Purge in Peru

When push came to shove, Mr. Fujimori did what all dictators do - he fled. SRIDHAR KRISHNASWAMI on the change of guard in Peru.

MR. ALBERTO Fujimori could have planned it better except that time was not on his side. And when push came to shove the one- time strongman of Peru, who ruled the country for ten years with an iron fist, did what all dictators do when the endgame is in sight - he fled. Mr. Fujimori he went to his ancestral home in Japan where he still has roots and then pretended that somehow he was ``stepping down''.

Mr. Fujimori thought that there was a graceful exit after faxing his resignation from his hotel room in Japan. But lawmakers back home sacked him instead. The language of the ``sacking'' on moral grounds was such that it perhaps rules out any future re-entry into politics.

That Mr. Fujimori could have spared Japan and its beleaguered leaders one more anxiety is a different matter. Or perhaps he felt Tokyo ``owed'' him for the successful operation against Tupac Amaru rebels involved in a hostage situation in Lima at the Japanese Ambassador's residence in 1997. Japan's leaders will be in a bind if Peru decides to demand the handing over of Mr. Fujimori to answer some questions - his diplomatic passport runs out in March 2001. The former President, whose parents emigrated from Japan to Peru in the 1930s, still has family in Japan. Aside from a son living there, Mr. Fujimori's brother-in-law is Peru's Ambassador to Japan.

Whether all these connections will be enought to get him off the hook remains to be seen. Mr. Fujimori has denied that he had anything to do with a suspected $ 58-million laundered cash scandal involving his former intelligence chief, Mr. Vladimiro Montesinos. The big question is whether Japan will be giving political asylum to Mr. Fujimori under one pretext or another but not exactly terming it that way.

But clearly the focus in Peru, the continent and elsewhere is on the future.The high drama and the theatrics that went on for some weeks with Mr. Fujimori in battle fatigues ``looking for'' his former spymaster also faded into insignificance.

Few really took at face value Mr. Fujimori's promise of fresh elections next year and the firm offer of finally stepping down. The scandal that basically boiled down to Mr. Montesinos being caught on videotape trying to bribe a Member of Congress could not be contained in spite of all the smartness of the ex- President. And given that he had manoeuvred a third five-year term, there were enough apprehensions about Mr. Fujimori's political pronouncements.

Peru's political landscape is heading for change and the consensus is that it is starting off in the proper direction. The 64-year-old new President, Mr. Valentin Paniagua, is a highly respected person and the leader of a small centrist Party who has no personal ambitions. Mr. Paniagua, who shot into the limelight after two of Mr. Fujimori's Vice-Presidents backed down, is apparently not eligible to run in the upcoming elections.

One of the first smart moves made by the new President is the appointment of the former United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Javier Perez de Cuellar, as the country's Prime Minister. Having Mr. de Cuellar in a prominent position, the argument goes, will serve the purpose of sending the correct message internationally as also in winning back a measure of respect internally. Mr. de Cuellar lost a Presidential election bid in 1995 running against Mr. Fujimori.

But a lot of focus will be on the domestic aspect and on what Mr. Paniagua will or will not be able to do. Internally, there is the expectation that he will bridge the political divide. And then there are a whole lot of institutions crying for change. For a long time, detractors of Mr. Fujimori have been calling for a total revamp of the court system and for cutting off the influence of the military. Above all, there have been pressures on Lima to come out with better accountability on human rights.

But analysts are also saying that the trend must be maintained in the sense that other personalities who have little or nothing to do with the past must be involved in nation-building.

Overall what is being emphasised is that given the current economic and political situation in Peru what is needed is a smooth transition to a fuller scheme of things.

Mr. Fujimori is not without his supporters. Many believe that he was instrumental in turning around Peru which was literally a shambles following persistent insurgency. He dealt with insurgents ruthlessly but over a period of time the popularity was wearing off to the point that Opposition lawmakers were openly questioning the motives and the methods.

The transition has all the credibility it requires, but the challenges faced by Mr. Paniagua are by no means small; and heading the list is the economy which is said to be in deep trouble. The new acting President has said that he was going to renegotiate the payment of the $28 billion debt in a way that would factor in the ``economic and social capacities''.

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