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Always Do What You Feel Is Right, No Matter How Unpopular It May Turn out to Be” an Interview with Juan Manuel Santos, President of Colombia (2010-2018)

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Always Do What You Feel Is Right, No Matter How Unpopular It May Turn out to Be” an Interview with Juan Manuel Santos, President of Colombia (2010-2018) All views expressed in the Latin America Policy Journal are those of the authors or the interviewees only and do not represent the views of Harvard University, the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, the staff of the Latin America Policy Journal, or any associates of the Journal. All errors are authors’ responsibilities. © 2018 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Except as otherwise specified, no article or portion herein is to be reproduced or adapted to other works without the expressed written consent of the editors of the Latin America Policy Journal. “Always Do What You Feel is Right, No Matter How Unpopular it May Turn Out to Be” An interview with Juan Manuel Santos, President of Colombia (2010-2018) President Santos responded to the questions formulated by LAPJ Managing Editor Valentín Sierra, with the assistance of Editor-in-Chief Manuel González, on 23 February 2018. What follows is a lightly edited transcript. LAPJ Staff: You graduated from the something without having an internal Harvard Kennedy School as an MC/MPA in motivation. For that reason, in every sit- 1981. Ten years later you served in several uation I try to understand what is it that cabinet positions, and in 2010 you were motivates, inspires, and concerns my elected President of Colombia. Looking counterparts, what makes their hearts back, what did you take away from your grieve, even if their actions are terrible and time at Harvard? may seem inexcusable. There’s a human being behind every action, and behind President Juan Manuel Santos: I have every human being there’s a motivation. If great memories of the time I spent study- we manage to understand it, we are half- ing at the Harvard Kennedy School, where way to a solution. I had great teachers. There, I completed the consolidation of a concept that I have LAPJ: What are the main development put into practice in my public service challenges that Colombia will face in the life, the concept of “Good Governance,” near future? which I would summarize in four basic principles: efficacy, efficiency, transpar- JMS: The main challenge into the future ency, and accountability. will be, undoubtedly, to finalize the imple- mentation of the peace agreement in all LAPJ: Dr. Roger Fisher, Samuel Williston its aspects, bringing the State and its insti- Professor of Law emeritus at Harvard Law tutions to be present in the most remote School, “was a master at the art of perspec- corners of the country, which were also the tive-taking.”1 How did Dr. Fisher, and your most affected by the war. We should also experience on campus in general, influ- keep on working to achieve a true recon- ence your approach to the negotiations ciliation among the Colombian people, so with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of that we can leave past hatreds and fears Colombia (FARC)? behind and focus on the opportunities the future offers. We must keep fighting pov- JMS: Professor Fisher was a true mas- erty and corruption. ter, and on top of that, for me, a friend. His teachings about adopting the other LAPJ: Colombia has been affected by party’s perspective in negotiations was the fall in oil prices, but the economy is crucial, and I have used them not only to growing and the country has increased its solve the armed conflict in Colombia but annual exports by more than 20 percent. also to exercise the ever-complex art of What is the key to ensure Colombia’s long- government. Undoubtedly, nobody does term economic growth? 15 COMMENTARIES JMS: Colombia has always been charac- integration experience in Latin America. terized, not only in my administration, for The four Country Members (Mexico, Peru, having a serious, prudent, and responsible Chile, and Colombia) share their faith in economic management, and that is a fact democracy and free market, and their that is recognized by multilateral banks vocation to attract foreign investment. and international investors. During my That is why we have managed to move government, we went a few steps further forward in an integration effort that goes to ensure such responsible management beyond free trade and also encompasses and incorporated the principle of fiscal the free movement of capitals and people. sustainability in our Constitution, which The Pacific Alliance has spurred the obligates the State to consider the fiscal interest of the whole world. We have 52 effect of its decisions. We also promoted observer States and negotiations are under the Fiscal Rule Law, which is a sort of way with four of them (Australia, Canada, straitjacket that prevents public spending New Zealand, and Singapore) to become to exaggeratedly overflow revenues. All of Associate Members. this was very useful when we had to face difficult situations such as the slump of oil LAPJ: You have dedicated over 30 years of prices, our main export. your life to public service and have served as President of Colombia for almost eight. LAPJ: . How did you tackle that situation? What advice would you offer to future government leaders in Latin America? JMS: With an austerity policy in pub- lic spending, an intelligent austerity that JMS: Throughout my life in public ser- did not cut resources from social and job vice, I have promoted and practiced the generation programs. And also, with a tax Third Way doctrine of British sociologist reform that partly offset the downfall in and former director of the London School revenues. It was not a popular measure, but of Economics, Anthony Giddens. This it was the responsible measure. As a result, doctrine promotes a middle way between Colombia navigated through the troubled classic liberalism, which leaves every- waters with a slowed-down economy, but thing in the hands of the market forces, we didn’t fall into a recession or stopped and economic interventionism, which growing, like other countries in the region. considers that the State should be the On the contrary, we kept on growing above economy’s regulator. It has been summa- the region’s average. rized in a simple but compelling sentence: “As much market as possible; as much State LAPJ: What are your views on the current as necessary.” It is a pragmatic doctrine, state of affairs of regional integration pro- successfully put to work by Tony Blair in cesses in the Americas? the United Kingdom, Bill Clinton in the United States, Felipe González in Spain, JMS: I’m a believer in the advantages of and Ricardo Lagos in Chile, among other regional integration. In a globalized world, government leaders. I have also put it in success may only be achieved if you boost place in Colombia. One of the essential your strengths and offset your weaknesses features of the Third Way is that it doesn’t through fair and well-conceived alliances. consider the State and the private sector I am proud to be a co-founder of the as antagonists, but rather sees them as Pacific Alliance, since it is considered the allies who may help each other to achieve most important and successful regional social prosperity. 16 COMMENTARIES That is why my recommendation to Latin people with jobs, and with a more modern America’s and the world’s future leaders is economy in full recovery. that they should overcome the inflexibility of the ideologies and adopt a pragmatic LAPJ: You were awarded the Nobel approach, which may lead to achieve inclu- Peace Prize in 2016, and the Harvard Law sive economic growth, that is, a strong School’s Great Negotiator Award in 2017. economy whose profits shall mainly bene- You became a model of leadership for fit the poorest population. many in our community. What lessons did you learn during your presidency that can LAPJ: The Colombian presidential elec- be helpful for current students? tion will be held in May 2018. Do you have any message for your successor? JMS: Ever since I was a cadet at the Naval Academy in my country, I learned JMS: My main promise to my successor is that the most important thing in life is that I will not interfere in his or her work. having a clear port of destination. When I had the privilege of governing for eight the port you are heading to is clear, even years, and I gave my best, with significant unfavorable winds help you get there. achievements as well as mistakes. I built Hence, that is my first and most important on what my predecessors had built before lesson: you must have a clear goal and then and managed to ensure progress on many persevere, always persevere, and never of the goals that Colombia has as a nation. falter when difficulties arise. That is the only way to achieve major objectives. We lowered unemployment, but there are still many unemployed. We reduced Looking back, after 20 years working for poverty, but the poor are still too many. We peace in my country, I see there were more signed peace with the FARC, but total peace failures than successes. But precisely those has not been achieved yet in the country. failures were the ones that showed me the To govern is to progress, to take steps way and led me to the end result, which forward, even if only a few times do leaders was none other than ending the longest actually see the final result of their actions and most painful internal armed conflict in during their government. I hope the next the Western Hemisphere. president will build on what we have built, and will continue moving forward on peace, And I would like to say something else to security, and social development.
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