{"id":50371134,"date":"2023-06-16T11:47:17","date_gmt":"2023-06-16T08:47:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dialogochino.net\/?p=371134"},"modified":"2023-06-16T18:43:08","modified_gmt":"2023-06-16T15:43:08","slug":"371134-yaku-perez-we-must-defend-yasuni","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/371134-yaku-perez-we-must-defend-yasuni\/","title":{"rendered":"Yaku P\u00e9rez: \u2018We must defend Yasun\u00ed\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Yaku P\u00e9rez entered the radar of Ecuadorian politics in 2009, when <a href=\"https:\/\/hrdworldsummit.org\/portfolio-item\/yaku-perez\/\">he was arrested<\/a> for leading large protests against the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.opendemocracy.net\/pt\/triunfo-agua-equador-vitoria-com-historia\/\">unregulated exploitation<\/a> of water by mining in the city of Cuenca, Azuay province. At the time, the lawyer and Indigenous activist of the Ca\u00f1ari people was known as Carlos, but later changed his name to Yaku, which means \u201cwater\u201d in the Indigenous Quechua language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since then, he has been arrested on other occasions for participating in protests and saw his partner, Brazilian political scientist Manuela Picq, <a href=\"https:\/\/g1.globo.com\/mundo\/noticia\/2015\/08\/jornalista-brasileira-deixara-o-equador-apos-se-livrar-da-deportacao.html\">forced to leave Ecuador<\/a> in 2015 \u2014 according to him, in retaliation for covering demonstrations against the government of Rafael Correa (2007\u20132017).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>P\u00e9rez was elected governor of Azuay in 2019 and ran for president in 2021 for the Pachakutik party \u2014 one of the oldest and most powerful Indigenous movements in the Andean region. In those elections, he came third, losing out on a place in the second and final round to current president Guillermo Lasso by just 32,000 votes, or 0.3% of the electorate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cd-article-image aligncenter block--article-image block--article-image--article\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><div class=\"block--article-image__column\"><div class=\"hide-expand block--article-image__image\"><img class=\"lazy\" data-src=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Environmental-activist-and-presidential-candidate-Yaku-Perez_Juan-Diego-Montenegro_Alamy_2ENWJ26.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Environmental-activist-and-presidential-candidate-Yaku-Perez_Juan-Diego-Montenegro_Alamy_2ENWJ26-768x510.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Environmental-activist-and-presidential-candidate-Yaku-Perez_Juan-Diego-Montenegro_Alamy_2ENWJ26-1024x680.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Environmental-activist-and-presidential-candidate-Yaku-Perez_Juan-Diego-Montenegro_Alamy_2ENWJ26.jpg 2560w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 768px, (max-width: 1024px) 1024px, 2560px\" alt=\"P\u00e9rez gives a speech surrounding by environmental activists\"\/><\/div><div class=\"block--article-image__content\"><div itemprop=\"caption\" class=\"block--article-image__caption\">At the microphone, P\u00e9rez gives a speech during the 2021 presidential campaign, where he missed out on a runoff spot by a narrow margin (Image: Alamy)<\/div><\/div><\/div><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Environmental-activist-and-presidential-candidate-Yaku-Perez_Juan-Diego-Montenegro_Alamy_2ENWJ26.jpg\"\/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"592 KB\"\/><meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"1699\"\/><meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"2560\"\/><meta itemprop=\"author\"\/><meta itemprop=\"representativeOfPage\" content=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The environmentalist has not given up on his dream of becoming the first Indigenous president in Ecuador\u2019s history. He is currently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eluniverso.com\/noticias\/politica\/sondeo-de-click-report-el-7398-de-la-poblacion-considera-positivo-que-se-haya-disuelto-la-asamblea-nacional-nota\/\">second<\/a> in the polls for the elections that are scheduled for August.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The challenges for whoever takes over will be enormous. The next president will have less than two years to govern, as the mandate only runs until May 2025. This is because in May Lasso <a href=\"https:\/\/girolatino.headline.com.br\/equador-esquerda-correista-tenta-colher-frutos-da-morte-cruzada-5ef50fff\">dissolved Congress<\/a> to avoid impeachment proceedings for alleged corruption, handing over the post on the grounds of \u201cserious political crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is the Indigenous Pachakutik people who stand to lose the most as a result of Lasso\u2019s act of political hari-kari: they elected 27 members of parliament in the wake of major mobilisations against the previous government, but may find it difficult to repeat this historic feat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During the late May interview transcribed below, P\u00e9rez criticised the party\u2019s lack of achievement in Congress and said he was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eluniverso.com\/noticias\/politica\/alianza-unidad-popular-socialista-democracia-si-ratifica-la-precandidatura-presidencial-de-yaku-perez-mientras-se-elige-a-su-companera-de-formula-nota\/\">running for<\/a> his new political movement <em>Somos Agua <\/em>[We Are Water],<em> <\/em>and the <em>Claro que se puede <\/em>[Of course you can]<em> <\/em>coalition. Two weeks later, however, the Pachakutik announced it would support P\u00e9rez.