By Alejandro Bodart, ISL and MST in the FIT Unity leadership
The public works corruption case and Cristina’s conviction raises the debate of the entire political caste, the network of corruption that businessmen tap into to do business and capitalist politicians use to enrich themselves. On this issue there is no divide between the PJ and Juntos. Even libertarians like Milei promote companies that later go bankrupt, for a payout.
It crudely exposes the decadent capitalist system, of which corruption is a structural and intrinsic part, to guarantee the profiteering of the richest 1%. It also includes the union bureaucracy, which is complicit in turning over workers’ gains to guarantee the bosses’ exploitation, after receiving “envelopes” under the table.
It calls into question judges and prosecutors who make political decisions about which causes to advance or not, and they have adopted this case to investigate at their convenience. A classist justice, at the service of the rich, which we have seen in action these days. Beyond the fact that Cristina is not going to jail and that there is still a long process ahead, we do not validate or recognize this judiciary that acts according to political convenience to condemn or disable, when what they least seek is justice or reaching the truth.
Nor do we recognize their authority to judge trade union or social activists. Nor to investigate people who earn a measly 28,000 pesos, while they don’t investigate those who fled an entire GDP abroad, or agribusiness and price makers, who speculate with food and have record profits at the expense of the poverty of working people.
We have the right to investigate the corruption of the rulers
Corruption is a practice for capitalists to win public works contracts and for politicians to finance politics and amass fortunes. Julio De Vido, Lázaro Báez and José López’s appear there, but so do Macri, Arribas, Aranguren and others. The entire political arch of the system is responsible for this, regardless of whether they are accused of electoral calculations.
For our part, we defend the right of the population to know what happened to the money that drains into the dark sewer of corruption. To get to the truth, find out who is responsible and punish them without leaving doubts about a fair and impartial process. To that end, we on the left are the only ones who propose an independent investigation to guarantee progress against all corruption, that of the PJ, of Macrism, the libertarians or the dictatorship.
We demand the creation by law of an Independent Investigation Commission, a CONADEP of corruption, with the necessary attributes to investigate and have all necessary access. Made up of unquestionable personalities, human rights activists, intellectuals and workers recognized for their career, without any commitment to political or economic power.
A fundamental change of the judicial system
While rejecting the conviction, Cristina made strong demands, but she dis not call for organizing any measures against that judicial “mafia” that can attack anyone’s rights. Neither during her presidency nor now does she propose a comprehensive reform of the judiciary that she denounces. Because, deep down, nobody wants to go against the judicial framework that serves the interests of both sides of the divide.
To that end, we propose the election of judges and prosecutors by popular vote, with the revocation of their mandate and the end of eternal positions, with salaries like a school director’s and having to attend, them and their families, the public hospital and school, in addition to the extension of jury trials. Against a partial, anti-democratic, repressive judiciary at the service of capitalist interests, only the left proposes these measures to radically transform it.