Luis Lacalle Pou at IDEA: "The President must have patience, prudence, and balance"

Luis Lacalle Pou took part in the IDEA Colloquium A packed, silent room followed attentively the presentation of former Uruguayan president Luis Lacalle Pou, who emphasized three central themes that the business leaders viewed with great sympathy and that, at least in words, stood in contrast to the political discourse that Argentina has today. "Patience, prudence, and balance are needed. One must understand that every word spoken as president has an impact. That word must be thought through, because if it is wrong, that is what gets sown, and storms are what get harvested." Lacalle Pou appeared relaxed, comfortable, and eager to express the sensations and feelings of his time as president of Uruguay, with remarks that were met with laughter and applause from the business leaders present on the first day of the IDEA Colloquium. In a mix of calm and humility, wearing sneakers and a shirt, the former head of state noted that in that position "one must feel the humility of history and the responsibility of the moment." "One must know how to have patience, and the president must be a primary factor of unity, not of division," he maintained. Gustavo Manríquez, CEO of Banco Supervielle, moderated the conversation. When asked whether macroeconomic or institutional stability is more important, Lacalle Pou took a few seconds and said that what matters most is "everyday stability, that things keep moving." Luis Lacalle Pou maintained that a president must act with "patience, prudence, and balance" "One must bear in mind that one always has to think about what needs to happen so that what a president says, a Congress approves, and a minister pushes forward reaches a public office in a city in the center of the country. If an investor sees that happening, it generates confidence. Confidence is shown over time. From word to deed, and seeing it come to fruition, that is where hope is born. If that investor sees politicians come and go while things keep working, hope is renewed," he stressed. But the former president of Uruguay also said he was not entirely satisfied with that stability "in its bare form," noting that it "is perfectly fine," although "it must be challenged." "I have a certain concern that stability may turn into complacency, because that stability does not generate growth, does not generate change. You have to be a kind of guide," he indicated. The former head of Uruguay's Executive has the distinction of having been the one to break the supremacy of the Broad Front in the elections of the neighboring country. When asked whether being president means being a guide, he said the point "is the mandate you have, how much of a representative you are and how much of a guide you are." "You have to have a foot on each side, but you cannot go against society," he concluded. Uruguay's stability is represented by a set of consensuses. On this point, Lacalle Pou stated: "We won through an agreement of five parties, in which two totaled less than two points, but were worth as much as the one that totaled the most." "First, I could have moved faster and alone, or slower and accompanied. Going alone is of no use. Consensuses are built along the way, and one must know that if you choose that tone—the tone of consensus—it is the one you must follow. If you choose the tone of grievances, that is another path," he warned. Lacalle Pou went back and forth several times during his remarks on the subject of a president's relationship with society. On this point, he said that "a ruler is as much as the popular backing he has." "If he has popular backing, he has the legitimacy to move forward," he noted. Although the audience appeared satisfied and was enjoying the presentation, Manríquez closed with the question of what role he believed the business sector should play in a country: "The businessperson must follow the rules, demand that they be followed, and not take advantage of their not being followed, because that creates a problem for the country. Moreover, he must contribute experience and knowledge, be a good citizen, and must also understand that those who are better off, who had access to education and healthcare, have an obligation to the citizenry," the former head of state replied. To close, Lacalle Pou left a nod in favor of lobbying in good terms, saying he was "a fan of pressure groups with uncovered faces." With that phrase, and closed with applause, the former president of Uruguay left the stage smiling at the Sheraton hotel in Mar del Plata.