Jos Alberto "Pepe" Mujica Cordano (Born 20 May of 1935) is a politician weho

was President of Uruguay between 2010 and 2015. A former urban guerrilla fighter with
the Tupamaros, he was imprisoned for 13 years during the military dictatorship in the
1970s and 1980s. A member of the Broad Front coalition of left-wing parties, Mujica
was Minister of Livestock, Agriculture, and Fisheries from 2005 to 2008 and a Senator
afterwards. As the candidate of the Broad Front, he won the 2009 presidential
election and took office as President on 1 March 2010.

He has been described as "the world's 'humblest' president", due to his austere lifestyle
and his donation of around 90 percent of his $12,000 (7,500) monthly salary to charities
that benefit poor people and small entrepreneurs.
1. Does that influence the change of thinking?

No. I have a philosophical view of life. Life is Beautiful. We do not give value except when we lose.
Not a good and affordable we are doing. Then one has no right to sacrifice the life of one
generation on behalf of a utopia, a hypothetical world to be better. I have to worry about these
guys today and gals who are alive, they can live their best.

So I have to deal to grips with this capitalism, recognizing their selfishness, their miseries, knowing
what it brings. (Capitalism) has revolutionized the world, has unleashed technology. It has a
tremendous creative force, but I have to serve in order to create the conditions for a world that is
a little better, but that is long. If burial capitalism, I have to replace it in the immediate, to make
wealth generation. Then, on behalf of principles that can be beautiful, what I have to give people?
Bare minimum. I have not changed anything in my thinking.

2. Are you still feeling a Tupamaro seeking the same ideals another way?

Yeah, I have to change the path. Is that this contradiction is easily unleash a cataclysm.
Nationalized this, it nationalizes the other, I like the production, I drop the figures here, and then
people have to queue ... and I need this ... and that. And people go wrong. Prefers to slow.
Reconcile, let live capitalism, rezongarlo (scolding) a little using the machete, but not kill him,
because if not, I kill the goose that lays golden eggs. But (while) help do other things.

I have a vision of self-managed work. I fight for factories that are the workers themselves. But that
administers the state but them. And if you do poorly, pay the consequences. And if they do well,
flourish. But for a society to function well, oh, you have to walk a lot!

3 .According to you (Mujica), poverty in Uruguay has been lowered by increasing employment
and wages, not state subsidies. "Social justice came from more job opportunity. It does not
mean we solve all problems ". Are you able to sustain social policies with growth fallen to 4
percent?
There is a swing, we are a country of old, and that increases the liability sector and will have
problems with social security. If we fail a tremendous increase in productivity and wages, which
ultimately we can get them to care for the elderly, we will have problems. We grew at a slower
rate, but more than the historical. We are complicated with Argentina, an important market.
Tourism is important, Argentines love to come here, but they have become increasingly difficult
conditions.

4. Uruguay does not have protests There is any social discontent?

We have a strong syndical movement, with a single central of workers, where the entire leftists
are. But the majority fights for the salaries of their people. They believe that these governments
belong to them; therefore they bother them, reclaiming things, but not so much. The social classes
exist and the ideologies too. There are people in the business world that are going great, they
make money. However, they dont recognize that. Also theyre people of the left that see the
world with his ideology. They believe in a socialist utopia and say this is not what I want. They
also have a negative vision. And that thing does not have fix, because they dont perceive reality.

5. Youre a leftist, but you assign a small role to the state..

The state has to manage some things, like national security, there are always parts of society that
are left behind Who is going to take care of handicap people? The state. There are some things
that the state has to do.

6. And the economic manage?

I see that from the other side. I dont like bureaucrats. It seems that when someone is doing great,
they slow down. But I can say what I think, because they would kill me.

7 What is the thing that you cant say?

A public worker shouldnt stay ten or fifteen years in his position. And that they rotate these
positions.

8 What about the Presidency?

Im an enemy of reelection. You have to sweep up all.

9 What about the reelection?

Im feeling tired, Im in the end of my journey. You have to make a way to innovation.

10 What are you going to do after the Presidency?

Im going to make a rural school. I love the countryside, the field. I live in a ranch thirteen
kilometers away from Montevideo and I go there and then return all days.

11 You dont want to be a senator?

Yes, I will enter to the senate. But Im just too old, Im seventy eight years old, I dont need more.

12 One of the politics that The Economist spotlight was the legalization of the marihuana. A
controversial law that is rejected for the sixty-three percent of Uruguayans, but you still defend
it.
The critics say that the law will not restrict the consumption neither control the drug trafficking.
How you respond to these critics?

We want to target the consumer so we can talk to him. And we want to say: Boy, this is the limit,
if you really want more, you need to get rehab. If we have an underground world, we dont know
it; we cant talk to the consumer. Second, we dont believe that marihuana is good or advisable,
but our main enemy is drug traffic. We want to snatch the market of drug traffic, because is the
most sold drug in Uruguay. In these we are totally liberals, we learnt this form Friedman! The
drug traffic is damaging society. It bring us a new grade of violence