Memory Of Peru Presidential Impeachment, Pedro Castillo

Pedro Castillo, who served as President of Peru from the 2021-2022 era. (Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - Living close to poverty is the daily food of the Peruvian people. The narrative made the whole of Peru want change. Pedro Castillo also appeared like a savior. The figure of the activist who later became President of Peru brought hope with the promise: There will be no more poverty.

A promise that is difficult to realize. Instead of being able to promote pro-people programs, Castillo actually failed to stem inflation and corruption. Instead, he wanted to dissolve the parliament so that his power would survive. The power made him impeached.

A series of countries in Latin America once considered socialism as a tool of change. That understanding is considered a teaching so that a country can be sovereign and get rid of foreign hands. The Peruvian people also think about the same thing.

They feel that many of the policy makers actually benefit from neoliberalism as a way of life. Even though this understanding makes Peru lean towards the pros of the west and investors, rather than thinking about the fate of the people. This condition lasted quite a long time.

Everything changed when the activities of a high-ranking teacher union came to the surface in the 2000s. Pedro Castillo, his name. Castillo at that time was considered a full embodiment of revolutionary figures. Because Castillo comes from the 'rahim' of the poor of Peru.

His father was just a blind farmer. The limitation did not make Castillo give up and accept the fate of being like a oppressed people. He also fought hard to be able to access education and succeed.

He began to pursue his goal of educating the nation's children by becoming teachers. However, this profession actually made him more sensitive to seeing injustice. He began to transform as a teacher activist. He was able to inflame teacher strikes throughout Peru in 2017.

The strike was carried out so that the government would care about the fate of teachers by raising salaries and allowances. The phenomenon of the strike led by Castillo is big news throughout the country. The figure is considered the carrier of hope for Peru in the future.

The results are brilliant. Castillo participated in the political contestation of the 2021 Peru Presidential Election. Peru Libre is a powerful political vehicle. Support for Castillo appears everywhere, from farmers to breeders. The popularity is even more brilliant with the jargon Castillo: there will be no more poor people in rich countries.

He also won victory. In fact, he was able to beat his competitorbulan Fujimori as a symbol of the elites - the daughter of former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori.

Many Castillo supporters said they chose it in the hope that someone would be able to reform the neoliberal economic system implemented by the previous president, Alberto Fujimori. The system, they said, did produce stable economic growth and control inflation, but in the end it actually made millions of people fall into a puddle of poverty.

This painful gap became even more striking when the coronavirus struck. This virus has hit Peru, the country with the highest death toll from COVID-19 per capita in the world. Nearly 10 percent of its population has fallen into poverty last year, "said Julie Turkewitz in his article on The New York Times website entitled Pedro Castillo, Leftist Political Outsider, Wins Peru Presidency (2021).

Castillo's victory was greeted with great fanfare. The Peruvian side then considered it a savior who was ready to lift the people from poverty. Moreover, Castillo was able to promise to nationalize natural resource projects previously controlled by foreigners.

The natural resources project includes gas, gold, silver, tembafa, lithium, and uranium. Castillo promised to use its position to take advantage of the benefits of the earth to prosper the people.

Promises are just promises. Affairs act as executives, especially when the number one person Peru is never easy. Lack of Castillo experience in government is the reason. Castillo is considered less capable of leading. He was unable to place the right person as minister.

Instead of helping the government, the presence of these ministers actually harmed the state because it was corrupt. This condition is exacerbated by the crafts affected by the alleged corruption case.

Peru president overturned Pedro Castillo sits next to former Prime Minister Anibal Torres in the car after leaving the police station, in Lima, Peru December 7, 2022. (Public Broadcasting Service/Reuters/Gerardo Marin)

Starring Castillo one by one began to be revealed to the public. It's a shame Castillo is stemming inflation as an example. He was also considered to have used his position to control the military. Notable lawmakers dominated by the right wing of Fujimori's supporters were furious.

Castillo's leadership is in doubt about to bring change to Peru. Impeachment efforts are also being made. Even though it failed several times. At its peak Castillo is planning to dissolve parliament to establish an emergency government.

In fact, this strategy became the master's weapon. No one approves of Castillo's actions. As a result, the new impeachment actually took place on December 7, 2022. The strike left Castillo in prison for alleged rebellion.

Castillo argues its impeachment was carried out due to political grudges. That fact made the whole of Peru volatile. Castillo supporters from farmers to breeders took to the streets to protest against Peru's parliamentary decision.

The action claimed dozens of lives. However, no more impact. Castillo's position was replaced by his deputy, Dina Bouarte. The impeachment made Castillo fail to be aligned with other Latin American revolutionary leaders such as Evo Morales (President of Bolivia from 2006-2019) to Rafael Correa (President of Ecuador from 2007-2017).

"I have never committed a crime of rebellion, I have not taken up arms, nor have I called anyone to take up arms. Those who took up arms to end the lives of more than 30 Peruvians are the current government, which has left more than 20 people missing and more than 200 injured," Castillo said as quoted by The Guardian in his report entitled Peru's Ousted President Pedro Castillo Says He is a Victim of Political Revenge (2022).