Creative writing, today: CV

It happens so often and it does not cease to surprise me: Some politicians lie about academic and other qualifications. When discovered it is of course most embarrasing, and in some countries would lead to resigning from the post held. This might not be a very big thing if it is a member of a local council. But the president! Still, this is what he did, president Uribe, lying about his degrees and work at Oxford University.

I stumbled upon this when I was trying to establish the real qualifications of the (now ex-) minister of agriculture, Andrés Felipe Arias. His CV seemed quite incredible to me, with a first degree (bachelor) in 1999, next year an M.A, and in 2002 a PhD from UCLA. And also, partly during the same period, a number of job positions at Banco de la República, at UCLA, at Universidad de los Andes, at the IMF, a high administrative post in a Colombian ministry — and early 2004 appointed vice-minister of agriculture. In 2005 he was minister in charge. A town boy in five years from bachelor through PhD to minister of agriculture! Impressive, if it were true.

Perhaps it is. I have not been able to get hold of his PhD thesis, although this is usually very easy in the USA. But there exists an abstract of Arias' work, with the rather senior sounding title: "Essays in Macroeconomics and Banking Productivity."

Arias is possibly an important person as he is now presidential candidate in the preliminaries for the Conservative Party. Arias has been a kind of crown prince for Uribe, so much that he is mockingly called "Uribito". We might see more of him and his qualifications - whatever they are.

The CV lists from Uribe and Arias are not very creative though. Just a little manipulative, avoiding dates (was Arias for one week or half a year at the IMF?) and telling about visits as if they were appointments (Uribe at Oxford).

Others are more in the creative mood, like "Ray". Raymundo Méndez Bechara in full. His website presentation is more careful than Uribe's original. Bechara writes that he "studied", not that he graduated. But he too is manipulating, mentioning his sejour at the Colombian consulate in New York, "selected the best Colombian consulate abroad", "before the government of Barrack Obama" - as if Bechara had anything at all to do with Obama or the consulate's performance. Of course he had not. And no mentioning that his aunt had an influential post at the very same consulate (where other influential persons have placed their kids). It goes on and on. Bechara has also been Vice-rector of the Universidad del Sinú - but he does not mention that his mother then was rector, and owner, of this private university. On the university's page of "outstanding graduates" he has even become Dr. Raymundo Méndez Bechara.

This huge billboard by the premises of "Universidad del Sinú Elías Bechara Zainúm" might soon serve as starting point for some further observations on the importance of family ties in Colombian politics. And probably for another take on the catch phrase theme with an interpretation of "The force of a new leader"!