Corruption in Perú and the Fujimoris

The Fujimori mafia is determined to put their less-than-stellar candidate, Keiko Fujimori, on the presidential throne of Perú.  Following the schema initiated by her dictator father, Alberto, Keiko and her erstwhile brother Kenji

Kenji Fujimori arrested for hitting a police officer, resisting arrest and "violence." (May 2010)

are going the extra mile to intimidate opponents and silence a free press–identical to the tactics of Alberto Fujimori who led a reign of terror, violence, bloodshed and assassinations during his ten years at the helm of the ship of state of Perú.

The menacing backdrop to Ms Fujimori’s campaign has intensified. Cesar Levano, editor of La Primera, has been sent funeral wreaths, while Soledad Piqueras, an organiser of an anti-Fujimori group and the Facebook page, says she has received telephone death threats and dead rats delivered to her home. Mario Vargas Llosa, have signed an open letter against presidential hopeful Keiko Fujimori and in support of opponent Ollanta Humala.

Some Perú authors speak out against Keiko Fujimori (May 2011)

Led by the 2011 Noble Laureate in Literature Mario Vargas Llosa, the Perú writers opposed to Keiko’s candidacy for the presidency of Perú, as a united front,  wrote passionately:

“It was a criminal decade whose disastrous consequences we should not forget,” the letter says. “In the last few years, the triumph of Peruvian democracy has been to reject this dictator, the judicial proceedings against its leaders and the legal punishment for the innumerable offences and crimes that it committed.”

“The writers who sign this letter come from very distinct places in the Peruvian political spectrum and we have different ideas on the economic and social management of Peru,” the letter says. “We believe, however, in the value of liberty, the rejection of criminality and state violence, in the defense of legal order and respect for human rights. We believe that those are the foundations for a just nation.” (Read more at: http://www.peruviantimes.com/26/peruvian-authors-sign-open-letter-against-fujimori/12383/)

Mariela Barreto assassinated by Fujimori's "Colina" paramilitary

The crimes of Alberto Fujimori are not easily forgotten by many. Alberto Fujimori had no problem ordering the assassination of women (including pregnant women) at the urging of his daughter Keiko and his friend Vladimiro Montesinos (as was the fate of his Intelligence Officer [spy] Mariela Barreto who was tortured, cut into four pieces and beheaded, then each part tossed into a bag and buried), nor children who were shot to death in cold blood even though many of the children wre as young as eight as occurred at Los Barrios Altos.  Keiko sees nothing wrong with what her father did and proclaims his innocence–which is why she is running for President of the Republic of Perú.  Her supporters claim Keiko will free the former dictator who was convicted for crimes against humanity and sentenced to 25 years in a private, exclusive and comfortable prison (read: http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/110307/alberto-fujimori-keiko-peru-election; Two brothers and two sisters of the former president are on a list of 55 government-linked fugitives, read: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/may/20/shadow-of-disgraced-president-looms-in-peru-race/).

Susana Higuishi speaking about her daughter Keiko Fujimori

Keiko’s mother has gone on record, both in the newspapers of Perú and on video, as claiming her daughter is a “devil” who was responsible (along with her one-time husband Alberto) for her being tortured and threatened before and after she was divorced from her husband. Susana Higuishi had been repeatedly beaten on her back, deprived of sleep, and denied food–tactics that were common among the Colinas and others who would torture for the Fujimoris (Alberto and Keiko and her siblings to ensure a Fujimori dynasty would continue in Perú, thus Keiko became First Lady and advised her father regularly).  

Fujimori has denied that Higuchi had been tortured. He said the scars on her back and neck were not from torture but from a traditional Japanese herbal treatment called moxibustion she underwent to help her stop smoking and for back troubles.  Moxibustion, however, does not leave scars.  The word “moxa” comes from Japanese mogusa (艾), with the u unpronounced. Moxa is also called yomogi (蓬) in Japan.  It is used in the treatment of chronic problems, deficient conditions (weakness), and how essential it is in gerontology. Bian Que, one of the most famous doctors of antiquity and the first specialist in moxibustion dicusses the benefits of moxa over acupuncture in his classic. He explains that moxa can add new energy to the body, and can be used for both excess and deficient conditions.

