'Peruvian time' not endearing, president says

LIMA, Peru — Sirens wailed, church bells rang and a sea of confetti fluttered through Lima's historical central plaza at the stroke of noon Thursday, alerting Peruvians to synchronize their watches at the start of a nationwide campaign to promote punctuality.

Chronic lateness is often overlooked by Peruvians who consider it an endearing cultural trait. But President Alan Garcia thinks otherwise.

It's a "horrible, dreadful, harmful custom," Garcia said as the nationally televised ceremony kicked off the campaign, "La Hora sin Demora," or "Time without Delay."

The Forum for National Consensus, a government-led council of business and citizens' groups responsible for the effort, is asking schools, businesses and government institutions to stop tolerating "Peruvian time" — which usually means an hour late.

Peruvian officials proposed the initiative last month, saying that Peruvians' constant lateness reflects a negative attitude toward work and hurts national productivity.

Short of hoping latecomers will be shamed into mending their ways, the campaign offers no rewards for compliance and no penalties for tardiness.

In a country where weddings, funerals, meals and business meetings rarely begin on time, Garcia says tardiness not only demonstrates bad manners, but presents a setback for Peru.

"To be punctual is to respect your neighbor," he said. "When we lose time, Peru loses time."

Alistair Williamson, 29, a technology consultant from London at the ceremony, applauded the campaign, saying "a lot of Latin American countries lose business" due to lateness.

The government could face an uphill battle to make sure Peruvians are punctual: An invitation to the 11 a.m. ceremony was delivered by messenger to The Associated Press at 1:30 p.m., well after the ceremony had ended.