How Uruguay's poorest president lifted the country from its knees

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

This is how real getting up from your knees looks like, not propaganda.

In recent history, the leaders of countries have repeatedly met who achieved outstanding economic success, being very modest people. You can once again recall I. V. Stalin and his property left after the death of the secretary general. Even a homeless person would not have coveted, but it was under Stalin that the USSR became an economic and military superpower.

And you can remember the creator of a prosperous Singapore - Lee Kuan Yew, who did not have a personal residence, personal car and servants. Moreover, the Bureau for Combating Corruption, created by him, has repeatedly checked the activities of both Lee Kuan Yew and his family members. Sounds fantastic, but it really was.

No less outstanding success was demonstrated by the 40th President of Uruguay, Jose Mujica, who is popularly called "Pepe". Unfortunately for Uruguay, he held the highest government post from 2010 to 2015, that is, for a very short time. However, this period was quite enough for him to transform the backward Uruguay into a dynamically developing country. GDP per capita ranked third in South America and 45th in the world.

For comparison: Russia occupies only 62nd place, while Uruguay does not have even a percentage of the wealth that Russia has. The most difficult thing that is produced in Uruguay is footwear. For export, Uruguay sends meat, fish and agricultural products, while oil, equipment and even clothing have to be imported.

That is, by all indicators, Uruguay is a very mediocre country, even by South American standards, which does not have a developed industry and is deprived of natural resources. However, since January 1, 2019, the minimum wage in this country has grown to $ 461 or 30,426 rubles. And the average salary reached 613 dollars or 40,500 rubles.

And perhaps all this became thanks to the President of Uruguay, Jose Mujica, who himself did not steal, and did not give to others. During his presidency, the bureaucratic thief was pinched the tail, and all the other criminals had hard times, thanks to which Uruguay is one of the safest Latin American countries. The level of security is most eloquently indicated by the president's "motorcade", which consists of two cheap Volkswagens, and the security staff consists of two bodyguards. And here's the strange thing - when the presidential "motorcade" passes in Montevideo, for some reason, the streets are not blocked, creating many kilometers of traffic jams.

The president himself drives an ancient 1987 Volkswagen Beetle, which he bought for $ 1945. In 2013, one of the Arab sheikhs offered him to sell this car for a million dollars. However, Mujica refused, explaining the refusal by his affection for his beloved car.

By the way, the country does not pay transport tax for used cars and motorcycles. Mujica did not have a presidential residence and lives with his wife on a farm without even running water. At the same time, the number of the poor in the country has decreased in five years from 39% to 11% of the population, but Pepe still considers these figures to be a shame for Uruguay and gives 90% of their salaries to charity. According to him, he may well live on $ 1,250, or 10% of the president's salary. Many citizens of Uruguay live on less money, and the president has no moral right to show off while others are in poverty. For five years, Mujica donated $ 550,000 to charity, and when he left the presidency, he gave up his pension. His wife also became famous for charity.

The achievements of the Uruguayan president can also include an increase in foreign investment by 400%, an increase in the general literacy of the population to 97% and … the legalization of marijuana. Perhaps the latter is shocking to someone, but thanks to this step, Mujica made Uruguay uninteresting for drug cartels. What is the point of supplying marijuana to a country if it is legally allowed to grow? But don't resell.

All this shows that with a reasonable, competent management and a leader who works in the interests of the people, even the most underdeveloped and resource-poor country can achieve good performance in a very short time. It is not for nothing that it is said that the role of personality in history has not been canceled. And happiness for that country when people like Lee Kuan Yew or Jose Mujica are at the head of it.

It doesn't matter that the first is a capitalist to the core, and the second is a Marxist. If people have a conscience, a sense of duty and responsibility for their country, then such a country and people can only be envied.