A few days ago I listened to journalist Alfredo Leuco interviewing the current President of Uruguay, Luis Lacalle Pou. I must admit I felt envious. Very much so. What a politician! What a leader! What a patriot! He sounds and looks sincere, honest, straightforward, someone who doesn’t conceal or hide anything.
As a matter of fact, I’ve always looked up to our next door neighbor, that beautiful country, “so close, so close, and yet so far away” (as the song goes). Why? Because they’ve always seemed more sensible, more reasonable, less pretentious than us. Besides, their lifestyle has never been as frantic as ours. Uruguayans enjoy a slower, more relaxed pace.
Their policy amidst this pandemic has been “freedom with responsibility”, that is, they’ve relied on their people, trusting that everybody would be careful and cautious. Lacalle Pou has opted for «individual freedom» rather than «a police regime.» Although Uruguay is also undergoing an inevitable economic crisis, it´s nothing in comparison with ours.
I’m sure many of us have fantasized about moving across the river on many occasions. Nice daydream. We’re still locked up, though. Sigh
Published in Buenos Aires Times