The Perú constitution prohibited a president from consecutive terms, but Alberto suspended the constitution, illegally, and dissolved the Perú Congress so that he could be “elected” for three terms (he served from 1990 to 2000 before fleeing to Japan where Keiko had taken silver stolen from Paititi) during which time students, professors, and small children and their families were murdered in cold blood. (On Susana Higuishi’s claims and film footage of her beatings see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozzsZP_PHhk&feature=youtu.be and also http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cs_d4pBah6U&feature=related). 

Keiko’s brother Kenji, surprisingly was elected to sit in the Perú Congress although he has no recognized political history or even a marginal knowledge of politics and the needs of Perú (cf. http://cbrayton.wordpress.com/2008/01/01/).  Perú for Kenji is a play ground, and its wealth is meant for him to use to enjoy himself, as Kenji has shown repeatedly.  Throughout his life he was a party animal who used army helicopters for personal pleasure which was filmed along with Kenji simultating sex with a dog and masturbating the macho (male dog).  He is hot-headed, and was arrested for hitting a police officer, resisting arrested and disturbing the peace.  (see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gonsjb3ecc8&NR=1).  On the campaign trail he laughed about “misfortunes” and said little of substance–save that he would support his sister whom he was convinced would be president and restore Perú to the glory of his father (see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJdPeOEutRE&feature=related).

A long record of accusations of crimes ranging from covert operations to narcotrafficking against Keiko come not only from political opponents but many Fujimoristas and even a Salasian priest (Juan Carlos Polentini; see: https://arthuride.wordpress.com/2011/05/12/paititi-and-fujimori-corruption-theft-and-murder-in-peru/) when it became common knowledge that many sitting in the Perú congress were being investigated for illegal drug trafficking (read: http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=54928), and other Roman Catholic clergy.  

Three Fujimoristas were exposed by WikiLeaks, then La Republica, a Lima newspaper, exposed two other Fujimorista congressional aspirants suspected of having contacts with drug trafficking cartels: Karina Beteta (prosecutors suspect that Beteta, a lawyer, helped cover up the illicit origin of assets owned by her brother-in-law, Luis Egoavil, who has a criminal record for drug trafficking) and Juan Almonacid.  Both from the central province of Huanuco where coca leaf and cocaine is produced in the Upper Huallaga valley.  El Comercio, another Lima newspaper, published a diplomatic cable from the U.S. embassy in Peru dated Nov. 28, 2006, alleging that Rofilio Neyra, a businessman, had links to the drug trade.  This charged was renewed in 2011, based on another USA State Department cable published by WikiLeaks, expresses concern about the influence of “narco-politics” in Peru.  Neyra was a congressional candidate for Fuerza 2011.  When the cable accusing Rofilio Neyra was published Keiko Fujimori defended him and kept his name on her list of candidates (read: http://globalgeopolitics.net/wordpress/2011/03/21/peru-fujimorismo-candidates-allegedly-tied-to-drug-trade/).  Keiko has been similarly accused, even by priests, showing cronyism even when faced with evidence of her select inner circle being linked to crimes, of being involved in the illicit drug trade.  Consistently, like her father, Keiko Fujimori has denied all involvement (http://www.insightcrime.org/insight-latest-news/item/758-drug-money-and-perus-elections).

