Monfay 30 June, 2014
Written by: Anonymous Singer
A decrepit car: it is the only official property of the new president of the South
American country of Uruguay. José Mujica (75 years old), a former guerrilla, refuses to
just buy a tie.
According to the Constitution of Uruguay, presidents and ministers have to disclose their personal property to counter corruption. The declaration of President Jose Mujica caused a lot of people to be surprised. The man actually has nothing, except for a more than twenty-year-old VW Beetle. Estimated value: Around 1,600 Euros. By way of comparison: his prime minister has disclosed that he has an expensive luxury car, a majestic house in the centre of the capital and around 210,000 Euros on his bank account.
On the other hand, José does not even have a bank account. “My wife and I are a bit of the old school, so we do not have a bank account, but on the other hand: we have no debts.”
Well, how does he get his presidential salary, around 10,000 Euros per month, then? Probably cash. But more impressive is the fact that he donates around 90% of his monthly salary to causes that benefit the poor, and small scale entrepreneurs. This brings the amount he lives on, approximately 600 Euros per month, to that of the average Uruguayans. While that may be modest, he does not feel poor. Mujica believes it is not what one has, but having an endless craving more, that makes one poor.
The reward is according to South American standards very regal. A Belgian prime minister gets about the same reward, while Uruguay has only 3.5 million citizens.
Political common sense
For the citizens of Uruguay is this financial confession of their president not a real surprise. Since he was elected president in March, he still lives with his wife – a senator – in a modest house in a suburb of the capital Montevideo. Furthermore, that house is also property of his wife. He refuses to live in the majestic presidential house, because there he cannot carry out his greatest hobby; gardening.
José also does not care about the safety measures. The man can only be admired with creased shirts and trousers, because he hates costumes. He would not even buy a tie.
The citizens of Uruguay – also named as the Switzerland of South America, because of the relative wealth of the country – admire the president’s modesty. They hope that his political common sense can keep Uruguay prosperous.
Solitary confinement
President Mujica has had a turbulent past. Under the dictatorship, the man joined a guerrilla movement that committed attacks and kidnappings. Once he was arrested, he got six bullets in his body. In total, he was 14 years in prison, including two years in solitary confinement.
The man remains calm under all the excitement about his own personality. “Just tell the world that we are different,” he told a reporter of the French news agency AFP, who was astonished that the president was lunching on his own at an eatery.
Wow, I like this President. Wish Obama was like this. Lol ;3
Yeah, I totally agree. Hopefully, one day Obama will pay for everything he has done and still does. We are Anonymous, and he can, Expect us!
Odumb’ass is very much like him, except he lies, steals, isn’t even a citizen of this country, so ok he might be a little different, but he could be from uraguay, since he says he’s not from Kenya.
Get off it. We’re tired of you beating that dead horse. Try finding something to say that isn’t “I hate that there’s a black man in the white house” okay? How about a little substance?
I’m considering relocation outside the U.S. Anyone have any suggestions for places that aren’t completely effed up right now?
Iceland
Canada?
Canada has harper, I doubt he’s even Canadian.. wait till hes out of office to come here like I’m waiting for Obama is out of office to go there.
We now dont have Harper. As a Canadian i welcome you anytime to our country. We may not be perfect but we wont discriminate against people coming in to our house
New Zealand
Australia is pretty good.
When I emigrated here 16 years ago Australia truly was a great and promising society. Since then there has been a relentless effort from both major Aussie political parties to adopt and emulate all that is wrong, corrupt, bigoted, regressive and cruel (even evil) in American society, government and economy. Especially the current FAR right wing Conservative party aspires to be every bit the anti-science, anti-intellectual, anti-earth, anti-reality and anti-poor force for hate that the Tea Party revels in and as mindless, racist, woman-hating and greed-driven a corporate, but very oddly also anti-technology and wealth-worshipping oligarchy, that the Republican Party has become.
