Tardy Ecuadoreans begin national punctuality drive
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Ecuadorean President Lucio Gutierrez checks his watch as the national punctuality drive begins.
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QUITO, Ecuador (Reuters) -- Ecuador began a national punctuality campaign on Wednesday to wipe out the socially acceptable but costly practice of running late.
The small Andean nation synchronized clocks and counted down the last 60 seconds of permitted tardiness before beginning the campaign at midday, backed by notoriously unpunctual President Lucio Gutierrez, who is striving to change his ways.
Hundreds of officials gathered in the heart of Quito's colonial-style downtown to mark a ceremonious start to the drive, which is led by a local civic group that estimates the poor nation may lose up to $724 million a year due to lateness.
"We have to be on time for the sake of God, the country, our people and our consciences," Gutierrez told the crowd. The campaign will last until the end of the year.
People habitually arrive 15 to 30 minutes late to parties, social events and even business meetings in this nation, where tardiness is jokingly known as running on "Ecuadorean time."
No one dared to show up late to the Quito ceremony. But local media reported a handful of businessmen in Pacific coast city Guayaquil arrived at a similar event after it already started.
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