[ENTREVISTA] Jorge Lazarte: "The extreme left is doomed to failure"

From the presidency of the Integrity Movement, Jorge Lazarte maintains that the way out of the political crisis is the separation of Pedro Castillo D.e the Presidency, but defends the continuity of the Congress until July 2026 although that, he recognizes, is an unpopular position.

How do you see the political context and this confrontation between the extreme right and the radical left?

This confrontation is not exclusive to Peru. The left and the right go back to the times of the French Revolution and have existed since then in all the countries of the world in greater or lesser intensity. In Peru they have existed, exist and will continue to exist. Discussion is always welcome. However, we cannot allow either of the two political positions to deviate from integrity and we must demand that, whatever the position of the people who are called to govern us, they always act with integrity.

What is your opinion about this radicalism on the left?

It is a minority political position in Peru. They have been very lucky to get to where they are, lucky that they are not knowing how to take advantage of it. Peru does not feel identified or represented by this political position that is doomed to failure and that has shown, in most countries in the world where it has been implemented, that the only thing it generates is poverty, unemployment and enormous social inequalities.

And the extreme right can also lead us to failure like the radical left?

Neither extreme is good. Nor am I in favor of qualifying postures. People’s behavior has to be evaluated in concrete situations; qualifiers such as extreme right, right, left or extreme left or center generate a lot of bias, disunity, confrontation, which are the cause of the political and social crisis.

Do you not agree, then, with those who think that what the country needs is a center option in which both tendencies can converge?

Peru needs people with integrity and trained people; the political option at this juncture seems to me to be subject to various nuances. I particularly like a government that facilitates the work of companies so that they can be the engine of the country’s development. From there, I leave it to the political analysts to classify that as right, extreme left or middle.

Jorge Lazarte

One of the interests of the Integrity Movement has been the lack of transparency in the government’s actions. How much damage has that done to the country?

Huge damage. The lack of transparency is not only the cause of this political crisis and the ungovernability that President Castillo has with Congress and his lack of empathy with the people; It is the cause of the distrust of the main investors, who are the ones that generate work and capital. Actions as simple as not being honest or breaking promises or being untrue can cause a lot of damage and this is what this government has been doing since it began.

Do you think there is still time for the government to reverse this situation?

I don’t think this government has a solution. Peru is like a car that can run at 200 km per hour and we have seated someone who barely knows how to drive a tricycle as the pilot; We cannot put a person who has no experience driving that type of vehicle as the driver of a race car. The only way to solve the problem is to change drivers. Any learning process is going to cost the country a lot.

In this context, do you share the idea of ’let them all go’?

No, I do not share that position and I am aware that my position may be extremely unpopular, but it seems to me that asking for everyone to leave is not the right thing to do. Congress has to be the main ally of citizens in this fight against authoritarianism, Congress today is the main and most important political opponent of Castillo. Thanks to him we are not going to have a Constituent Assembly, ministers who were unpresentable have left. Asking congressmen to leave is an emotional reaction, one of boredom with politics, but battles are won with strategies, not emotions.

Aren’t you overestimating Congress?

The disapproval of this Congress is not something new, historically for more than 20 years the levels of disapproval have been around 70% and 80%. Why would this Congress leave if the moral incapacity to govern is one person? What guarantees us that the new congressional elections are better than these? I believe that Congress should finish his term.

What should be the role of Dina Boluarte in this crisis?

She should do what she has said she is going to do, that if the president is vacated, she will go with him. The role that Dina Boluarte is playing leaves much to be desired, I have seen that she sings in public, I would recommend that she dedicate herself to singing, she sings much better than she governs.

What is your balance of the management of María del Carmen Alva? What profile should her successor have?

Clearly Maricarmen Alva, no matter how good intentions she may have had, has failed to empathize with the population. The Board of Directors needs people who have more empathy and help improve the image of Congress (…) also considering that, in the event of any vacancy request and an eventual resignation of Boluarte, they could leave that presidency of Congress with the presidency of the Republic of interim manner; that’s what to think about.

KEEP IN MIND

Jorge Lazarte is a lawyer and president of Integrity, a citizen movement that was born in July 2021 “as a reaction to the political and social crisis resulting from the last general elections.”

“Integrity has no interest in becoming a political party. The purpose of politics is to come to power and that is not our objective, ”she specifies.