Looking for an all around better, more compassionate and progressive society and nation? I’d recommend Finland, Germany, The Netherlands, Denmark, Chile, Uruguay and perhaps Japan.
mark Japan off that list unless u wanna die for radiation.
also germany. Only uruguay, ireland and maybe 1 more..
ecuador
what
Switzerland
dutch caribbean
Wow this is awsome ,this man is just doing what he has to do , being the president of his country.
ALL Presidents and other political figures should be so humble and without all the pretentious clothing, having meetings around the world in the finest places and eating the finest and most expensive foods on the backs of the people, having expensive new cars and living in gold gilted “palaces”, again, all on the backs of the people. They should all be torn down, be made to drive themselves in a used car, have meetings at the Holiday Inn and stay there if it’s an over night meeting. Salaries should be reduced to no more than the average salary of the common people, since they WORK for the common people. ALL, except this one man, think they are royalty when they’re simply talking heads with little between the ears. If Jose was able to run for President of the U.S., he’d have my vote, but I SOOOO want that beetle. I’d even buy him another car LOL
I share this info in my PaceBook wall telling that may be in my list of People who inspire my life, Thanks for sharing.
Alex Jorge
facebook.com/Alex.the.Cuban
The story is 4 years old faggots
His actions don’t expire, this story could be 100 years old but what he has done is carved in stone.
Uruguay must be proud of him
That’s awesome most Central /south America countrys are over taken by the drug cartels I wonder how he deals with it
We need more presidents like this! RESPECT
Agreed!
Here in the philippines OUR PRESIDENT IS VERY USELESS AND HAS NO IDEA ON POLITICS. thats why 70% of the population here are homeless.
Really. Who do you think is useful as a Philippine president?
Really. Who do you think is useful as a Philippine president?
MARCOS
i agree i am a filipino
That’s amazing wish a lot of our parliament was like this then maybe they would stop screwing people over as a daily task to complete!
He also legalized weed to the natives of his country and supports it even though he does not like the drug.
I don’t get why everyone is so afraid of Obummer, He can do what ever he wants and mock the US and make everyone pay the bill for his decisions through taxes. It is though everyone is so afraid of a raise war that is already here that he can get a way with anything and American citizens have to pay the bill for it.
I like José Mujica , wish there were more politicians like him. Obummer can’t even think like him.
Wow..A true human being
living for others…
In India there are millions of millionaires..they don’t donate even a single penny
Instead they eat India our poor India..
A true role model for ALL the corrupt, pedantic “leaders” of the so called “Free World!”
The time is near, the corrupt will fall, and built on the bloodied backs of the wicked will the new Zion be raised. – We are Legion….
Salute!!!~
Were all singing his praise, but we all now if he was a president in the west he would be ripped apart for his past, because that’s the sad society we life in,
In your face Tony Abbott!!!
Thank you for this informative story. Few in our hyper-vane, ultra-violent, super-material country (I’m posting from the last 3 days of my federal prison term in the USA) care about this; it comforts me as kind leadership.
Im from Uruguay, and here it’s rarely to find problems like drugs, gangs, or something like that. It’s a normal country, obviously there are homeless men and steals, but well, in any country are things like that. sorry for bad english
Little spelling mistake up their it says it was published on monfay 😉
Its like you read my mind! You appear to know so much about this, like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you can do with some pics to drive the message home a bit, but other than that, this is wonderful blog. A great read. I will certainly be back.
After I originally left a comment I appear to have clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and from now on each time a comment is added I receive four emails with the same comment. Is there a way you can remove me from that service? Kudos!
There’s definately a great deal to know about this issue. I love all of the points you made.
Can I start a blog that has recording of bad customer service?
będzie są
I wonder who told you how Uruguayan’s see this man. Because I can tell you, as a Uruguayan, that he is hated. He is humble, yes. And he is a killer, who bragged about it not long ago. A man that has sent my country into shit. It used to be called the Switzerland of South America, long ago. Not anymore. The country is ruled by drugs, corruption and ignorance. Education has gone downhill. I miss my country so much. It will take a lot of time to fix the damage this man and his party have caused.
In India, we had the humble and modest Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who also truly loved his country and never misused his position as the President of India. A truly remarkable man all his life and an inspiration to many. May God rest his soul in peace.