Translation:Pedro Castillo's Inaugural Address
Madam President of the Congress of the Republic Ladies and gentlemen of the Congress of the Republic, Presidents of the sister republics of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, His Highness the King of Spain. Members of the honorable diplomatic corps. Authorities present. Women and men of my beloved Peruvian people. I begin by greeting my brethren descendants of the original peoples of pre-Hispanic Peru, my Quechua, Aymara and Amazonian brethren, the Afro-Peruvians and the different communities descended from migrants, as well as all the dispossessed minorities in the countryside and the city. Together, we say today, Kashkaniracmi! We still exist! I am addressing you this symbolic day that marks the 200th anniversary of the declaration of the independence of Peru, two centuries of republican life. It is an immense pride for me to be here today. But despite the fact that we commemorate such a symbolic date, our history in this territory goes back much further. We have been the cradle for five thousand years of transcendental civilizations and cultures. Important and extensive states such as Wari and, later, Tawantinsuyo flourished in our lands. For four and a half millennia, our ancestors found ways to solve their problems and to live in harmony with the rich nature that providence offered them. It was like this until the men of Castile arrived, who with the help of multiple felipillos and taking advantage of a moment of chaos and disunity, managed to conquer the state that until then dominated much of the central Andes. The defeat of the Inca Empire, began the colonial era. It was then, and with the founding of the viceroyalty, that the castes and differences that persist to this day were established. The three centuries in which this territory belonged to the Spanish crown allowed it to exploit the minerals that sustained the development of Europe, largely with the labor of the grandparents of many of us. The repression of the just revolt of Tupac Amaru and Micaela Bastidas finished consolidating the racial regime imposed by the viceroyalty: it destroyed the Andean elites and further subordinated the majority of the indigenous inhabitants of this rich country. Forty years later, the independence of the Viceroyalty of Peru from Spain in 1821 brought no real improvement for most Peruvians; the so-called aborigines continued to be exploited as second-class citizens for the treasury of the new Republic of Peru. Over time, the old Afro-Peruvian community brought by force, those from China were added and then from Japan, blood that enriched our veins, but also carries pain with it. These are not stories from a remote past: until well into the twentieth century, those who were designated as "Indians" continued to contribute to the state a contribution in work known as road conscription, while in the Amazon many peoples voluntarily isolated themselves before the fierce advance of the rubber tappers who imposed regimes of slavery and violence, which were widely recorded in the famous English report called the Blue Book. Until the late 1960s, many farms were sold with peasants inside. Countless Peruvians continued to live in servitude. Only with the 1979 constitution, all adults were able to exercise the right to vote. The popular organization made progress in accessing rights, a process that was truncated by the 1992 coup, which laid the foundations for a reduction in rights, a weakening of the State and for the rules that apply to this day. Since then, our country has believed in various governments that came to power thanks to the popular vote, which nevertheless failed. This time a government of the people has come to govern with the people and for the people, to build from the bottom up. It is the first time that our country will be governed by a peasant, a person who, like many Peruvians, belongs to the oppressed sectors for so many centuries. It is also the first time that a political party formed in the interior of the country wins the elections democratically and that a teacher, more precisely a rural teacher, is elected to be Constitutional President of the Republic. It is difficult to express the supreme honor that this means to me. I want you to know that the pride and pain of the deep Peru runs through my veins. That I too am the son of this country founded on the sweat of my ancestors, built on the lack of opportunities of my parents and that despite that I also saw them resist. That my life was made in the cold of the early mornings in the field and that it was also these field hands that carried and rocked my children when they were little. That the history of that Peru so long silenced is also my story. That I was that boy from Chota Province|Chota who studied at the rural school N10475 in the village of Chugur. That I am here today so that this story is no longer the exception. I want you to know that you have my word: We will not let you down. I won't let you down. Our Policy LinesThe fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, preserve life and healthOur first great task is to continue the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, which has hit our country so hard. On this date, I do not want to stop remembering all Peruvians who are no longer with us, and who we miss today. We will honor their memory by ensuring this is a priority. Mutations of the virus still surprise scientists around the world. This is not over, but I am absolutely sure that we will move forward, building on what is advanced, listening to science and putting the