On Monday night, a new edition of “Tucumán Debate” took place, the cycle organized by La Gaceta for the debate between candidates. On this occasion, the candidates for national deputies participated: Osvaldo Jaldo (Tucumán Primero, which includes Fuerza Patria), Roberto Sánchez (UCR), Federico Pelli (La Libertad Avanza), Alejandra Arreguez (Frente de Izquierda y de los Trabajadores-Unidad), Paula Omodeo (Creo) and Ricardo Bussi (Fuerza Republicana). As an editor of the newspaper points out, except for the interventions of Alejandra Arreguez, “coincidences between the rest of the participants – including Osvaldo Jaldo – were the rule.”
Labor reform and public works
The debate was structured in blocks with thematic questions where each candidate had a minute of presentation and then a minute of reply at the end of the block. The first topic was the position regarding the labor reform, already announced by Milei. Arreguez was categorical in his rejection of this project to worsen working conditions and favor businessmen. He contrasted the fight against precariousness and the Left Front’s project of reducing the working day, creating new jobs through the distribution of working hours.
The different candidates expressed their support for the labor reform. Although some sought to soften their position. like Jaldo when talking about “modernization” and moving forward in parts. Arreguez used the minute of reply to return to the topic and point out that the labor reform “is being cooked with the governors and the traitors of the CGT” and pointed out against Jaldo’s camouflaged position.
The first block also included a question about the financing of public works, a point where Arreguez spoke of the lies of the La Libertad Avanza candidate, pointing out that the “chainsaw” attacked the provinces. At the same time, he highlighted the role of Jaldo and his deputies in supporting decree 70/2023, which gave Milei the tools to cancel or paralyze public works. He proposed stopping paying the fraudulent external debt and that the resources go to a public works plan attentive to social needs.
Jaldo and “dragged collaborationism”
Arreguez began the round of answers about what the relationship between the Nation and the provinces should be like. “The relationship between Milei and all the officials present here has been that of a dragged collaborationism. Here Jaldo feigns madness because he came to harass Pelli but he orders everyone to vote for Milei,” he said. The Left Front candidate also questioned whether what Jaldo did was to “defend the people of Tucumán,” as her campaign maintains. “Aren’t the retirees who suffered the veto from Tucumán? Didn’t the UNT suffer the veto of the university emergency? Don’t say they did it because they had no other choice. They are accomplices,” he attacked.
“3% for Karina” and a progressive tax on large fortunes
In the debate, anti-corruption measures were also discussed and in her minute the Left Front candidate reviewed recent events such as the LLA candidate, José Luis Espert, admitting to having been financed by a drug trafficker and the prosecution of a mayor and provincial legislator of the PJ for conspiracy for drug trafficking. He also questioned the private financing of the multimillion-dollar electoral campaigns, where businessmen look for new businesses “even if they set aside over 3% for Karina,” Arreguez ironically said. Finally, he contrasted the example of the deputies of the Left Front, who are paid like a teacher, rotate their seats and return to their jobs.
When asked about tax reform, Arreguez proposed a progressive tax on large fortunes. “This is what common sense indicates, that he who has more, pays more,” he stated in opposition to measures such as the fiscal package proposed by Milei and voted for by Jaldo’s deputies, which included a tax cut for the richest.
A tribute to the struggles of women and the resistance of the Palestinian people
In the minute of the second block’s reply, Arreguez took advantage of his time to vindicate the resistance of the Palestinian people. Raising a Palestinian flag, he denounced Milei’s support for the genocide carried out by the State of Israel and the scandalous silence of others. This minute also included another topic that was not on the debate agenda: women’s claims against sexist violence. The candidate of the Left Front greeted the women who were mobilizing in Córdoba in the face of a double femicide perpetrated by Pablo Laurta, a disseminator of the hate speeches that inspire Milei’s references. She also vindicated the women’s fights in Tucumán, such as the one reflected in the film “Belén.” “We are not silent,” he concluded.
The traffic light that gives the green light to the adjustment
Then it was the turn of the questions chosen at random and a dynamic where the candidates had to choose between the colors of the traffic light to answer. With the colors the contrast between the Left Front and the other lists became even clearer, for example when everyone gave the green light to the removal of withholdings from the field or the lowering of the age of imputability and only Arreguez indicated his opposition. He also left “little pearls,” like when Jaldo raised the yellow flag (“it depends”) when asked if presidential decrees should be regulated, since last week he ordered his deputies to be absent so that Milei has the votes to continue being governed by DNU.
Among the random questions, Arreguez had to answer what privileges he would eliminate from politics and mentioned the million-dollar allowances of officials, again claiming the example of the deputies of the Left Front.
Against “the connections of La Libertad Avanza”, the alternative is the Left Front
In her closing minute, Alejandra Arreguez called for the Left Front to vote on October 26. “As was clearly demonstrated in this debate, here all the lists are links to La Libertad Avanza. They spent the entire debate fighting to see who was the most libertarian, who was the first libertarian, who voted for the most laws, who supports a program the most. A program that is on a war footing against the workers, against the disabled, against the retirees who mobilize every Wednesday and to whom Bullrich systematically sends the police,” said the candidate for national deputy.
“With those retirees are the deputies of the Left Front, Nicolás del Caño and Myriam Bregman. With the workers and with the students of the public university, defending it when all of you want to cut the budget. The left will always be in the streets because it is necessary and now it has become more evident than ever that we need deputies who do not sell out. There are no pancakes on our lists. There are retirees, there are workers, there are teachers, there are students, like you, who are going to always be on the same side because we are going to confront the war plans that they all have against us,” he concluded.
Source: www.laizquierdadiario.com
