It is impossible to begin this column without mentioning the embarrassment that was the swearing-in ceremony of the new members of the nation’s Chamber of Deputies. The best summary of what happened there last Wednesday came from the testimony of an ordinary citizen who happened to be interviewed by a radio station.
“It is frightening to believe that the laws that determine our fate and that of the country emanate from these people,” the woman said in a voice that expressed a mixture of despair, helplessness and indignation. It wasn’t just the vulgarity that was embarrassing, but also the contempt for humanity that no one thought about. Perhaps they were involved in a childish fight for the best office. Therefore, the 2026 budget law, labor reform and tax reform must be debated in this Congress. Debate is not the right word to describe what is certain to come. The sentence to describe what is to come should be that its members in this Congress will argue about these projects of great importance that no one will discuss. The days when serving the people as a legislator was a matter of honor are long gone.
The economic situation remains worrying. The government likes to talk about macroeconomics and says – and does – little about microeconomics. The decline in consumption is not slowing down. Neither is the closure of important companies. The investments are in the mining and energy sectors. They are welcome, but not enough for a country with the same poverty and need levels as Argentina. By the way: The drop numbers have come into discussion. The prestigious Poverty Observatory of the Argentine Catholic University (UCA) reiterated absolute common sense and adherence to reality, pointing out that income poverty is just one of the points to be taken into account. Others must be added to this point, such as: B. Disadvantages – such as the lack of access to basic services, i.e. electricity, water and gas -, coverage by social programs and even the population’s subjective perception of their own conditions.
Authoritarians don’t like that
The practice of professional and critical journalism is a mainstay of democracy. That is why it bothers those who believe that they are the owners of the truth.
The inexorable “decline” of Peronism has baffled the ruling party, which remains mired in bitter internal conflicts. The decimated political board of an opposition without key figures and without cadres to arouse interest seems to disorient the presence of a government accustomed to looking for an enemy to confront. The resignation of the nation’s intelligence minister, Sergio Darío Neiffert, seemed lifted from the highly successful and unforgettable series Super Agent 86. To give the episode a little more volume, some wanted to see a typical intrigue from Agent 007, James Bond. They were wrong. Neither the plot nor its protagonists have the feel for these stories full of sophistication and elegance. The expelled Neiffert went to the door of his house to throw out those who had come to demand his resignation – José Francisco Rodríguez Lago, undersecretary for intelligence, and Nicolás Viñuesa, director of the organization’s legal department – in their underwear.
There is no shortage of difficulties at the macro level either. The International Monetary Fund made a very clear point this week about the central bank’s lack of reserves. “It’s important that they organize (in government) to rebuild the reserves,” urged Julie Kozack, the agency’s influential spokeswoman. The warning was so strong that – or coincidence – early Friday morning, the Minister of Economy Luis Caputo appeared on Antonio Laje’s show on A24 to announce that Argentina would again issue debt in dollars, with the aim of refinancing debts that mature next year. The noodles and tuco are still missing, Melconian said. The “proposals” to increase the volume of the news reached all areas of journalism. The government should remember that victory in the last general election did not mean absolute support or a blank cheque; There was an urgent need among the electorate not to suffer the hardships of Kirchnerism again. In that case, Argentina would have had no fate.
Reality insists on reminding all citizens of the absurdities and excesses of those years. The best example is the legal mess that led to the conviction of the Football for All case, in which, paradoxically, all the defendants who knew how to achieve high political status were acquitted. Procedural deficiencies and inexplicable – or very practical – flaws led to prosecutor Osorio’s indictment being quashed. For this reason and not because of the evaluation of the test, they were all free in the end. It remains to be seen whether there will be an appeal for the good of justice and Argentines. It is worth remembering some of the main characters. The former chiefs of staff Jorge Capitanich, Aníbal Fernández, the former head of COMFER Gabriel Mariotto, as well as a group of executives of the Argentine Football Association (AFA) and Argentine member footballers benefited from the decision in the process of the funds sent by the Kirchner government to the “Football for All” program, which were used to ensure that the state took over the television broadcasting of the tournaments that were in the hands of private operators. “They kidnapped our targets like they used to kidnap humans,” was the phrase used to make a scandalous maneuver epic. Pure Kirchnerism. The President should tread carefully so as not to make mistakes that cause us to go back and relive what we suffered 20 years ago.