While Bolsonaro backs down, the president of Argentina confronts business leaders: "miserable"

By Martín Fernández Lorenzo, in Socialist Morena

Two weeks ago, the president of Argentina, Alberto Fernández, gave a press conference where he confronted the most powerful enemy of the quarantine he decreed a month ago: the country's big business owners. "Well, boys"It's your time to earn less." shotDays later, he called it "miserable" Business owners who laid off workers amid the coronavirus pandemic, such as the construction company Techint, which, at the beginning of the month, He kicked out 1500 workers.even with the presidential decree prohibiting layoffs for 60 days.

While Jair Bolsonaro attacks governors and mayors For keeping the population in social isolation, preventing mass contamination, and backing down in the face of bloodsucking businessmen, Fernández decided to take the opposite path and confront them openly. The Argentine president even criticized and He lamented that the Brazilian government is not taking the epidemic seriously., fearing that the neighboring country could become a new Italy. By prioritizing life over the economy, Fernández became the antithesis of "racist, homophobic and violent" who governs the country next door.

The strict quarantine decreed in Argentina, on the contrary, has led the country to receive praise from the WHO and the international press. Although it has almost 45 million inhabitants, just over a fifth of the Brazilian population, Argentina has 13 times fewer Covid-19 fatalities: 152 Argentinians have died, compared to 2906 Brazilians. While Brazil is the 11th country in total number of cases, our neighbors appear in 54th place, well below, for example, Ecuador, which has a much smaller population: Argentina has 3144 cases for 45,9 million inhabitants, and Ecuador, 10850 cases, with a population of 17,1 million.

While Jair Bolsonaro attacks governors and mayors for keeping people in social isolation, preventing mass contamination, and backs down in the face of bloodsucking businessmen, Fernández decided to take the opposite path and openly confront them.

“Argentina has avoided the kind of catastrophe that is happening in countries like Ecuador, where bodies are piling up in the streets of Guayaquil, and Brazil, whose president now faces impeachment requests for his homicidal denialism. More recently, Fernández encouraged Congress to approve a tax on large fortunes, a response to opposition calls for government members to reduce their salaries by 30%,” the article published. the American magazine The Nation in the article “Argentina shows the world what a humanist response to Covid-19 looks like”.

The quarantine and its results have boosted the president's popularity, whose positive image... reached 94%...a record. But, with the complicity of the corporate media, greedy businessmen continue to criticize isolation, insisting on prioritizing the economy. One of Alberto Fernández's favorite targets has been precisely the CEO of Techint, Paolo Rocca, the richest man in Argentina. “You have earned so much money in your life, you have a fortune that places you among the world's greatest millionaires. Brother, this time collaborate and do it with those who made your company excellent, the workers,” demanded the president.

Not coincidentally, the Rocca family, which has business interests in Italy, also participated in the ill-fated movement to end the quarantine there. Gianfelice Rocca, owner of the Tenaris company and brother of Paolo, promoted the campaigns along with other businessmen. "Lombardia non se ferma" And in February, the campaign launched “Bergamo não para” (Bergamo doesn't stop), with the support of the mayors of Bergamo and Milan, who simultaneously supported the “Milano non se ferma” (Milan doesn't stop) campaign.

At that time, Italy still had 650 cases and 17 deaths. Of the 25.085 deaths registered today throughout the country, more than 11 occurred in Lombardy, leading the mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala, to acknowledge that he had committed [a crime]. an “error” as we relax the quarantine.

Given the attempt by the "productive" sector to destabilize the government, it is twisted and macabre to try to copy the Italian model, since they have become responsible not only for the deaths of thousands of people, but also for the fact that the Italian economy is collapsing indefinitely. In other words, they saved neither the people nor the economy; quite the opposite. Fernández disputes this strategy."An economy that falls always recovers, but a life that ends does not rise again." And more: "I'd rather have 10% more people in poverty than have 100 dead."

“Argentina has avoided what is happening in countries like Ecuador, where bodies are piling up in the streets of Guayaquil, and Brazil, whose president now faces impeachment requests for his murderous denialism,” praised Nation magazine.

The Argentine president is very clear that, however mercilessly attacked he may be by the economic/media establishment, he has the most powerful force on his side: the peopleEven anti-Peronist sectors support the measures taken by the president. The government's new objective of taxing large fortunes is also applauded by the population.

This Monday, April 20th, marked one month since the mandatory quarantine was implemented. On March 31st, the mandatory quarantine was extended until April 12th and now until April 26th, but, as predictions point to the peak of the virus in the second half of May, this measure will certainly last at least until June. Since the WHO declared the coronavirus a pandemic, the government has taken 70 extraordinary measures to protect the health and economy of the Argentine people. Some of the measures These are in addition to those announced in March., always with a focus on social protection for the poorest.

– Expansion of the Emergency Assistance Program for Labor and Production (the government will pay 50% of private sector salaries)

– Creation of a Development Fund for cultural spaces

– Program for Provincial Financial Emergency

Medical coverage for girls and boys born on or after February 20th.

– Elimination of import taxes for critical inputs

Extension of the suspension of toll collection.

Emergency Assistance Program for Construction and Production

– Program to support the production system in the area of ​​health supplies, equipment and technology

– Ban on layoffs and suspensions for 60 days

– Creation of a Guarantee Fund for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

– Temporary freeze on rents and suspension of evictions

– Extraordinary payment of $5.000 for security and defense personnel.

– Extension of debt repayment deadlines for SMEs and Micro SMEs

– Extraordinary payment of 5 pesos for healthcare personnel from April to July.

Credit for small and medium-sized enterprises is conditional on the payment of salaries.

– Temporary suspension of service cuts due to non-payment

– Emergency family income of 10 pesos to approximately 11 million people, a quarter of the population.

Other than theseThere are also pre-pandemic measures, such as the 4 peso food voucher for parents with one child and 6 pesos for those with more children. This measure benefits 2 million children. And there are also the 170 medications that have become free, reaching 5 million retirees who now enjoy this benefit.

In an unprecedented event, Aerolineas Argentinas made its first flight to China to pick up 13 tons of medical equipment. The second flight brought 14 tons, and the third is on its way. There will be 10 flights in total. Relations with the Asian giant are more than healthy, and three shipments of equipment have already arrived in Argentina. the last one with the message"Let brothers unite, for that is the first law," a quote from Martín Fierro, a classic of Argentine literature.

No one can deny that the Argentine government is doing something extraordinary, although problems arise and they are working against the clock to address all fronts. The priority is the most needy sectors, as well as a large part of the middle class that does not generate income, or small and medium-sized businesses that fear bankruptcy.

The number of victims may even be higher due to a lack of testing, but there is an important detail that shows the system is not overwhelmed: no city in the country shows signs of being close to a health crisis. Therefore, the imposed quarantine is buying valuable time before reaching its peak without overflowing.

Cities are preparing. with beds and equipment, and The Army takes care of it. to distribute food in the most vulnerable places. From April 20th onwards, the use of masks. it became mandatory Throughout the province of Buenos Aires (the most affected), there are heavy fines for those who do not comply with the rules.

The Argentine government has been encouraging, from day one, that the only known and real way to avoid contagion so far is social isolation. No official, from the president down, has even mentioned chloroquine as an alternative. Meanwhile, the "myth," as the Brazilian president has been nicknamed by his followers, is constantly called... "that imbecile Bolsonaro" from the Argentine press.