A world in crisis, a country in upheaval. We could begin this editorial going over the endless political material of the dynamic situation in our country. However, any serious analysis cannot avoid mentioning that at the international level there, a new economic and financial crisis is coming, as evidenced a few days ago with an early fall of bonds and shares in international markets and the intensification of the commercial war between the United States and China. If we add to this the disaster that is going on in the Amazon and the ongoing debates between the leaders of imperialist powers and Bolsonaro (all of them extractivists and polluters), and add to that, the cocktail of the uncertainty of the situation of the Argentinian external debt, there are no doubts that this panorama is of a world in crisis in which our country appears as one of the most deteriorated links.
Dead man walking. We usually see in US movies those condemned to death walking their last steps towards their final destiny while the jailers announce that this is a dead man. This can sum up the situation of Macri and his government. The electoral defeat in the primaries was his political death sentence. Even the IMF itself, with a mission that arrived a few days ago, did not even speak of the pending U$S 5.400 millions but spoke about a “power vacuum” and even saw the possibility of advancing the presidential elections.
Dujovne, after leading the country to the abyss of debt and austerity, packed his suitcase and jumped like a fuse that does not resist another discharge. For that, and although nobody agrees, the rest of the staff will not be touched and will try to survive until December 10.
With the sole goal of not being swept away by the social outrage, the government in its agony launched a pack of measures that attempt to return a small portion of resources to the pockets of working people, but the number is so insignificant and the desperation is so obvious that even government oficials themselves minimize it when compared to the GDP: 0.4% of GDP while the debt exceeds 100% of GDP.
Operation Containment. There is not in the country or in the world a serious analyst that gives Macri more than a 0.01% chance of overcoming this situation. Therefore, we should analyze why -since it is so clear that he has already lost- every sector of the political opposition (with Alberto leading), the media and the unions set up a huge containment operation to prevent the government from completely crumbling and accelerating the end of his term.
The reasons are similar to those that explain why these sectors supported, by action or omission, the government’s austerity and delivery during years. They want Mauricio to pay the biggest political price for the mass movement, because, this way, the incoming government will have more time to openly face the reality of the expectations it generated in the campaign.
Fernandez and the regime acted and act together to take care of Macri and achieve a “tidy transition”, being this the main reason why the “dead man” is still sitting on Rivadavia´s chair, giving press conferences and even showing himself on the balconies of the Casa Rosada. The price of that favour is paid by the working people, with a rising and unstoppable flight of currency that threatens to leave us without reserves in the next five months.
Kicking the board. From the MST in the FIT-Unidad we clearly explain that the “tranquillity” of the transition is for the corporations and the IMF, representing the contrary for working families. We insist, and will continue doing so, in the need to kick Macri and the Fund out -because their plan has already been rejected- and in the necessity to set up two fundamental mechanisms in the face of the open crisis: on one hand, the organization of a national plan of struggle, with strikes and mobilizations, to fight for an emergency economic program at the service of the people and not for the elections. On the other hand, the call to early elections to a sovereign constituent assembly to allows the re-discussion of the country on new bases.
In this newspaper you will find a group of analysis, proposals and challenges we invite you to take, because, though the “dead man” continues walking, the outcome is written and the panorama is of conflicts and struggles. The task of building an extended and strong political tool to face this is more valid than ever, in its electoral episodes but also in every workplace, study place and neighbourhood. To contribute to this path, join the MST in the FIT-Unidad.
Editorial column of Alternativa Socialista N° 743