Dawn of a New Era

There's a new hope in the air after last weekend's elections. Many could hardly believe that the reign of the Colorado Party was finally over. The atmosphere at work on Monday was reminiscent of the 1997 defeat of the Conservative Party by Labour in the general elections. Everyone was smiling and no-one talked about anything else. Newspapers are calling the 20th April 2008 the second most important date in recent history (after the 3rd of February 1989, when the dictator Stroessner died). It is the first time ever that power has passed from one party to another without bloodshed. According to one commentator, Lugo's win has brought back the desire to live in this country where so many have known nothing but disappointment, broken promises and corruption for so long. Many Paraguayans who have gone abroad in search of work are now considering returning because of this change. No-one knows just what Lugo will do once he takes control of the country, but people obviously have faith in him; he inspires confidence in a way the Colorados had not done for a long time.



On Friday, the vice-president elect, Federico Franco (on left in photo with Fernando Lugo), told the newspapers that he had been offered US$1,000,000 by an organisation if he would sign a document for them. He refused to say who it was or what it was for. He made it quite clear in his statement to the press that he never accepted any kind of bribe from anyone in his previous roles of mayor and governor and would continue to reject any offers made to him in the future. This is truly hope-inspiring news! Corruption is one of the three biggest problems in the country, according to Paraguayans (the other two being poverty and lack of jobs) and if the new administration has started out being this transparent, it bodes well for the future. I'm feeling quite excited for Paraguay!

corruption deep and widespread

One evening as I was watching the news, three stories caught my attention:

The first was about a project the government set up to provide a glass of milk a day for the poorest children in Paraguay. It was discovered that some of the milk the children were being given was practically devoid of any nutrients, having been made up from milk derivatives instead of being pure milk.

The second story was about an investigation into academic certificates that have been given out to people who have not gained the qualification stated on their certificate. The people found with false certificates include government ministers and doctors.

The third story related the discovery of many tonnes of cotton seeds stored away. The government subsidised the seeds last year to help farmers earn a living. The companies that should have distributed them took the cash from the government but the seeds never reached the farmers.

These kinds of stories are all too common here. Corruption is absolutely endemic. A taxi driver the other day was explaining how, when he goes to the car mechanic, he buys the part he needs himself, takes it to the workshop and then watches as the mechanic replaces it. He uses up half a day in order to be sure that he’s not being swindled. He said everyone knows that otherwise, the mechanic would either tell him he’d fixed it when he hadn’t or he’d replace the part with one from an old car, which would last only a very short time. “That’s what Paraguayans do,” he said.

In a report published last week by Transparency International, Paraguay came joint bottom in a table of the countries with the most corrupt judicial systems.