well-being of Peruvians first. We have to govern at a time of enormous gravity for Peru. We must maximize our effort to achieve the vaccination of our entire population in the shortest possible time. Health is a fundamental right that the State must guarantee. Physical and mental health will be the first priority in the government. We will establish a universal, unified, free, decentralized and participatory health system. Primary Medical Care will be prioritized to strengthen prevention and bring health closer to the population. We will improve the care capacity of health centers and posts and promote the formation of 5,000 comprehensive community care teams, which will have a territorial criterion so that no Peruvian family is left without medical coverage. We must strengthen hospital care. At the end of my mandate, I will deliver specialized hospitals by region, among which we will prioritize: maternal and child hospital, neoplastic hospital, clinical surgical hospital, tropical medicine hospital and oral health hospital. In order to bring health to all Peruvians, we have to work jointly among all the levels of government, each one from its function. For this reason, I invoke the regional governors to prepare their files and locate the land where these hospitals will be built. We will also begin with the construction of the San Juan de Lurigancho hospital and of the VRAEM. We must end the centralism that causes millions of Peruvians to have to travel to Lima for a medical consultation. We also need to value the work of the men and women who have dedicated their lives to health. Who has not been moved during this last year with your effort and sacrifice? Hundreds have died during the pandemic, and we owe it to them too. To those who develop in the health field, I want them to know that they have an ally in this government. No more precarious jobs, the country needs to maintain the commitment and contribution of health workers and professional associations. We will develop the capacities that the country needs and we will decentralize the human resources of the sector. And I say to all Peruvians that their health and well-being is our priority. The economic reactivationIn the last 30 years there has been a lot of discussion about the shortcomings of the economic model implemented in the 90s. Despite this, no government listened to the discomfort of the majority and thus they refused to carry out the changes desired by the population. But the pandemic ended up making visible that the criticisms made of the economic model were not only legitimate, they were also valid. Today the population is asking for changes and is not willing to renounce them. Now, is it true that these changes imply putting at risk the achievements made with the efforts of all Peruvians during the last decades? No, it is not. It is possible to make these changes responsibly, respecting private property, but also putting the interests of the nation first. And towards that we aim. Because we want to build a more prosperous country, but also a more just country. A country where a greater generation of wealth and well-being are distributed more equitably among all Peruvians. That is the commitment that our government assumes today, 28 July, on our bicentennial. Today, we are urged to recover jobs and family incomes, which requires a thorough reactivation of the economy. Unfortunately, during the electoral campaign, they have tried to scare the population with the story that we wanted to expropriate savings, houses, cars, factories and other property owned by citizens, which is totally false. We will not do any of that because we want the economy to maintain order and predictability, which is the basis of investment decisions. The property of the people, obtained with effort and within the framework of legality, is guaranteed by the State. What we advocate is that the abuses of monopolies, of consortia that corrupt and charge artificially high sums for basic goods and services, as has happened with domestic gas and medicines, or when financial institutions charge up to 200% for consumer loans. Thus, for example, the Banco de la Nación must be able to provide citizens with all available banking services, with reasonable utility rates, that allow them to compete in this market effectively, but without usury. We do not intend even remotely to nationalize our economy or to make an exchange control policy. We only want the economy of families, especially those with lower incomes, to be more stable and prosperous; that large companies do not defraud the treasury through tax evasion or avoidance, that the State fulfill its supervisory and defense role for the environment, the consumer and society. I do not believe that any true Peruvian can be against this purpose. The Lava Jato case is a shame that will haunt us for a long time. We have to banish corruption, but for that we have to punish all those who participate in it harshly and quickly. In the aforementioned case we see many officials, including up to three former presidents of the country involved, two of whom have been arrested, but paradoxically we do not see any businessman imprisoned. Some were for a few days, but now they are free and even out of the country. This is not correct. Investment promotion and a new way of doing projects in PeruPeru is a country with a millenary mining and agricultural tradition; all the cultures that flourished in the territory have shown us their ability, which today is part of the heritage of all of us. However, today there is a critical anomie in the mining, energy and hydrocarbon sector. We will implement the criterion of social profitability, which is superior to the social license. This means that every project must contribute, among others, with:
