10 lessons from the poorest president in the world”

10 lessons from the poorest president in the world”

Uruguay's José Mujica, the "poorest president in the world," lives in a one-bed house, drives a Beetle and gives away 90% of his salary. We share his wisdom

I always had a very specific idea of ​​Uruguay. Hidden deep in the belly of the continent, in my imagination it was a vast plain of rolling hills, laconic gauchos on thoroughbred horses and tall blades of grass bristling in the sun.

I'm sure my version of Uruguay exists somewhere, but the one I found was very different. Instead of a South American Arcadia, I found a modern country with liberal views and impressively progressive laws.

Uruguay was the first South American country to legalize same-sex civil unions at the national level and the second country after Cuba to legalize abortion. It has no official religion and has renamed many of its traditional Catholic holidays: Christmas is Día de la Familia (Family Day) and Holy Week is now Semana de Turismo (Tourism Week).

Perhaps most progressive is the fact that Uruguay is the first country in the world to legalize the production, sale and use of marijuana. It's not just her ideas about drugs, sex and religion that set her apart. In 2009, Uruguay became the first country in the world to provide every school child with a free laptop and WiFi.

It is also one of the few countries on the continent where the entire population has access to clean water. In 2013 it was named Country of the Year by The Economist.

José “Pepe” Mujica: the poorest president in the world

Much of this incredible record can be attributed to José “Pepe” Mujica, President of Uruguay between 2010 and 2015. Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, Mujica stood out for his outspoken leadership, refreshing candor and fiery oratory skills. When he left office in March, he was probably one of the world's most popular, if lesser-known, revolutionaries.

alt=“The poorest president in the world meets Obama”>Mujica: “The tie is a useless rag that restricts your neck” (Image: The White House, Public Domain)

In this case, “revolutionary” is used literally and not just to denote Mujica's comparatively radical ideas. In the 1960s and 1970s, Mujica was a member of Tupamaros, a Uruguayan guerrilla group inspired by the Cuban Revolution.

Mujica was shot six times and spent 14 years in military prison, most of the time in harsh conditions and solitary confinement. He was released in 1985 when Uruguay returned to democracy.

Today, the stocky, dough-faced octogenarian atheist lives on a one-room farm and, as in his presidential days, donates 90% of his income to charity, a habit that earned him the nickname "the world's poorest president." Below we present 10 of his most insightful quotes that offer lessons not only for politicians but also for ordinary people.

About consumption

"If everyone powerful has three, four, five cars and needs 400 square meters to live and a house on the beach and a plane to fly here and there, then there is not enough for everyone... If today's world population aspires to consume like the average American, we would need three planet Earths." (Source: Al Jazeera)

On his presidency

"A president is a high-ranking official elected to perform a function. He is not a king, not a god. He is not the witch doctor of a tribe who knows everything. He is a public official... I think the ideal way of life is to live like the vast majority of people we seek to serve and represent." (Source: Al Jazeera)

alt=“the poorest president in the world”>(Image: Cancillería del Ecuador, Creative Commons)

On donating 90% of his salary

"I have a way of life that I don't change just because I'm president. I earn more than I need, even if it's not enough for others... For me it's not a sacrifice, it's a duty." (Source: Al Jazeera)

On the environment

"We can now recycle almost anything. If we lived within our means, the world's seven billion people could have everything they needed. Global policy should move in that direction. But we think as people and countries, not as a species." (Source: The Guardian)

About gay marriage and abortion

"Abortion is as old as the world... Gay marriage is older than the world. We had Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great. They say it's a modern thing, but it's older than us. It's an objective reality. Not legalizing it would be to torture people unnecessarily." (Source: O Globo)

About being called the poorest president in the world

"I am not the poorest president. The poorest is the one who needs a lot to live. My lifestyle is a consequence of my wounds. I am the son of my history. There were years when I would have been happy just to have a mattress." (Source: The Guardian)

alt=“poorest president”>(Image: Roosewelt Pinheiro/ABr, Creative Commons)

About the redistribution of wealth

"I believe that the richest should pay to eliminate poverty in the world... It is nonsense that when women walk five kilometers to fetch two jugs of water, we throw away so much and make useless things to throw away." (Source: The Economist)

About his time in prison

"I always thought I'd get out at some point. You can see I'm a pretty stubborn character. I thought I'd get out and continue to be a political fighter. And you know I did that within two hours of getting out, and I've continued doing it ever since." (Source: The Economist)

At a new beginning

"I never tire of telling young people that those who are defeated stop fighting, it is always worth starting over in all areas of life, not just politics. I believe that life is a wonderful adventure. And it is worth starting over 20 times. These dark, terrible years have given me a lot. For example, I don't hate. Do you know what a luxury it is not to hate? (Source: The Economist)

About addiction

"The only good addiction is love. Forget everything else." (Source: Al Jazeera)

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Read more about “Pepe” in “The Robin Hood Guerrillas: The Epic Journey of Uruguay’s Tupamaros.”

Mission statement: Frente a Aratiri, Creative Commons

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