The crisis is worsening and the working people are paying for it. The government is in deep water, but the solutions that are being considered -tripartite agreement in the ruling front, pact with the opposition, even early elections- besides guaranteeing the agreement with the IMF, are taken among a few, the same ones as always, and the people can only watch. From the MST we propose that it be the working people who decide everything, calling for elections, but not presidential elections, but a free and sovereign Constituent Assembly to turn everything around and reorganize the country on new bases. Here is our proposal.
By Guillermo Pacagnini
The government of the Frente de Todos is going through the biggest crisis since it took office. The fuse Guzmán did not calm the waters, Batakis is wearing out at supersonic speed and Alberto looks more and more like De la Rúa. Because he is running out of social base with a tightened working people, in a bad mood, with growing demands, and an establishment that demands to intensify the IMF measures and a framework of capitalist stability for its profits. From above they are patching up the crisis with a triumvirate of Alberto, Massa and Cristina. And they call the opposition of Juntos to a governability pact. The bureaucracy acts as guarantor. They continue to decide among a few and behind the backs of the people. And every minute that passes means less salary, less work, more misery for the people and more profits for those at the top and the IMF.
This is no longer the way to go, we hear more and more. The government talks about destabilization, when it was its own measures that generated the crisis and not only does it not lift a finger against the concentrated and speculative sectors, but it guarantees that they will continue profiting. Every minute that goes by there are more and more austerity measures that those at the top and the IMF decide in an authoritarian manner. They must all go. And it must be the working people who democratically decide which is the best way out. It is the people who must decide freely what to do with the economy and the model of the country. To resolve an alternative economic plan for the benefit of the majorities, to get the country out of the crisis, and also to change the rules of the game of this deceitful and corrupt political regime.
What is a Constituent Assembly?
The crisis that overwhelms us cannot be solved in our favor with a simple change of characters, nor of ministers, governors or presidents. That is why we believe that it is necessary to call elections for a Constituent Assembly, without limitations, with full sovereignty, to deliberate and decide how to get out of this national disaster and move towards another model. This is the most democratic solution.
The Constituent Assembly is a mechanism that even exists in the current Constitution to provide a way out in times of serious economic and political crisis, as it is happening now. National elections are called to vote representatives, but not to serve in Congress, but to reform the Constitution in all that is necessary, without any kind of limitation and, by declaring the Assembly free and sovereign, to also take the necessary short and medium term economic and social measures.
This call would open a broad process of democratic debate, with the participation of the working class, women, youth and popular sectors. For this, electoral participation must be guaranteed without any kind of exclusion. That all political currents have equal access to free spaces in the media. The debate must have no restrictions, in order to be able to decide on everything. The country must be considered as a single district.
In this capitalist “democracy”, only a few decide
To govern for the benefit of a handful of privileged, the governments that succeed one another (it happened with Macri, now with Alberto and all the governors) rely on a political regime that prevents true democratic participation. Institutions function to ensure that this status quo continues. Let’s see.
In the absence of any kind of popular control, they do the opposite of what they promise in their campaigns. Alberto promised money in his pocket and a full refrigerator, among other things, but he did not deliver. They govern by decrees, or impose anti-popular laws criminalizing the protest when the claims begin, as now with the social movements. They have the power to veto laws they do not like or do not comply with, leaving them without funds. They make agreements with the IMF without consulting the people. Alberto legalized the Macrista debt and pays it. They make pacts in Congress and the legislatures between the ruling and opposition blocs and nobody knows about it. The justice system is addicted to power, with judges appointed to the Supreme Court. The Church is supported by the State, with everyone’s money. The police is repressive and coercive and works as a praetorian guard of the rich, repressing in the streets and neighborhoods. The political caste recycles itself between privileges and corruption. They are at the service of the rich. They lie and make money in a thousand ways, but as there is no revocation of mandates they remain screwed in their positions. Senators and judges are almost for life. The business caste puts in and takes out officials. And all this in order to adjust the people and hand over the country and the common goods. What kind of democracy is this?
Changing the economic model
The Constituent Assembly would be a tool to debate urgent and also fundamental changes: a radical break with this political, economic and social regime.
A way out for the workers and the people should start by breaking with the IMF and not paying the foreign debt, that immense transfer of wealth to the financial capital. It is necessary to stop that flow and use those resources for an alternative economic plan that prioritizes wages, jobs, health and education. The banks and financial speculators are making fortunes: we must nationalize the banks to avoid capital flight and put an end to financial fraud. We must also nationalize foreign trade, to avoid capital flight and to stop agribusiness and exporters from plundering us, among other measures, such as charging heavy and permanent taxes to big fortunes and corporations. As we have been proposing from the MST in the FIT Unidad.
The political model too
The institutional regime must also be changed from its roots. We must put an end to the privileges of the political caste. Civil servants should earn the same as a school principal and use public schools and hospitals on a mandatory basis. Revocation of office for those who do not comply. Judges, prosecutors and commissioners should be elected by popular vote and should be revocable in case of bad performance.