If a project does NOT have social profitability, it simply DOES NOT GO. This means a new pact with private investors, where the State intervenes to reduce costs, facilitate processes, maintain legal security, and in return the local population and the country receives contributions that generate development and greater opportunities with real care for the environment. State participation will be promoted, as do all the countries of the region as majority partner or executor. The Peruvian State faces difficult challenges in the short and medium term, it needs a new way of mining in its territory. In a scenario of peace with social justice. Where each town is the protagonist of its destiny. Main actions to be developedIn my management we will initiate the following: Health
The necessary measures will be taken to continue with vaccinations, extending schedules and extending their presence to the most populous areas of the capitals. The first level establishments will vaccinate in extended hours. EconomyImmediately, to create one million jobs in one year, our government will implement the following measures:
The credit facility programs carried out in a concerted manner between the government and the BCR have made it possible to sustain business sectors during the pandemic, but excluding the majority, agriculture, SMEs and consumers. Therefore, we want to sustain and expand them. In this sense:
EducationFor the reasons stated, my government, which is the government of the people and for the people, will immediately declare public education in a state of emergency, to recover learning and prevent the lack of equity from continuing to grow. This leads us to propose a set of measures that I go on to detail:
Mining
Housing, construction and sanitationIn our Peru of the Bicentennial there are three million Peruvians who do not have drinking water and 7 and a half million of sewerage. Water coverage in urban areas reaches 95% of Peruvians, while in rural areas only 78%. In sewerage it is even more worrying, while in urban areas 89% have access to sanitation services, in rural areas it only reaches 30%. The water and sanitation infrastructure gap is 49 billion soles. Our government commitment to Peru is to close the gap in water and sanitation services 100%, for this we need a total change in the way the State serves. In the first 100 days of our government, the execution of sustainable and quality rural sanitation works will be strengthened through the executing centers as a mechanism to promote the direct and vigilant participation of organized civil society and at the same time combat cancer of the corruption. Access to the national program Techo Propio will be made easier for the population and we will significantly expand the number of beneficiaries. The hope of hundreds of thousands of families to access your own roof from today begins to become a reality. In addition, we will promote the formalization of rural and urban properties through joint work with local governments, for which the regulations on land titling will be simplified and inter-institutional agreements will be signed to carry out the urban cadastral survey in less time. Production
Agriculture and rural development
Women and vulnerable populations
of sexual violence.
Ministry of Science and Technology and the career of the scientific researcherDue to our low level in Science, Technology and Innovation, exports corresponding to the year 2019 were made up of 79% of products without added value. That percentage rose to 81% in 2020. Due to globalization and global warming, this reality is expected to worsen. To meet these challenges, my government will propose the creation of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Technological Innovation. With this ministry, the generation of knowledge necessary for the development and technological independence of Peru will be promoted. Likewise, it will be necessary to study the possibility of a career for the scientific and technological researcher to incorporate the talented graduates and repatriate those who migrated due to lack of opportunities. Science and technology are the pillars of contemporary development. A country that is not capable of recognizing and incorporating its ancestral knowledge and generating new ones from research; and have and promote a universe of outstanding professionals in this field, it will never be able to reach the levels of development required to adequately distribute elementary public services among its population, such as food security, adequate housing, efficient public transportation, and a relevant and quality education and public health system. PETROPERUPETROPERU will participate in all aspects of the oil industry, the exploration and exploitation of oil and natural gas deposits, transportation to refineries and the commercialization of derivatives. Thus we can regulate final prices and avoid exploiting the citizen, raising food prices and tickets for the benefit of a monopoly company. We are not talking about public subsidies, since this company must participate fully in the market with its own resources, but with a reasonable profit rate and without any type of abuse. We are ready to regain sovereignty over all our natural resources because many, today, are in foreign hands, with contracts that have a guarantee of tax stability. This is one of the main reasons that compel us to seek a new Political Constitution