We must rush justice” Interview with former President Gustavo Noboa”

Ecuadornews:

Straight, biting, authentic. This is the former president Gustavo Noboa, who took office in January 2000, in the midst of a major political, banking and social crisis, so he had to take drastic economic measures. He was vice president when, on October 26, 1998, Ecuador and Peru sealed a peace agreement that put an end to a decades-long territorial conflict.

The César Vallejo University of Lima presented you with an honorary doctorate for your struggle for peace between Ecuador and Peru. Did you expected it?

I did not expect that; I never dreamed it. For the celebration of the 20 years of the signing of the Peace Agreement between Ecuador and Peru (October 26, 1998), they invited me and gave me an honorary doctorate at the César Vallejo University, a large university with 80,000 students. And it is a university for the people because the students belong to a relatively poor social group. For me it was a great honor to be there.

What did you do so that the César Vallejo University gave you an honoris causa?

As a citizen I was called by the university to join the commission for the study of the territorial impasses of Ecuador with Peru. In 1998, when peace was signed, I was elected vice president of the Republic (Jamil Mahuad was president). Before that, I was president of the Security and Confidence Commission based in Santiago, Chile. What did I do? What they all did in that commission: fight for peace because if you do not believe in peace you do not fight for it. Peace is not the absence of bullets, of cannons, of war; peace is an ethical good, a moral good, peace is constructive.

Is peace what the country has lacked in recent years?

The country, for ten years, had breakfast with music that was called the march of anger. Here every day there was anger and on Saturdays broadcasts there was ‘fight’ and then we lived like this.

The anger is the culprit of what happens today in the country?

The country is complicated. I do not agree as things are. With this I am saying that (things) are very slow, Justice is tremendously backward, slow.

How slow is it?

At this moment there should be at least two dozen first-class prisoners. There are two or three there (including former Vice President Jorge Glas) and others of lower rank, but nothing more. Here we must rush to Justice. The prosecutor resigns. Why do you resign? Prosecutors do not have to go on a trip and he has gone on a trip when he feels like it; that cannot be. The prosecutor has to go to work. You have to have more prosecutors – at least a hundred – to put prisoners in this whole bunch of crooks who have been in Ecuador.

What do you think of the escape of Fernando Alvarado, former Secretary of Communication of Rafael Correa?

A tease. Those who have stolen the tickets should not have shackles – that’s ridiculous – they should be imprisoned in Latacunga. They have to be imprisoned and the President of the Republic (Lenin Moreno) must hurry.

Unhappy with the management of Lenin Moreno?

I believe that Lenin has been doing what he has been able to do, but I would demand more because great evils great remedies. First: Where is the recovery of money? Who has taken a good? There is no money recovery. They say they are looking for it; They do not find it yet. Second: Where is the sale of the goods that they confiscated? Perhaps a channel has been sold, a company. Over there they say they have sold the Banco del Pacífico. Where are the sales of the channels? I do not see it. Therefore, I think we are very slow.

What should the government do or can it do to accelerate everything?

Make decisions because you have to have decision-making power. You have to say: you have to do this now and the one who does not want to do it goes, period.

Do you think there is a lot of discourse and little action?

There is a lot of comradery yet. The comradery has not been eliminated and those of Alianza PAIS still want to follow. And Rafael Correa is still there wanting to send.

Rafael Correa is being tried by Justice. It seems that president leaving, president who is judicialized.

But there are some things that have been political. Having Abdalá Bucaram out of Ecuador for so many years was political; when the hungry dog persecuted me he was a politician; but in this case it cannot be said that there is political persecution.

But that’s the speech.

Okay, but it’s because they’re hypocrites, because what they’ve done is fill their mouths with their country and their silver pockets. These gentlemen should go to jail, from Correa down.

We have the Gabela case, the Balda case that shows how everything was handled politically.

Terrible. Where you squeeze there is pus. I think that government, Correa’s and all that riffraff, if he ordered to buy a dozen mint candies in this, there would be a price premium. If they sent to buy a dozen rolls of toilet paper, that was overpriced. Nothing has been saved; and every day we see it worse.

To Justice it is time to act, but in the Judiciary there is also corruption.

The people are getting tired and when they get tired they will say that everyone is going. Government, Assembly … It’s already happened. Either things change decisively or things are going to get worse.

What is the worst thing that can happen to Ecuador?

That we become Venezuela because Nicolás Maduro is rotten.

Moreno’s government has taken a distance from Venezuela. Is that distance enough?

No. The Assembly does Nothing. Nobody cares if the assembly members go home because they do not do anything. Nobody does anything.

Speaking of doing nothing, what do you think of the case of Julian Assange ?,the asylum hacker, 6 years ago, at the Embassy of Ecuador in London.

He should be outside; He should never have entered. With Assange what you have to do is put it on the door and kick him in the buttock.

And with Rafael Correa?

ThankGod we do not have him here, but ‘keep an eye’ that Rafael Correa deservesLatacunga, not shackles. (I)

Source: https://www.expreso.ec/actualidad/entrevista-gustavonoboabejarano-politica-justicia-paz-GJ2478190