In naming Yehude Simon, a moderate leftist, as his new prime minister in October, President Alan Garcia hoped to give new impetus to his unpopular government. Mr Simon duly presented an ambitious 64-page plan to protect South America's fastest-growing economy from the credit crunch and clean up its corruption-plagued administration. Yet Mr Simon has quickly found that he has to spend most of his time as a firefighter, trying to extinguish a blaze of sometimes violent protests across the country.rnThe ombudsman's office logged 189 separate social conflicts in October, more than double the number a year ago. New protests erupted almost daily in November. Many concern mines or oil exploration: the protesters either don't want them, or want them to pay more money to local communities. Some concern government infrastructure projects-not in my backyard, or yes in my backyard and on no account in my neighbour's. Others range from strikes to demands for better bus services or the ejection of corrupt officials.
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