Peru’s Humala responds to “political noise”
Peru’s President Ollanta Humala took drastic action this week to prop up his ailing government. After dismissing as “political noise” the various setbacks faced by his administration, the questioning of its integrity in relation to an illegal spying scandal, and allegations of financial irregulari- ties directed against First Lady Nadine Heredia, Humala responded by inviting political parties to talks with his government. In the past these have borne little fruit. This time they resulted in a concrete development: the temporary suspension of the national intelligence agency (Dini) pending a radical revamp. This is a big gesture. Whether it is sufficient to dampen down the noise is a moot point.
When the prime minister, Ana Jara, called for dialogue with the opposition last week it looked like a bid to buy time. Previous prime ministers under President Humala have done exactly the same in the face of an adverse polit- ical scenario and it has amounted to very little in practice, except granting some respite to the government. On a visit to the Andean region of Huancavelica shortly beforehand, Humala said his government would “overcome the political noise ... which is in Lima ... and listen to the needs of the people for water, drainage, roads, hospitals and education.”