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As well as choosing the next president in the elections, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swissinfo.ch\/spa\/ecuador-petr%C3%B3leo_aprueban-consulta-popular-sobre-prohibir-explotaci%C3%B3n-petrolera-de-yasun%C3%AD-en-ecuador\/48500234\">Ecuadorians will also vote<\/a> for or against oil exploration in <a href=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/pt-br\/industrias-extrativistas-pt-br\/52121-parque-yasuni-entre-a-exploracao-de-petroleo-e-a-conservacao\/\">Yasun\u00ed National Park<\/a>. A symbol of the country, the Amazonian national park is home to some of the world\u2019s most important biodiversity. While the consultation has been postponed for a decade, state-owned Petroecuador is already operating in the area with China\u2019s Chuanqing Drilling Engineering Company Limited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We talked with Yaku P\u00e9rez about his new candidacy, the challenges in Ecuadorian environmental policy and his disagreements with former President Correa, President Lasso and the Indigenous movement itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Although you did not make it to the second round of the 2021 elections, Indigenous candidates had a considerable vote then. What have they achieved so far? Could the recent dissolution of the Congress limit these achievements?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What have the 27 elected Indigenous members of Congress achieved, compared with before, when there were four or five? Apparently nothing. That is something they would have to answer. If you ask public opinion, the national government has an 8% approval rating and Congress, 4%. With that, we can conclude that the legislative work has fallen short.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cd-article-image aligncenter block--article-image block--article-image--article\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><div class=\"block--article-image__column\"><div class=\"hide-expand block--article-image__image\"><img class=\"lazy\" data-src=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/20230615_Pachakutiks-bench-outside-the-Ecuadorian-Congress_Christian-Medina_Flickr.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/20230615_Pachakutiks-bench-outside-the-Ecuadorian-Congress_Christian-Medina_Flickr-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/20230615_Pachakutiks-bench-outside-the-Ecuadorian-Congress_Christian-Medina_Flickr-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/20230615_Pachakutiks-bench-outside-the-Ecuadorian-Congress_Christian-Medina_Flickr.jpg 2560w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 768px, (max-width: 1024px) 1024px, 2560px\" alt=\"Pachakutik\u2019s bench outside the Ecuadorian Congress\"\/><\/div><div class=\"block--article-image__content\"><div itemprop=\"caption\" class=\"block--article-image__caption\">Pachakutik\u2019s bench in November 2021, outside the Ecuadorian Congress. The Indigenous party won the largest legislative vote in its history in that year\u2019s elections. (Image: <a href=\"https:\/\/flickr.com\/photos\/asambleanacional\/51686718116\/\">Christian Medina<\/a> \/ <a href=\"https:\/\/flickr.com\/photos\/asambleanacional\/\">Congress of Ecuador<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/2.0\/\">CC BY-SA<\/a>)<\/div><\/div><\/div><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/20230615_Pachakutiks-bench-outside-the-Ecuadorian-Congress_Christian-Medina_Flickr.jpg\"\/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"968 KB\"\/><meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"1707\"\/><meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"2560\"\/><meta itemprop=\"author\"\/><meta itemprop=\"representativeOfPage\" content=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>In those elections, you represented Pachakutik. What were the disagreements with the party that made you decide to run independently? And how does your new project differ from Pachakutik?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I have been active in Pachakutik my whole life. I don\u2019t deny my Indigenous ancestry. I deeply respect the movement, but what the representatives did as soon as they arrived in Congress was to split: some towards the neoliberal right wing of Guillermo Lasso\u2019s government and others towards the authoritarian populism of Rafael Correa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We build and present to the country a third way sustained by the philosophy of life \u2014 that is, care for nature, biodiversity, water, the planet, respect for human rights and the rights of nature. Instead of authoritarianism \u2013 democracy. Instead of extractivism \u2013&nbsp;productivity. Instead of corruption \u2013 honesty, ethics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Editor\u2019s Note: On Monday 12 June, Pachakutik announced it will support Yaku P\u00e9rez in the presidential election. Given his statements against the party, we asked his campaign office for a comment. A spokesperson answered: \u201cYaku has never had any disagreements with the Pachakutik base, from which he has always received support and is well-known. However, he has had strong disagreement with Congress people who followed the authoritarianism of former president Correa and the neoliberal right of president Lasso, as Yaku represents a third way.