The Senate is a feudal sequel, since it is not proportional to the population, but all provinces have three senators equally. This favors the smaller ones and harms the more populated ones, such as Buenos Aires. Furthermore, since two seats go to the winner and one to the second force, everything is left in the hands of the powerful feudal families of the provinces. It should be dissolved, as well as the provincial senates. We propose a single house of representatives, elected taking the country as a single district, without floors and with true proportionality according to the number of voters.
The Catholic Church must also be separated from the State, all subsidies to religions must be eliminated, as well as guaranteeing that the right to abortion and all gender rights are effectively enforced throughout the country.
A Constituent Assembly such as the one we are proposing would allow to open all these debates and initiate a change of direction. That is why it should not have any limitations or constraints. It must declare itself free and sovereign, with the broadest powers to reorganize and refound the country.
Our proposal will have as its nodal point a government of the workers and the people that moves towards a socialist Argentina.
Debate and mobilize for this proposal
We want to invite you to join us in debating and promoting this proposal and all the measures we have been proposing to get out of the crisis. To strengthen the MST and the FIT Unity to empower a left alternative for the workers, women and youth that puts an end to the false antinomy of the pejotistas coalitions and the right wing of Juntos and/or Milei. To put an end to this capitalist system of hunger and misery and build a different model, a socialist model and that once and for all we, the workers and the people govern.
We can’t go on this way anymore
By Cele Fierro
In just one week the dollar increased $100. In one day public transportation in the metropolitan area increased 40%. With a form you realized that if you earn 100 thousand pesos, which is equivalent to the market basket, you are segmented as ‘medium’ and you will pay the fare increase. If you are a public employee and you were about to become a permanent employee, you will not be able to do so. Every month inflation adds between 4 and 5 points per month, without excluding the possibility of reaching 100% per year. The markets open every day and the dollar, the blue dollar, the “cashed with correction fluid” dollar, the tourist dollar, etc. rise. In the media they explain the reason for all this in the most difficult way so that we do not understand it, but there is nothing simpler to know: in economy it is nothing more and nothing less than political decisions.
And the decision of this government was to ratify the IMF austerity program. Guzmán was fired and from then on, everything went out of control. Batakis, who took office with the support of Alberto, Cristina and Massa, is Georgieva’s best student. The head of the Fund highlighted her “initial efforts”, an effort that is nothing more than accelerating the tightening measures towards the workers that Guzman agreed with the IMF. In this way, she tried to reassure the markets, which are totally wary of this government. For greater reassurance, as well as greater indebtedness and subjugation, in her tour around the U.S., the Minister agreed to a new loan with the World Bank for USD 200 million.
While this is happening, the anger of broad sectors of workers, employed and unemployed, continues to grow in the face of a government that does not give answers to their demands.
It is not only this government, the whole political arc of the employers is in the same line. After the Vice-President’s attack on the social movements, Juntos-UCR and Morales raided and persecuted social referents in Jujuy. After the fare increase on buses in the AMBA, Larreta increased the subway fare. It is not something implicit, CFK herself called on the employers and the opposition to dialogue and reach a consensus with the government in order to achieve “social peace”, while the only thing they are doing is deepening the management of the austerity measures and in this way increasing social unrest and the possible conditions for an outburst.
All political decisions are aimed at deepening this system of misery and exploitation, to enlarge the pockets of those who flee with the money, the vultures and those who mark up prices. Among their decisions is not improving hospitals and public schools, creating genuine jobs and a public infrastructure plan to end the housing crisis, increasing salaries and pensions, or did you hear Batakis say anything about that? Because we are not among her decisions. So, if they do not make those decisions, it is time for us to make them.
Because this anti-democratic regime obsolete. Within four walls they decide everything, and always in favor of the same people. We say it without mincing words: they must all leave, we need a great mobilization like the Argentinazo of 2001, and thus put an end to the austerity plan. Besides, there is talk of holding elections earlier, but if there are elections they must be to a free and sovereign Constituent Assembly so that the people can decide everything. There, from the left, we would propose cutting ties with the IMF, heavy taxes on the big fortunes and that all those resources go to generating employment, wage increases and social programs. We would also nationalize the banks and foreign trade to stop speculation. Land ownership must be discussed: it is necessary to put an end to the fact that a 1% has 34% of the rural land ownership, which is at the service of extractivism. Thus, they lead the majority to this productive model at the service of the capital, while destroying the territories, water and our lives. But for this Argentinazo, we need with the Frente de Izquierda Unidad to advance in building a very solid left in its basic program, open to call and stronger in its daily intervention. Where agreements are a priority in the face of the logical differences that exist. We have to strengthen a political tool that is anti-capitalist, socialist and internationalist, that raises itself in every workers’ and popular struggle, against this declining system. It must destroy it and on its ashes, builds a new one, one where it is worth living.