The Millionaires' Club

Every so often, private jets carrying the richest men of the continent descend upon a pre-selected Latin American city. The meetings that ensue, which some have simply called the Millionaires' Club, bring together a couple dozen men who have amassed fortunes one way or another. I cannot imagine what would be on the agenda of such a summit, but a few things come to mind like the high cost of fueling those private jets.

I would not like to presume that these millionaires are by default immoral and I would love to believe that theirs is truly a summit about how to create equitable development on the continent. A couple of troubling facts however stare me in the eye: that Latin America has the worst distribution of wealth, that a dozen of these men are worth the same as a third of Mexico's external debt. And worst of all, that Alvaro Noboa Ponton proudly stands among them. Clearly, if this man is welcomed there, money is the only thing that gets you into that meeting. Ethics and morals do not dwell there.

Alvaro Noboa is the richest man in Ecuador. He is one of the main exporters of bananas in the world, and owns dozens of Ecuadorian enterprises. He inherited all his wealth from his father. He is also, unfortunately, one of the two men running for President of Ecuador in the November 26th elections. The problem with Noboa is not that he is rich. The problem with Noboa is the manner and nature of his wealth. When you are that rich people seem to forget that you denounced your father as crazy in order to obtain his wealth, that you fought a legal battle to strip your brothers and sister of their inheritance, that your banana plantation workers are shot when they protest against working conditions, that Human Rights Watch cited you for violation of human rights or that one of your ships was caught transporting drugs.

Even better, election observers and the electoral court look past the fact that you are buying votes left and right through the bottomless coffers of your inherited wealth. Noboa is handing out $50 checks that can be cashed the day after the elections and only if he is proclaimed the winner. He is also giving out certificates for a chicken. I think I'm signing up for one of those regardless of who wins. I hope I don't have to catch it myself.

As worried as I am about the rising cost of fueling private jets, I am more worried my country will become an official Banana Republic. If the Millionaires' Club is honestly concerned about development in Latin America, it should put social justice on the agenda and seriously consider revising its list of guests.

As for me, as long as I have to run after that chicken, I'm voting for the other guy.