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Do you think the <a href=\"https:\/\/flickr.com\/photos\/presidenciaecuador\/51205512588\/in\/album-72157719274050363\/\"><strong>rivalry<\/strong><\/a> with former President Correa\u2019s group could hurt your performance in these August elections?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Former President Correa started well in 2007, but I think that power is toxic and when you are not sufficiently prepared, you become confused and lost. The Chinese philosopher Confucius said: \u201cIf you want to know a man, give him power\u201d [the phrase may actually be US politician <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/factcheck-abrahamlincoln-power-idUSL1N2PA1V7\">Robert G. Ingersoll\u2019s<\/a>]. And there you have it: he has criminalised social demonstrations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There were 850 people prosecuted in Ecuador [for peaceful protests], I was unjustly arrested four times for defending water, and I was accused of being a terrorist, a saboteur. My companion Manuela was forced to leave the country for exercising her profession as a journalist. Leftist social organisations like the FUT [Workers\u2019 Unitarian Front] disintegrated. This divided the workers. The teachers\u2019 union disappeared. Correa tried to fracture the Indigenous organisation several times \u2014 and to some extent succeeded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They have closed down media outlets, granted thousands of hectares of land to transnational mining and oil companies, and there has been a constant violation of human rights. It is against this that the majority of Ecuadorians stood up \u2014 although there is a group that still supports him, of course. He wanted indefinite re-election to follow in the footsteps of [Hugo] Ch\u00e1vez, [Nicol\u00e1s] Maduro, Daniel Ortega. That is the reason for the resistance against him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>You mention the mistakes of past governments. What do you propose that is different, especially on environmental issues? What is your take on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.produccion.gob.ec\/tratado-de-libre-comercio-ecuador-china\/\"><strong>free trade agreement signed with China<\/strong><\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ambiente.gob.ec\/ecuador-anuncia-el-canje-de-deuda-por-naturaleza-mas-grande-del-mundo-para-proteger-las-islas-galapagos\/\"><strong>debt-for-nature swap in Gal\u00e1pagos<\/strong><\/a> and the popular consultation on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vistazo.com\/estilo-de-vida\/sostenibilidad\/el-crudo-del-yasuni-alimenta-al-dragon-chino-DY5144353\"><strong>oil exploration in Yasun\u00ed<\/strong><\/a>?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All international treaties are welcome, if we do not give up national sovereignty, food sovereignty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gal\u00e1pagos should not just have that small strip of reserve, it should be expanded further. All the studies showed that the marine space should be multiplied tenfold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The public consultation on Yasun\u00ed is not the work of Lasso or Correa. They initiated and deepened oil exploration. The consultation on Yasun\u00ed is due to the young dreamers who did not give up their struggle. Why should we defend Yasun\u00ed? Because there is a wealth of biodiversity there, some of the most important on the planet. There are uncontacted Indigenous brothers there: the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.geoyasuni.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/PDF\/ZonaIntangibleTT_CLEUP.pdf\">Tagaeri and the Taromenane<\/a>. It is part of the Amazon, which in turn provides oxygen and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uol.com.br\/tilt\/ultimas-noticias\/redacao\/2011\/06\/01\/um-quinto-da-reserva-de-agua-potavel-no-planeta-esta-na-amazonia.htm\">fresh water for 20% of the planet<\/a>. Caring for the Yasun\u00ed is caring for the Amazon, caring for the planet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What would we do differently? We would bet on caring for the planet so that it does not succumb in the face of climate collapse. We also want to correct the gigantic social asymmetries, fight crime \u2014 and part of crime is also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.primicias.ec\/noticias\/economia\/cepal-evasion-tributo-ecuador\/\">tax evasion<\/a>, which represents US$7 billion a year, more than 7% of Ecuador\u2019s GDP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Who has been barring this popular consultation on Yasun\u00ed for the past decade?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Correa. He was pressured by environmentalists not to touch the oil of Yasun\u00ed. But with the pressure of the multinationals, he gave in and betrayed the environmentalism he defended. He is responsible for oil exploration in Yasun\u00ed. He gave the concession to the Chinese [the multinational Chuanqing Drilling Engineering Company Limited]. Now Lasso is continuing it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Correa also opened the border to Swedish, Canadian, Australian and, above all, Chinese transnational mining companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cd-article-image aligncenter block--article-image block--article-image--article\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><div class=\"block--article-image__column\"><div class=\"hide-expand block--article-image__image\"><img class=\"lazy\" data-src=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Oilfields-in-the-Amazon-in-Ecuador_Alamy_DWRN2Y.