Peru’s Garcia in damage control mode

The violence from last month’s confrontations between indigenous protesters and police is surely still ringing loud in the minds of Peruvian officials. Eager to avoid further problems from upcoming protests and declining popularity, President Alan Garcia is trying to take preventative measures:

Peruvian President Alan Garcia bowed to opposition pressure on Tuesday and said he will reshuffle his cabinet following deadly clashes last month between police and indigenous groups.

Garcia and his cabinet have been sharply criticized for botching negotiations with protesters who were demanding the government strike down laws designed to open their ancestral lands in the Amazon to foreign mining and oil companies…

"He needs to choose a cabinet that would give him breathing room and put him in a better negotiating position," said political analyst German Munoz. "If he does the opposite, he will have more problems."

Prime Minister Yehude Simon announced weeks ago that he would resign from his post though it remains to be seen who else follows him out.

While Garcia tries to avoid damage on one end, he may be opening another can of worms by permitting a major energy project in the Amazon by European firm Perenco.

Image- AFP (“Natives armed with spears set a roadblock at the entrance of the Amazonian town of Yurimaguas” last month.)
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, Living in Peru, Vivirlatino, Reuters