Sidi Ifni - At a time when the majority if not all presidents and kings of the world are struggling to earn more wealth, Uruguay president Jose Mujica has chosen the opposite path by donating 90% of his salary. His goal behind this 'strange' mode of life as a president is to earn himself the title of the "poorest and most generous president in the world".
Sidi Ifni – At a time when the majority if not all presidents and kings of the world are struggling to earn more wealth, Uruguay president Jose Mujica has chosen the opposite path by donating 90% of his salary. His goal behind this ‘strange’ mode of life as a president is to earn himself the title of the “poorest and most generous president in the world”.
With his wife Lucia Topolanski, 76-year-old Jose Mujica has lived in his farmhouse since March, 2010. Luxury lodging has never appealed to him and his wife, and they have both chosen to live very simply regardless of the position he holds.
During a recent interview with the daily newspaper “El Mundo, which was carried by Al Arabiya.net, Mujica said that “the most expensive car he has ever owned is an Volkswagen Beetle, which costs $1945 U.S. dollars”. He added, according to the newspaper that, “his monthly salary is $12,500. He keeps only $1,250 of this and donates the rest for charity”.
According to the president, the amount of money that he receives would suffice to lead a decent life, particularly since many people around the world live on less than this.
In the same vein, “Yahoo News” has revealed that the president does not own any bank accounts, and that his only aspiration in life is to live in peace.
During Mujica’s presidency since March 2010, Transparency International has revealed that the degree of corruption in Uruguay has dropped sharply.
One of the most important things in life, the president advises his people, is to serve as a role model so that we can persuade others to follow the same examples in their lives.