of winning and that we could polish and improve some growth policies during a second stage.
Did you hesitate a lot?
Of course I did! Running for president involves a huge personal sacrifice. It is not nice to have people making up stories about you or falsely accusing you of something.
In the first proposal, Velásquez was the candidate and you were the vice-president. What happened?
There was no such proposal, but I did say that if he were to be a candidate, I would gladly support him in his government plan.
They say everything changed with five surveys…
There were some opinion surveys that were fundamental.
They’re using you…
No.
Toledo has said that you are the locomotive that pulls the whole “crew”…
Neither wagon nor locomotive. There is a clear conviction that we will win the presidency to continue our work. The other candidates are taken aback because they know I’m a person that can make Peru continue in the right path. I know that I can better distribute income and I have a high level technical team. I imagine that that has caused some unease among them.
Besides Alan and the rest of the team’s words, why do you want to be president?
I have power to bring people together and technical ability that allow me to work for measurable achievements. That is my job, I know I can do it, I know that we can dream of that and finally, that was Haya de la Torre’s dream: social justice generating wealth and distributing it. I was not born to be served, I was born to serve.
How much do you know about Haya de la Torre and the Apra?
I will not lie and say I was born Aprista. What I like about Haya de la Torre is that he fought for the working class and the young people and I believe in that. We have reduced poverty from 38 percent to 24 percent in these four years. Toledo did not do that; the difference is that he believes in "el chorreo" and I believe in inclusion.
Toledo didn’t do anything?
Look at the numbers. Obviously I cannot deny that he did implement important reforms.
To begin with, he left the free trade agreement ready to go.
I participated in that process and it was a very well done job, but Toledo did not emphasize the social policy. He created Juntos, but it had 40 thousand people and now it has over 400 thousand. He is a good candidate and I will enjoy debating with him.
Toledo says that his hands are not stained with blood. He has reminded us of Bagua.
If Toledo brings up Bagua, I will bring up Ilave, the so-called “Arequipazo.”
Yehude Simon thinks that you are only interested in your own success…
I am very sorry to say this but it is Yehude who cannot work as part of a team. If he thought I was so bad, he should have taken me out when he was my boss. Why didn’t he? He speaks up now because he is also a candidate and I am his rival. He represents the leftist groups that want to blame us who believe in social policy of the market; he wants me as a scapegoat. And let’s make this clear. He was the president of the Council of Ministers; he was the one who talked to the natives, not me.
Do you agree Alan Garcia’s dog in the manger (perro del hortelano) philosophy?
Some groups have acted like the dog in the manger and will not let us move forward, mostly in issues regarding the forest, since there are some people who benefit more from having a disorganized system for forest concessions. It is not about giving the jungle to entrepreneurs, it is about organizing what we have. I want the jungle to be adequately exploited; responsible concessionaries should manage the forest’s sustainability.
How could Alan’s favorite minister not manage to help him find a better way to solve the situation?
Thirty-four deaths could have been avoided…Simon was the one dialoguing and arranging things with the natives. I found this whole operation painful; I did not know the details. If you are president, you will experience such strikes and you will need to make decisions…I will avoid arriving at those situations. In the past couple of months there has been better management of social conflicts and they can now be prevented before it’s too late.
Will Alan let you govern?
He wants to prepare the land for his return in 2016…If that is the case, he will want a country with more achievements, to keep adding more successes to our list. Alan wants for us to be able to say that Peru is a developed country in 2021. If I win the elections, I will govern and he will be a political counsellor. He has a lot of skills. So when you get up you'll be calling García…No, that is not how things are done. I will have my own autonomy, but it will be an honor to have him on my side for difficult issues.
But how will you manage to rule without the Apristas? This has just begun…
Don’t exaggerate. How the Apra party runs itself is its own problem; I will have a country to run. I want to be president of Peru, not the Apra.
Will Castañeda have trouble sleeping because of you?
He is a good candidate and I do not want to diminish anyone. Everyone diserves respect. Keiko was the only woman and now you are ruining her party…I love that she has done a mea culpa in the anti-corruption forum. She has said she is in debt with the country. I think it’s a good thing that she wants to redeem herself.
What do you fall in the political spectrum?
I’m a social centrist. I do not think the state should disappear. The market does not work with miracles, but with clear rules and with a degree of state intervention that allows for the needs of the poor to be taken care of.
Do you fear Humala?I do not share his ideas but I respect him. There is no small rival.
If Keiko and you go to the second round, what will happen?
I would tell people that I guarantee a democratic country that will respect human and social rights. I would say I am a candidate with management abilities.
Where do you put PPK?
I want PPK on my team. That would be extraordinary; I admire and respect him. Lourdes Flores also has great attributes, but she has made her personal decisions and we have to respect her.
Would you call Lourdes to join your cabinet?
Why not? She can work very well.
What about Del Castillo?
Why not? I hope his judicial issues get sorted out soon.
Doesn’t it worry you that he might be involved in the “petroaudios”?
It is a scandal, it’s true. I fight corruption and everything should be solved in a judicial level. The “petroaudios” are a big confusion and I would not allow for Jorge to be in my cabinet if it turns out he is involved.
But how can you guarantee that you will investigate García’s government if you were part of it?
I have no problems with auditing; I myself have fired people who worked under me for misbehaving. If there is corruption, I will denounce it. I do not cover up for corrupt people. If friends from the Apra go down with this investigation, then I’m sorry.
What is the size of your assets?I have an apartment in Magdalena that I’m about to sell and I just bought an apartment in Miraflores that cost me around US $300 thousand that I will pay in a period of 25 years. I also have a car that I’m still paying for. My income comes from my job as Alan García’s adviser, university professor and from lecturing. All of my accounts are here in Peru.
So you assure us that we will not find anything wrong?
Nothing. I have no Cataños nor strange audios; nothing hidden. I’m like every Peruvian woman. I have worked hard, I have a daughter who I adore, I’m divorced, I’m also a bride to be; I have had my ups and downs just like everybody else.
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