Sao Paulo
Javier Milei decided to impress his “Happy 2024” wishes on Argentines in the official message he published on Saturday evening (30), until the end of the video.
In just over 20 days of his term in office, the Argentine president has put forward tough proposals such as cuts in subsidies, reductions in the size of the state and the number of ministries, and restrictions on protests.
At a time of year when presidents prefer to deliver good news, Argentina's new president decided to begin his speech by reminding people that the population must be prepared for the worst. In the sevenminute video, it seems as if he only remembers that it was New Year's Eve at the end.
Milei predicts that next year will be difficult for everyone and that the country could face “an economic catastrophe of unknown proportions for every living Argentine” if Congress does not approve the measures presented by his government.
The socalled “bus law” (as it covers several sectors from business to politics) includes a total of 664 articles and provides, among other things, for the abolition of primary elections, changes in the criminal sector and the deregulation of the economy.
Combined with the 366 articles of another decree from last week, the measures define the more than a thousand changes that the new government wants to make in a “liberal revolution”.
The changes are aimed at attracting investment, reducing the size and bureaucracy of the state and giving the executive branch powers on matters that require legislative approval. Some measures increase penalties under the premise of law and order.
Milei explained that although many Argentines were impressed by the number of measures and the speed with which the new government had proposed profound changes, they were necessary to mitigate the impact of what he saw as the worst legacy in history, which is the new government left behind previous government. , by Alberto Fernández.
“We are talking about an economy with a consolidated deficit of 15 points, with money issuance equal to 20 points of GDP over the last four years, with energy and transport prices artificially depressed to up to a fifth of their real value and with a central bank without reserves and with inflation reaching 1.2% daily in recent weeks. Annualized, this would mean approximately 7,500% per year.”
Milei explained that the measures proposed by the new government are the first steps to reverse and leave behind once and for all the economic model that, in his view, has plunged Argentines into misery.
In his message to the population, Milei said that the consequences of not approving the measures would be even worse than those of the 2001 and 2002 crisis.
The year 2001 ended in a spiral of “corralito” and “corralón” crises that continue to haunt Argentine politics today, with the resignation of President Fernando de la Rúa, the end of convertibility between the peso and the dollar, street protests with fatalities, etc Violations, confiscation and devaluation of currency.
To prevent the worst, the president asked the population for support for the reforms. “This law gives the executive branch the powers necessary to act in the face of this emergency and prevent economic catastrophe, and also promotes deep reforms in trade, taxation, manufacturing, social welfare, educational security and in all areas of government,” said he .
With a minority in the legislature, the anarchocapitalist used the yearend message to call on the population to put pressure on representatives and senators to agree to the changes. “If all political, social, trade union and economic actors in the country understand the historic moment we are living and support our program, I am sure that there will be light at the end of the road.”
The president also said he believes that, despite the difficulties of 2024, this could be the year in which the country leaves behind the “collectivist model” that has left it poor and will once again embrace the “freedom model.” , which made it one hundred percent rich years before. .
Read Milei's full speech:
Just before the New Year celebrations begin, I would like to address all Argentines to offer my greetings and a short message. Tomorrow marks the first three weeks since we assumed leadership of the nation. Since December 10, we have designed a stabilization shock plan, reduced the size of the state, implemented a new public policy doctrine, and promoted more than 500 reforms, among many other initiatives.
Some were impressed by the number and severity of the measures we took. The truth is that they were necessary to mitigate the impact of history's worst legacy. These are the first steps to turn the tide and leave behind once and for all the economic model, the caste, that plunged Argentines into poverty for more than a hundred years. Radically changing this model of impoverishment is a nonnegotiable commitment that I have made with all Argentines. However, the inherited problem is very deep.
We are talking about an economy with a consolidated deficit of 15 points, money issuance of 20 points of GDP over the last four years, energy and transport prices artificially depressed to up to a fifth of their real value and a central bank without reserves and with inflation, which has reached 1.2% daily in recent weeks. Annualized, this would mean approximately 7,500% per year.
A legacy that condemns half of Argentines to poverty, particularly affecting seven out of ten of our children. This is a worse situation than that of 20012002, which was the worst crisis in our history. We are therefore facing a national emergency that requires us to act immediately and forcefully, using as many tools as possible, well beyond the resources we have deployed in these first weeks.
I want to make one thing clear: if we don't do what is necessary, we are now heading for an economic catastrophe, the extent of which no Argentinian knows yet. That's why we have submitted to Congress a bill that could well determine the fate of our country, confident that it will be passed in the coming weeks. We call this law “Fundamentals and starting points for the freedom of Argentines,” in honor of Juan Bautista Alberdi, the intellectual author of our first Constitution.
With his ideas as a beacon, the country project was realized that made Argentina the richest country in the world between the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. This law gives the executive branch the necessary powers to act in the face of this emergency and prevent economic catastrophe, and also promotes deep reforms in trade, taxation, manufacturing, social security, educational security and in all areas of government.
The spirit of the law is to return to a free country with a limited state that defends the life, liberty and property of Argentines. A country where public order is respected, a country where politics does not exploit citizens but is at their disposal. Where everyone is free to work, produce, employ, trade, import and export as they see fit, rather than as a bureaucrat dictating the rules of a government office. Who can prefer the devastated country of today to the prosperous country we propose?
In a few weeks, when the moment of truth comes, the country's representatives and senators will be faced with two options. Will they be able to reject the law and continue with the model that has impoverished us for a hundred years, or will they be able to pass the law to bring about profound change and reembrace the ideas of freedom?
Last year I established a code of honor with the Argentinians. It is better to tell an inconvenient truth than a convenient lie. And although I promised not a path full of roses, but a path full of effort and sacrifice, the vast majority of Argentines returned the favor with their vote.
I will insist on a hard truth that I have said many times: because of the irresponsible decisions of recent governments, the next year will be difficult for all of us. But the other certainty I have is that if our program is hampered by the same old people who don't want that, we won't have the tools to prevent this crisis from becoming a social catastrophe of biblical proportions something changes.
Avoiding this disastrous future to which they have led us depends on all of us, it depends on us and the government working every day to protect Argentines as we have done, it depends on union and social leaders who must face the historic responsibility of choosing between the common good and wellbeing. Protecting or safeguarding their personal interests depends on the representatives and senators who must debate in Congress and decide whether or not they want to be part of the solution they want to continue to be part of the problem. And it also depends on good Argentinians who recognize that we are facing a turning point in our history and who trust that we can move forward as a nation.
And that is why I invite all good Argentines to demand the approval of this law from their representatives. The country needs this. If all political, social, trade union and economic actors in the country understand the historical moment we are living and support our program, I am sure that there will be light at the end of the road.
Essentially, our reforms would mean a level of economic freedom that, over 45 years, would allow us to increase our GDP per capita tenfold and reach levels similar to Ireland's, which is 50% higher today of the United States.
Finally, I would like to wish all Argentines once again a Happy New Year. I hope you can spend it with your families and loved ones. This could be the year we end a century of failure. This could be the year we leave behind the collectivist model that made us poor and reembrace the model of freedom that made us the richest country in the world.
My wish for this new year is that the political leadership puts aside its ideological blinders and vested interests and rises to the occasion so that it can quickly advance the changes the country needs. Finally, may God bless Argentinians and may the forces of heaven be with us.
Thank you.