that, among other things, allows us to adapt contracts to the changing circumstances of the international market, guaranteeing the income of the State. Rondas and citizen securityWe know that citizen security is one of the problems most felt by the population. The National Police is the pillar on which public activity fights against this evil, but that is not enough. Despite the efforts being made in this field, defending gangs, gangs and street robberies, assaults on the physical integrity of people and their lives. We believe that we must expand the Rondas system, which is nothing more than the organized population to provide security for the entire population. In the image of the peasant rounds, we propose to summon the entire population to form them where they do not exist and include them in the National System of Citizen Security, at the corresponding regional and local levels. We will assign a budget to provide them with the necessary logistics. Likewise, we will promote their participation in the supervision of the authorities in the execution of public investment in their communities. We will strengthen the law of rounds by influencing its internal organization while respecting its autonomy. We are sure that together with the National Police of Peru we will be able to access a more efficient public security. Foreign criminals will have 72 hours to leave the country. Finally, young people who neither study nor work will have to go to military service. Defense: A new role for the armed forcesCertainly our armed forces have, as established in Article 165 of the Constitution, the primary purpose of guaranteeing the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic. However, in times of peace, nothing prevents teams, technical personnel and, in general, all available personnel from being able to participate in the execution of development projects, such as roads, engineering works, dams, etc. We consider this to be not only possible but necessary. This function is regulated in Article 171 of the Constitution, but it has been restricted for political reasons. We will once again entrust the armed forces with the participation of some important development projects. This will be one of the changes that we will promote from the executive branch.
CultureWe will introduce an intercultural approach through:
Fight against corruptionWe will review all the legislation on corruption, the classification of the crimes related to it and the sanctions imposed in the criminal code to reinforce them, both in relation to public officials, as well as to the national and foreign companies and businessmen involved. We must have legislation that discourages crime of all kinds and not like the current one, which encourages it. The Comptroller's Office has indicated that corruption embezzes more than 20 billion soles a year, that is, as much as all public spending on Health in 2021 or two-thirds of public spending in the Education Sector this year. We will have to empower the Comptroller General of the Republic, the Attorney General's Office and the entire anti-corruption judicial system so that we can reduce corruption with energy. Regulation of state advertisingState advertising, through which some governments have put undue pressure on the media to achieve political gain, paralyze criticism and even guide the editorial line of some, must be better regulated. In this sense, we will establish that this expenditure will be made giving priority to provincial media and virtual networks. We believe that in this way we will be able to guarantee better coverage of state advertising and a correct decentralization of public spending. Transportation and communications
Foreign Trade and TourismA financing program of 500 million soles will be managed in order to execute projects with an impact, improve and add value to tourism, gastronomic and living culture capital. The opening of markets for bilateral trade and regional integration will be improved by improving the export and income of foreign exchange. We will seek to improve the FTAs from the interests of the country. Protection and development of the environmentOur country has great challenges in environmental matters. In this field we have to create strategic instruments for the modern management of environmental resources, such as the Action Plan of the National Strategy for Biological Diversity, the National Plan for the Implementation of the Stockholm Convention, and the Plan for Heavy Metals, Metalloids and Toxic Chemical Substances, among others. We need a Ministry of the Environment that is capable of putting a stop to environmental degradation, deforestation of our forests, vulnerability to climate change, that guarantees environmental quality standards, that is committed to sustainable mining, as well as a transition to an economy socially inclusive, low carbon. We fully agree that Peru will become a carbon neutral country by 2050 and for this we must seriously advance in fulfilling the commitment to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions from 30% to 40% compared to what is projected for 2030. Our The government affirms itself in this expressed commitment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Our country has 13% of the total territory of the Amazon. In 2000 we had 78 million hectares of forest cover, but we have deforested several hundred thousand hectares since then. We have to reverse this trend. The Amazon is the main inheritance that we will leave to the next generations and we will fulfill our responsibilities with this part of the world. It is my commitment.
