I have heard this expression “hope for the best and expect the worst” so many times and the more I hear it, the more I believe in its truth.

The expression, I feel, fits perfectly for the times we are living in. We can only hope for brighter days, a new beginning, a light at the end of the tunnel.

Right now, the political scenario in Peru could not get any worse than what we have witnessed. At least I hope not. The consensus of the majority of Peruvians is that of uncertainty, confusion, outrage, disbelief, and pessimism. The feeling of just not knowing who to believe in, or what to believe in is just overwhelming. At times like this, subversive, radical ideologies could come into play.

The truth of it is, is that we are not the only country going through this major corruption scandal. The tentacles of this giant corporation called Odebrecht has managed to get their paws into many other countries and governments. In my opinion, this scale of corruption has never been seen to this extreme in modern times.

Not too many weeks ago, we lost our president to corruption allegations. We all had grand expectations of this man, myself included, that he would turn this country around into a prosperous, modern, first world society. Those dreams are far from happening now in my opinion. His dismissal was such a shameful spectacle. Difficult to witness.

So, now we have our new President, Mr. Vizcarra and I hope he doesn’t follow the expression of HOPE FOR THE BEST and EXPECT THE WORST. Considering the scenario and the players we have seen in action, one cannot be too hopeful. The Congress is a divided can of worms, where the so-called elite elected politicians just waste precious time bickering and creating an atmosphere of division and political struggle for power.

In the meantime, life goes on as usual. The hopeful note would be that our new President, who has no political party whatsoever, gets the support needed to move forward. At least he seems to have a somewhat clean background, politically speaking.

Hopefully, he will surround himself with some doers, some problem solvers, some people who can see beyond their personal and financial gain, people who will put the country’s interest as a priority.

This President needs to make Peruvians believe that a bright future is not an impossible task. We need a president that we can trust, one who can overcome obstacles, and prove that the government is really of the people, by the people, and for the people.