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Oilfields-in-the-Amazon-in-Ecuador_Alamy_DWRN2Y-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Oilfields-in-the-Amazon-in-Ecuador_Alamy_DWRN2Y-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Oilfields-in-the-Amazon-in-Ecuador_Alamy_DWRN2Y.jpg 2560w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 768px, (max-width: 1024px) 1024px, 2560px\" alt=\"An oil extraction in Yasun\u00ed National Park, in the Ecuadorian Amazon\"\/><\/div><div class=\"block--article-image__content\"><div itemprop=\"caption\" class=\"block--article-image__caption\">Oil extraction in Yasun\u00ed National Park, in the Ecuadorian Amazon. A public consultation on oil activity in the region will be voted on together with the presidential elections this year. (Image: Alamy)<\/div><\/div><\/div><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Oilfields-in-the-Amazon-in-Ecuador_Alamy_DWRN2Y.jpg\"\/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"900 KB\"\/><meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"1702\"\/><meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"2560\"\/><meta itemprop=\"author\"\/><meta itemprop=\"representativeOfPage\" content=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If elected president, what will be your plan to lead Ecuador\u2019s energy transition away from fossil fuels?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We have a post-extractivist vision. Neither mines nor oil can be planted. And because of extractivism, we are still an appendix of other countries \u2014 like the Nordic countries, the South Koreans, who in 1960 had a poorer economy than Honduras, Bolivia, Ecuador and Argentina. We are falling behind. That\u2019s why we have to bet on agroecology, responsible and monitored agro-industry, tourism and manufacturing. We must also invest in education: that is the key to getting out of the economic and social backwardness in which we live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Under your government, what would be the future of controversial works such as the <a href=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/pt-br\/mudanca-climatica-e-energia-pt-br\/49479-coca-codo-sinclair-a-mais-cara-e-controversa-usina-do-equador\/\"><strong>Coca Codo Sinclair<\/strong><\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/pt-br\/mudanca-climatica-e-energia-pt-br\/54694-o-que-acontecera-com-a-hidreletrica-toachi-pilaton-paralisada-no-equador\/\"><strong>Toachi Pilat\u00f3n<\/strong><\/a> hydroelectric plants?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We will make a diagnosis to see if they can be remedied in economic terms. We will conduct an audit to see who is responsible for these millionaire contracts and we will let the judicial system take care of that. I will not pursue anyone, but acts contrary to the Constitution cannot go unpunished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<a class=\"wp-block-cd-related-news alignright block--related-news loading\" data-post-id=\"50059301\"><div class=\"block--related-news__image\"><\/div><div class=\"block--related-news__content\"><span class=\"block--related-news__heading\">Recommended<\/span><span class=\"block--related-news__title\"><\/span><\/div><\/a>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Ecuador has already signed and ratified the <a href=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/pt-br\/mudanca-climatica-e-energia-pt-br\/64765-escazu-desafios-ratificacao-acordo\/\"><strong>Escaz\u00fa Agreement<\/strong><\/a>, but political will is needed for it to be implemented. What practical measures does it offer to protect environmental activists in the country?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The defenders of water and nature will be part of our government. They need to be publicly recognised because they have been criminalised, marginalised, stigmatised. We environmentalists have been called childish, cavemen, retrograde, ignorant, saboteurs, terrorists. We were called CIA agents, just for defending water and nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cd-pull-quote block--pull-quote block--pull-quote--no-citation\"><div class=\"block--pull-quote__wrapper\"><blockquote class=\"block--pull-quote__quote\">We do not own the Earth. We belong to it.<\/blockquote><cite class=\"block--pull-quote__cite\"><\/cite><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>But if we have a third ecological way, post-extractivist, that follows the current of our grandfathers and grandmothers, we make nature sacred. We do not own the Earth. We belong to it. A wise old man used to say that the stone is not mute, it only keeps silence. The stone has life, the water has life, the planet is a living being\u2026 it is as Stephen Hawking said: if we have not colonised another planet, this is the only home where we and our children and our children\u2019s children can live. So, the Earth is sacred, blessed, and we must care for it, protect it and raise it as it has raised us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Indigenous activist is again running for president in Ecuador, seeking a change from the previous governments of Correa and Lasso that allowed oil exploration in the Amazon <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":50000457,"featured_media":50371148,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[764],"tags":[506,511,50029993,555],"hashtags":[],"country":[50002594],"class_list":["post-50371134","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nature","tag-amazon","tag-biodiversity","tag-elections","tag-indigenous-peoples","country-ecuador"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v26.0) - 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