05 Jan El presidente who doesn’t crave more

A few weeks ago, Contrarian ran a BBC video on Uruguayan President Jose Mujica, who lives in a modest bungalow on the outskirts of Montevideo, gives away 90% of his $12,000/month salary, and drives his own ’87 VW Beetle.

Often called “the poorest president in the world,” Mujica brushes off the label with a quotation from the Roman philosopher Seneca: “It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, who is poor.”

Today, the New York Times devotes its Saturday Profile to President Mujica:

Under Mr. Mujica, who took office in 2010, Uruguay has drawn attention for seeking to legalize marijuana and same-sex marriage, while also enacting one of the region’s most sweeping abortion rights laws and sharply boosting the use of renewable energy sources like wind and biomass.

As illness drives President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela from the political stage, suddenly leaving the continent without the larger-than-life figure who has held such sway on the left, Mr. Mujica’s practiced asceticism is a study in contrasts. For democracy to function properly, he argues, elected leaders should be taken down a notch….

[I]f there is any country in South America where a president can drive a Beetle and get by without a large entourage of bodyguards, it might be Uruguay, which consistently ranks among the region’s least corrupt and least unequal nations. While crime is emerging as more of a concern, Uruguay remains a contender for the region’s safest country. [NY Time Photo: Matilde Campodonico]

The whole piece is worth a read.