Word for Word: Run again? Who, me?

By CHRIS SHERMAN

© St. Petersburg Times,
published September 2, 2001

From www.fujimorialberto.com, the Web site of former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori.

Fujimori's autocratic 10-year rule ended in November when he fled the country amid corruption scandals involving his former intelligence chief, Vladimiro Montesinos. Montesinos is in prison on charges that he dealt drugs and guns and directed a paramilitary death squad.

Japan has granted citizenship to Fujimori, whose parents were Japanese. In August, a Peruvian judge declared him a fugitive from justice and issued an international order for his arrest to face charges of abandonment of office and dereliction of duty.

-- CHRIS SHERMAN, Times staff writer

Some months ago, the Internet and I became great partners. I would see myself spending many hours of the day surfing web sites from Peru, coming across cliche headlines, which are very fashionable in the political section. The most remarkable ones are headlines such as "Extradition to Fujimori," "The Chinese must fall," "Japan has betrayed us," and the like.

Then, I would go to the local news and see, for instance, if the government is taking quick and effective actions against the terrible earthquake that happened in the southern part of the country and, surprisingly enough, the headlines do not say much about that. Perhaps, this is because the affected people have already been assisted with something more than bed sheets and something to eat. Probably, everyone was assisted with a reconstruction plan to rebuild the affected cities. I am not positive about that, by the way, but I do hope so. I really do.

Sometimes, I go into the forum section and read comments written not by politicians, but normal people instead, who, I suppose, are neither political analysts nor reporters who believe they know and own the truth. In those lines, I can perceive that there is another feeling, a very different one. A feeling that affirms Fujimori is not what some people claim! . . .

Therefore, for all those reasons, I thought about making my own web page, where I could communicate my feelings, point of views as well as my ideas on a regular basis. When entering this page, still in construction, with a click on the mouse, the images of 10 years of changes will be seen on your screen. Ten years in office that changed the history of Peru. Big changes, whose profits are being hidden at all costs and even erased from some government Websites.

I do not have any doubts that once the thirst of revenge and the political persecution disguised as justice disappear, the achievements will not be seen on a computer screen, but on the eyes of every single Peruvian instead. And I dare to say that it will be better seen on the eyes of those people who had to put up with terrorism, and on the eyes of the people who lost a family member on a 150-year-old war with Ecuador.

I strongly believe that I left a country on its way to success. I spent ten years of my life making a better place and I enjoyed every single moment that I dedicated to this task. Now I see a country with a steady economic growth and a substantial social spending, a place without either external or internal conflicts, except political ones. My term in office was a time where great risks had to be assumed and the right choices had to be made without praying for personal political benefits. I made choices that would always be avoided for either fear or lack of conviction. In these past 10 years, I carefully established a strong foundation to obtain a healthy start. However, I deeply regret those errors that were seen in the year 2000; errors that sadly enough I did not fix on time, which motivated my resignation to the presidency of the Republic in order to leave the way to the so-called transition process.

I'm inaugurating this site, without either big drums or glasses of whiskey, with the only intention to touch subjects of national interest. I really wish to clarify the distorted concepts, ill-willingly orchestrated; fight back the campaign of accusations against me; and of course, contribute with some ideas that might help majority of the people. I am aware that is not the best way to get to the people, not just yet, but I hope that the press will gather, without fear but with fidelity, my concepts and ideas expressed here.

Citizens of the world . . . Welcome!

Alberto Fujimori

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