One month before the elections and after being away from the cameras for a while, Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner gave a talk at the UMET, in the City of Buenos Aires. It was a speech for the militancy, in an auditorium that included the participation of officials such as Axel Kicillof, Pedro’s Wado, Fernando Espinosa and unionists like Hugo Yasky y Roberto Baradel. The one who was not there, but received the campaign praise, was the Minister of Economy and presidential candidate for Union for the Homeland, Sergio Massa.
“I want to remind you that I was one of the main promoters of there being no PASOthat a unity candidate was obtained,” said Cristina Kirchner, next to the communicator Pedro Rosemblatwho promoted the candidacy of Juan Grabois inside the ruling party. The vice president praised herself for having anticipated that it would be a three-thirds election, but she decided to ignore the Patria Grande candidate.
Thus it gave rise to a reversal of the phrase “he grabbed a hot iron”, with which he flatters Sergio Massa from Peronism. This time, the demand was that “the Minister of Economy He told the truth to society about the IMF“.
“You have to tell the truth to people. If they force you to sign because if not, they don’t pay… We have to tell them the truth, not tell them that everything is wonderful, that we are fine now. like De La Rua did…” -claimed the vice president, justifying the 22% devaluation that the minister applied Sergio Massa– “That is why I immensely value the decision to tell Argentinians the truth. They force us to devalue.”
It was about a speech of resignation and submission: as if there was no alternative but to do what, from the United States, the Fund tells Argentina to do. For millions, this submission is very concrete: it implies an increase in poverty, and salaries and pensions that are increasingly insufficient. Inflation reached historic levels in August and that is not only a product of the IMF, but of the unconditional performance of its plans.
“Every Argentine man and woman should know that prices increased due to the 22% devaluation, but They are also increased by the daily devaluation carried out by the Central Bank, and which is imposed by the International Monetary Fund. The IMF imposes the interest rate above devaluation and devaluation above inflation. These are your conditions.”
The new “epic” with which Kirchnerism seeks to seduce voters, and arm its militancy to debate, has very little edge. Is about to be honest that the unbearable increase in the costs of living that the working majorities are paying are the product of the policies applied by the Government at the request of the International Monetary Fund.
From the Left, the deputy and candidate for president Myriam Bregmanresponded to this part of the speech Cristina Kirchner.
Massa did not tell any truth: 1) he was the one who managed to approve the agreement with the IMF in Deputies; 2) he returned on 08/14 and did not say a word before PASO; 3) in the 2024 budget he once again ratifies the path of the IMF.
With the Fund there is no way out, neither subject nor accomplices.— Myriam Bregman (@myriambregman) September 23, 2023
To the voters of Javier Milei
The vice president repeated a couple of times, almost like a slogan, the phrase “Wanting to live well is not right”; in response to the question of Rosemblat whether voters had gone right. AND placed responsibilities on public school teachers; just like he did Sergio Massaa month ago, when he warned them “Guys, the unemployment joke is over. Enough.”
“It is not true, Pedro, that the people have gone to the right” – he responded Cristina– “Wanting to have my house… today that I can’t even rent. Wanting your children who go to school to have classes…. But we cannot continue saying that we defend public education, but We send the kids to private school because we don’t have classes.“.
This way, Cristina Kirchner he took a speech that has been agitating the right for years Together for Changebut now also Javier Miley with its proposal for educational vouchers.
“In 2012 I was president. I said it on March 1st and they went for my jugular” – she recalled Cristina. On this occasion, the teachers were demanding the reopening of the national joint union, and the then president attacked them saying: “They work 4 hours and have 3 months of vacation“.
Indeed, teaching that year went to the jugular because of this lie. But even today, the situation of the teaching sector is still worse. They have to take on various positions to achieve a salary that they lose month after month in the face of the inflationary and adjustment policies applied by the government by order of the IMF.
Can public education be defended by attacking the teachers who carry it on their shoulders every day?
The teacher and press secretary of Ademys, Federico Puy, responded this:
Here data, not opinion. CFK’s words about the teaching “body” eludes that his government, at the request of the IMF, adjusted public education in these 4 years. Did the candidate minister explain this to the entire Argentine people? https://t.co/tZEZD4pMjH
— Federico Puy (@fedepuy) September 23, 2023
The problems facing public education are a consequence of years of defunding by governments. And in particular, the Frente de Todos government applied adjustments as part of the program requested by the Fund.
Neither accomplices nor subjugated
Cristina Kirchner He approached the talk to debate against the neoliberal model, attributing the continuity of these policies to the right-wing opposition. Although during the three consecutive mandates of Kirchnerism the fundamental pillars of this inheritance were not touched.
The vice president denounced that it was the economist Carlos Melconian who signed the signature to nationalize private debt in dollars in 1986. After such an accusation, he referred as if nothing had happened to the meeting he had, last year, with the economist who accompanies the candidacy of Patricia Bullrich.
He explained that that talk with Melconian was within the framework of a consultation of “the main companies in the country“, the ones you find on the shelves, at the gas pump, related to energy, the banks… who hired a group of economists to make an economic plan for them.”
These are the sectors that have been increasing their profits, at the cost of the consecutive drop in the income of workers and the popular majorities, from the government of Mauricio Macri, to the current Peronist government.
“It didn’t look good that a meeting between the vice president and those who were preparing an economic plan was revealed. In fact, the following month Martín Guzman touched the jars and you were“-he admitted Cristina.
After this phrase the audience began to applaud and Cristina challenged them: “It’s not for applauding, it’s almost for crying.” You have to understand those present, a year ago they had practically campaigned for the resignation of the former minister Martin Guzman, for agreeing the agreement with the IMF. Although now the line is military, the candidacy of Sergio Massalike the minister who applies the IMF plan, telling you that he is applying it.
Thus, Cristina Kirchner gave a speech to speak against the “caste” of neoliberal economists, such as Melconian o Juan Domingo Cavalloin whom reference Javier Miley.
He also stated that the “chainsaw plan” proposed by the libertarian candidate is unviable, although Minister Sergio Massa himself gave in to his demand to postpone until after the elections the preparation of a new Adjustment budget for 2024.
And he pointed out that businessmen in Argentina are afraid that their taxes will increase due to the fiscal deficit; when This same Government gave benefits to large businessmen with tax exemptionssuch as the “knowledge economy” sector or the mining and oil companies of Vaca Muerta.
The increase in inequality, and the growth of poverty even among salaried workers, is a product of the fact that it suits those at the bottom and benefits those at the top.
“We need every Argentinian to become aware of the problems we are having. “You cannot decide freely if you do not know the truth” -was the final slogan.
Apparently, the electoral campaign proposed by Cristina Kirchnerso that their militancy goes out to seek votes for Sergio Massa: that is to say honestly, that the social crisis that is being experienced is because there is no other choice but to apply anti-popular measures from the International Monetary Fund.
Cristina Kirchner wants to convince you that there is no way out, other than resigning ourselves to obeying the orders of the Empire.
But there is a way out for working people, for women and young people. The one that postulates Unity Left Front: neither accomplices nor subjugated, before the economic power and the IMF.
Source: www.laizquierdadiario.com