Social protectionThe public and private pension systems, as well as the health care of the population in Essalud and the MINSA, to which we have referred above, are in crisis. We believe that social protection in Peru should move from "insurance" policies to access and full right to health and pensions. No Peruvian should make collections, denigrate himself in entertainment programs or beg for health care or to have a decent pension. Health and Pensions will be universal and with decent coverage. On that basis, we will propose the creation of an Executive-Legislative Commission for the creation of a New Social Protection System. With this objective, we will promote the consolidation of a single health prevention system by unifying Essalud, the National Health System of the Ministry of Health, the Regional Health Directorates and the health systems of the Armed Forces and the National Police. All in a single great system that provides service to all the inhabitants of the country. In this framework of the social protection system, the development and social inclusion policy will be approved centered on people and with a logic of articulation and coordination with other sectors and levels of government. Social programs will be strengthened and an effort will be made to improve the household targeting system to serve the country's most vulnerable population. The Constituent AssemblyEveryone knows, because we have stated so many times, that one of our main political flags, now converted into a flag of the majority of the people, is the convocation of a constituent assembly that provides our country with a new constitution that allows change the face of our economic and social reality. We will insist on this proposal, but always within the framework of the law and with the legal instruments that the current constitution itself provides. Rest assured that legality will never be made a clean sweep, no doubt to achieve this purpose we will have to reconcile positions with the Congress of the Republic, because it will be here, in the house of laws, where the corresponding regulations will have to be approved. The Peruvian people must be sure that we do not want to make changes for the simple desire to make them, but that many of the provisions in force today only benefit large corporations so that they can take away our wealth in abundance. The state must be free to promote, to monitor and regulate according to the interest of the majority. We will execute AND RESPECT with energy what the people decide. It is true that the 1993 Constitution does not contemplate the figure of a Constituent Assembly, nor the elaboration of a New Constitution; nor does it contemplate the power of the President of the Republic to call a constituent referendum. It only mentions the possibility of partial or total reform of the Constitution, by Congress. Does this mean that the Peruvian people are condemned to remain a prisoner of that Constitution for the rest of their days? Despite the fact that the majority of those who voted in the recent elections, and who are now under 46 years old, did not participate politically in the approval of said Constitution? The answer, without a doubt, is no. The original constituent power emanates from the people and not from the rulers or authorities. The Constitutional Court pointed out, some years ago, that this power must be exercised exclusively by the people, through a constituent referendum. That is why I announce that we will present to Congress, scrupulously respecting the constitutional reform procedure provided for in Article 206 of the current Constitution, a bill to reform it; that, after being analyzed and debated by Parliament, we hope that it can be approved and then submitted for ratification in a popular referendum. There are those who question why a Constituent Assembly is needed, if the Constitution can be amended by Congress. Those who make this objection should remember that the Executive Branch must concentrate on governing, and Congress on legislating and exercising political control over the government; tasks that must be referred to attend the urgent matters of each day. That is why the constituent work cannot and should not be in charge of these bodies. Instead, the Constituent Assembly will be elected by the people exclusively to dedicate itself to preparing, within a predetermined period, a draft Constitution, the product of political debate and pluralist agreement, which will be submitted to a referendum. Once this commission has been fulfilled, it must be dissolved. The Constituent Assembly of the Bicentennial must be multinational, popular and with gender parity. Its composition must include, alongside the candidates proposed by the registered political organizations, percentages of candidates from indigenous, native and original peoples; of the Afro-Peruvian people; of independent candidacies from the unions of popular organizations and civil society. Genuinely representative of the entire Peruvian People. I convoke all Peruvians Dear compatriots, I must tell you that I will not rule from the House of Pizarro, because I believe that we have to break with colonial symbols to end the ties of domination that have been in force for so many years. We will cede this palace to the new Ministry of Cultures to be used as a museum that shows our history, from its origins to the present. All Peruvians have to know that the tasks that lie ahead are tough and that they require all of us. For this reason, we must put aside ideological differences, political positions and personal interests, in order to tear our country from the serious crises that overwhelm it. I summon all the men and women of Peru, without distinction of any kind, to tell you that now is the time to rebuild national unity. This is a task that commits us all; We will do it in a democracy seeking national consensus, ensuring once again that on 28 July 2026 I will return to my usual teaching work. As our Quechua ancestors said before undertaking a great task: Huk umalla huk sunquilla and huk maquilla! A single force, a single heart and a single direction! Which is the direction of progress and social justice for all Peruvians. Thank you very much Peruvian people. LONG LIVE OUR COUNTRY! LONG LIVE PERU! |
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