President Fernando Lugo has changed the chiefs of the Paraguayan armed forces for the third time. Why he did it is still unclear, but the move the came amidst a whirlwind of rumors of a possible military coup.
Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo - a former Roman Catholic bishop who came to power after becoming the only alternative to the Colorado party that ruled this country for 61 years - has changed the chiefs of the armed forces for a third time.
The reasons behind why he fired them are still unclear, but the capital, Asuncion, had been taken over by a whirlwind of rumors about the possibility of a military coup.
Some say that Lugo found out that some high ranking officers met with the opposition that is trying to remove Lugo from office. I met Lugo in Asuncion on Friday and this is what we spoke about:
1. There were rumors here in Paraguay that there was a possibility of a coup after you replaced the military chiefs. What really happened?
Here in Paraguay the military institution is one of the few that has adapted to the democratic process. The military continues to be within the legal framework that are important to consolidate the democratic process.
I said a week ago that the possibility of a coup initiated by the military is unthinkable, but I have said that there are a few people that continue to have a relationship with politicians nostalgic of the past that could venture into something like that, even if I think it impossible.
More than that, the change in the military responds to the idea that we can also offer opportunities to exceptional young officers that deserve it. We don’t want to interfere in their chances to participate in the changes in the country. Those are the essential motivations behind the changes that took place in the military structure here in Paraguay.
2. Members of the opposition, in fact, from the Colorado Party, say they will try to impeach you. What do you have to say to them?
For the Colorado Party, or to the members of the Party, it is difficult to be in the plains. They don’t know how to do opposition. They got used to being in power for over 60 years. So, they do not accept that on April 20 last year, the majority of the Paraguayan citizenship voted for change, voted against that government's archaic structure, away from that reality.
Those who continue to be nostalgic of the past are the ones who are trying to revert the most valuable thing that democracy has, which is popular will. The popular will doesn’t change with more or less votes. It is not an impeachment of Fernando Lugo they are looking for, but an impeachment of the political process that started last April.
It’s going to be very difficult for them to change that, though, because this process is irreversible.
3. The opposition is saying that you are trying to emulate President Hugo Chavez, and in fact, that Chavez is financing a part of the armed forces.
There are lots of myths since the expression of "the axis of evil" was created - some of the press refer to Chavez as something evil.
Nevertheless, I am very respectful of the political processes in each country. But we have said the Paraguayan process will be genuinely Paraguayan, done by the Paraguayans, without influences from any other country.
4.There are talks about the Paraguayan People’s Army - the group that has kidnapped important businessmen and that looks like a revival of the guerrillas that operated in Latin America in the 1970s. How serious are they?
This is a group that was not born during my presidency. It was born in the previous one, which did nothing to try to stop them.
Because of the kidnappings they have carried out, they are getting stronger. But they have their weaknesses, and this government will show that this group is outside the law, and they will have to go to where they deserve, which is jail.
Justice in Paraguay will have to investigate and punish those who are carrying out these acts.
5. People in the opposition are using the fact that you have supposedly fathered children while you were a Bishop. Do you think this is something of concern to the Paraguayan people?
I think that lots of things are used politically in Paraguay, even if there is no relationship between them. There is an act of responsibility and ethics among people, there is not only a religious ethics but also the ethics that the citizens should have. The mission, the responsibility of a President is to fulfill his duties and I think that I do that. There is no personal or private activity that can affect the job we are carrying out here in the Presidency of Paraguay.
6.What do you think are your debts - what still needs to happen in order to reduce the enormous difference between the rich and the poor?
We don't talk about making things equal, we never even spoke about socialism - the opposition puts in our mouths and minds what they believe.
We recognize that there is a scandalous difference between the haves and the have nots, who only now have a voice to represent them.
Simply put, we want to make the difference smaller, to give a chance to the poorest to be a part of the political process. We want the difference that exists not to be scandalous, so that we can live peacefully and reconciliated in this country.
7. If you walk around poor neighborhoods in Asuncion, many people say they are dissapointed at you, that they expected changes to come faster. We know that its difficult for you because you have a minority in Congress. What plans do you have?
I think the citizens understand that change is not made with only the power of the Executive office. Our Constitution guarantees that. We have met here with the members of the three branches of government, because we need to work together.
The Government is not only the Executive, it also is the judicial, which has enormous debts with the people. The government also has debts but many of them are inherited from previous governments.
We will asume our own - we need to carry out a serious agrarian reform and to build a judiciary that is more independent, more autonomous and that has no political influence.
We said that agrarian reform won't happen overnight. We have a schedulde, and if we do things right, we can do it with the help of all members of society. We don’t want a reform that will polarize Paraguay, but one that will bring well being to all the people.