Keiko, during her campaign, took credit for some of the “advances” that occurred under her father Alberto, especially as in the area of education.  Of the 3000 new schools that Alberto started, most were funded by private interests who saw the schools as a way to make more money especially in the creation of private universities that offered computer science and courses in English (in the case of the latter, the teachers were Peruanos or American tourists who had little to no education in their own language or its grammar, and where teacher education was focused around role-playing and methodologies as to when to play a disk or engage in some form of oral conversation garnered by tossing chocolates to students who did modestly well; read at http://minkaapurimac.blogspot.com/).  Fujimori’s schools were nothing to boast of, for most were staffed with loyal supporters who had little education and even less ability of disseminating information and bringing education to all people; it was because of this that in 2005 Antonio Chang (then Minister of Education) attempted to test 300,000 Peruano teachers (with the support of 76% of the population)–of which only 151 barely passed the examination (read: http://www.livinginperu.com/news/5972 and http://hubpages.com/hub/Poverty-in-Peru).  Keiko says nothing about how over 300,000 women were sterilized against their consent by the Fujimori government (300,000 mujeres que fueron vejadas y agredidas en su dignidad con la campaña de “esterilización masiva”, todo por ser pobres y campesinas). 

Keiko’s supporters are paid (with USA dollars, or in the case of the poor, with bags of rice) for their endorsements and future votes on June 5.  It was the least she felt she could do after the people of Perú, without their knowledge, paid nearly $1 million USA dollars for her (and her brothers and sister) education in the USA.

Statistics released on the cost of the education of the Fujimori children (La Republica, April 4, 2011)

 The rich (basically centered in the better areas of La Molina, San Isidro, and Surco) fully support her in anticipation of a return to the days when they could have “voluntary” slave labor to take care of their homes and grounds, and where their children are given preferential treatment in schools and international universities (primarily going to Spain, as few know English–including those who have “studied” it for years, many learning vulgar (street) English under the pathetic IB Programme, as I detailed at https://arthuride.wordpress.com/2011/03/14/ib-is-destroying-education-in-third-world-nations/ and https://arthuride.wordpress.com/2011/05/03/death-of-language-in-peru-and-the-world/).  At the same time the private schools (colegios) that charge the most have teachers who win their teaching posts based on whom they know far more often than chosen for being subject matter experts.  These schools, in quest of greater revenue, have transmogrified their names to read “college” in an effort to attract more students and more money and emphasizing English language programs that seldom have competent teachers who know the language and use it correctly.  Precise pronunciation is marginal, grammar basically ignored (at one such school, the students are taught that modifiers are verbs although a modifier can be a noun, verb, adverb, or adjective; and many entering the various new or recently created universities have a skeleton structure for English and even for other subjects; they see gaining a diploma is more important than learning any subject since they anticipate cronyism to help them secure a job and subsequent paychecks. Teachers are informed that they have a quota: that they must pass a certain number of students to retain their job, even if the student sleeps through class, does not read assigned texts, prepares papers or takes examinations).  Those students who have a better score, like the Fujimoris, apply to foreign (usually USA) universities that are accredited as most Perú universities are like on-line learning centers, like the University of Phoenix or York University in Alabama, where anyone can graduate if they pay enough money to meet tuition expenses.  The misuse of language, especially English, is common as few students use a non-Castellano language once they leave the classroom.

This is not only true in Lima, the capital city where the majority of Peruanos live, but also in the provinces, such as Lambayeque, where kindergarten, primary, and secondary schools are now labels “colleges.”  For example, in Chiclayo, Lambayeque Province:

Bruning School: Kindergarten, Primary, Secondary (Chiclayo, Perú)

With advertisement for the “college” showing children

Life-size poster advertising the "college" for the young in Chiclayo (2011)

In Pimentel, Lambayeque Province:

Bruning Colegio in Pimentel, Lambayeque Province, 10 minutes west of Bruning College (operated by the same family)

These are not unique nor rare examples, even within poor provinces:

Appul College, Chiclayo, Lambayeque, Perú

Keiko’s opponent is blasted as a “socialist” with few Peruanos knowing what socialism is, but assume it to be similar to the government of Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, and create stories that the poor can arbitrarily move into homes and declare the residences their houses since the structures have extra bedrooms. This fantasy is perpetuated by “intellectuals” in Florida who “hear about it from friends” and spread the tale as if it were holy water.  These, too, have their websites, with Chavez being the primary speaker.