The Exception to the Rule

Like
a shiny jewel in a crap-encrusted crown, the city of Manta stands out
as one of the few spots in a country mired in underdevelopment which
is showing multiple and obvious signs of growth, development and progress.  While
Ecuador in general, and particularly the agriculturally-dependent towns
and cities of the province of Manabi, are stuck in poverty and neglect,
and in some cases clearly backtracking and decaying into a morass of
crime, corruption and chaos, Manta keeps growing more robust and beautiful,
attracting investment, tourists and modern infrastructure.

How are they doing it? The common wisdom is that these positive developments
are largely due to the efforts of Manta’s two-term mayor, Jorge Zambrano.
While there is no such thing in Ecuador as a completely honest politician
(does this rare breed exist anywhere in the world), Mayor Zambrano has
a well-deserved reputation for effective action and ingenuous escapes
from the traditional traps of graft, influence and cronyism.

How did he manage it? The Dowbrigade has always believed in the lifelong
value of a good education. In the course of graduating from a public high
school in Manta, Zambrano was an exchange student for a year at – St. Patrick’s
High School, in Boston Mass! He later attended the Autonomous University
of Mexico City, where he graduated with a degree in Industrial Engineering.

He continued his educational career here in Manta, where he was Director
of the School of Industrial Engineering (1985-86) and Dean of the Faculty
of Engineering (1986-88) at the Universidad Laica Eloy Alfaro de Manta. He
remained on the faculty of the ULEAM until 1996, when he was first elected
Mayor. Re-elected in 2000, he has announced his intention, and is a virtual
shoo-in, for a third term later this year.

Mayor Zambrano’s entered the convoluted and contentious world of politics almost by chance. Shortly after graduating from college he took over his father’s construction supply business, selling concrete, steel and other supplies to builders and construction engineers. Like many ordinary citizens, he was frustrated and inconvienced by the poor state of the local roads here in Manta, full of potholes and cracks which constantly damaged cars and trucks. However, unlike the majority who were limited to carping and complaining, he decided to do something about the problem. Quietly and without expecting any reward, he began using some of the supplies from his store to fill in holes and make much-needed repairs to important urban roads. Soon several of the major political parties had approached him to suggest that he run for office. Reluctant at first, he eventually gave in and affiliated with the Social Christian party, where he remains something of an outsider for his stubborn independence from the national headquarters in Guayaquil.

Beyond his academic and business background, Jorge Zambrano has been an effictive mayor because he understands the grain
of truth behind the old apocryphal story we first heard back in graduate
school. Two engineers from humble backgrounds, one from the U.S, and one
from Ecuador (or Peru, or Brazil, or practically any third-world country)
met
at the
Graduate
School
of Engineering at the University of Ohio (or Massachusetts, or North Dakota,
or Georgia).  They became fast friends. Several years after their mutual
graduation the Ecuadorian engineer came north on vacation and stopped in
to visit his American friend, who was now living in a beautiful ranch house
along a river, with a swimming pool in the backyard and a Lexus in the the
driveway.

"How did you get all of this in just a few years," the Latin engineer
asked his American friend.

The gringo pulled back the curtains covering the huge picture window in
his living room and revealing a soaring suspension bridge crossing the river
that ran behind his property.

"See that bridge?" he asked his slack jawed Ecuadorian friend, "40% of
the total budget for that bridge ended up right here." And he patted the
pocket of his designer jeans holding his wallet.

A couple of years later the American engineer took a vacation, and flew
south to visit his Latin Classmate. When he found the address his friend
has sent, he discovered it was a gigantic mansion on the outskirts of Quito,
complete with an olympic pool, heli-pad, tennis court and separate guest
house. Parked in the driveway were a BMW, a Hummer and two Porsches.

After greeting his friend and congratulating him on his obvious success,
the American engineer could not refrain from asking, "How did you manage
to get all of this in such a short time?"

"Easy!" replied his friend, pulling back the drapes from HIS picture window,
"See that hydro-electric dam?"

The American stared in vain at a wild panorama of rushing river, cascading
waterfalls and undeveloped nature.  There was not a road or construction
in sight.

"Uh, no, actually…." he replied.

"Well," confided the Ecuadorian, smiling and patting his pocket, "100%
of the budget of that project ended up right here!"

The lesson, obviously, is that while corruption may be universal, it comes
in different degrees.  While it is tempting to conclude that the consistent
lack of progress in the third world is due to endemic corruption, it may
be that their corruption is just cruder, more visible and closer to the surface
here than in the sophisticated power centers of the rich countries. When
mid-level military officials, legislators and police chiefs with public salaries
under
100K are ensconced in multi-million dollar fiefdoms which rival the Kennedy
compound in Hyannisport, it is hard to convince the man in the street to
pay his taxes.

But the occasional success of hard-working regular-guy politicians like
our tennis buddy Jorge Zambrano prove that intelligence and relative honesty
can still rise above self-interest and crass commercialism. If he manages
to resist the insidious interests pushing him to try for national prominence
Manta will be the beneficiary, and should continue to develop.  If
not, Ecuador may benefit, if Zambrano doesn’t lose his soul, or his life,
in the process.