Uruguay's President Jose Mujica's simplicity draws attention around the Globe.
| Autor | Gaudin, Andres |
In mid-December 2012, the small newspaper Jornada in the northern Uruguayan city of Rivera published a surprising story pointing out that, throughout 2012, President Jose "Pepe" Mujica had been interviewed by major international print media and television channels more than any of his counterparts on six continents. It is true. Mujica was not consulted to find out his opinions on major world events. Uruguay is not a player on that stage. For such consultation, the media go to major political actors, such as US President Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
The media are attracted to Mujica for a very particular reason. They all use the exact same words to describe him as "the poorest president in the world." But that is not the only reason that media from The New York Times to The Hindu--the Chennai, India, newspaper with an average daily circulation of 1.8 million copies--come to Montevideo to write stories.
What the media find attractive about this 78-year-old man who lived for 14 years in the basement of a jail to which he had been confined by the 1973-1985 civilian-military dictatorship, is his austere lifestyle. Mujica has no bodyguards, drives himself in his 1971 car, gives 90% of his salary to build low-cost housing, dresses with unusual simplicity, likes to sit and eat with his aides (or alone) in any ordinary bar near the government house, still lives in his modest house in a working-class neighborhood on the outskirts of the Uruguayan capital, and cooks his own meals.
Uruguayans call him "El Pepe," and, whether or not they agree with his ideas and way of governing, they respect him. They are proud to know that, because of his unique lifestyle and his austerity, the smallest Spanish-speaking country in the region-only 176,000 sq km with a population of less than 3.3 million--is known throughout the world for more than the quality of its meat and caliber of its soccer players.
President says he lives simply, not in poverty
It does not bother President Mujica to be called poor, but he says that it is not a good description, and, to explain, he lays out his philosophy of life.
"They say that I am the poorest president in the world, and I am not poor. Let me tell you that I am not poor, the poor are those who have a lot of needs. I discovered the key to this in the dictatorship's jail cells, when I could not read. Let me tell you that you learn more from pain than from bounty," he said...
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