In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, the Argentine president said that the values of his program are “nonnegotiable.”
Argentine President Javier Milei said there was “no plan B” for his proposals at the top of the government. The statements were made in an interview with the Wall Street Journal newspaper published this Sunday (January 28, 2024).
According to Milei, the “key values” of his government program are not “negotiable”.
“There is no plan B to make things right. Either you do them well or you do them well. If plan B is to do more or less things or negotiate, then that is the story of Argentina,” he explained.
Milei said he represents Argentinians' dissatisfaction with the economic instability in the country. The libertarian was elected head of Argentina's executive branch in November 2023, defeating Peronism with a liberal vision.
In his first speech after his election, he said his government was committed to free trade.
As a candidate, his main suggestions were:
- Business Closure of the central bank and dollarization of the Argentine economy. Stimulate currency competition in the country. Create an economic plan that allows for “severe reductions in public spending” and “the elimination of unproductive government spending.”
- Security reformulate Argentina's prison legislation, “depoliticize” the armed forces and build more prisons in collaboration with private companies. Deregulate the gun market and gun ownership for personal use by the public. Create a national database linked to surveillance cameras with facial recognition.
- Education establish a voucher system for universities. Dissolution of the Ministry of Education. Increase competitiveness in the higher education market. Reform the curriculum system based on the skilled workers the country needs, such as engineers and computer scientists.
- work implement new labor laws, with the end of compensation for unfair dismissal being the most important change. Establish an unemployment insurance system. Reduce taxes paid by employers. Reduce taxes on workers' wages.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Milei was asked about his intention to privatize stateowned companies. He said he wanted to advance the agenda “as quickly as possible.”
Shortly after his election, he announced that he would begin privatizing Argentina's stateowned oil companies YPF (Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales) and Enarsa (Energía Argentina Sociedad Anónima), as well as all of the country's public communications companies such as TV Pública, Télam and National Radio.
“Any stateowned company that can be sold will be sold as quickly as possible.” […] We will privatize everything we can. It's not a question of the name [de qual empresa será vendida]“It’s a matter of technical time constraints,” he said.
MILEI AND JUDAISM
The Argentine president also said he was considering converting to Judaism. “There is a possibility,” Milei said. However, he said he could not convert now because observing some religious commandments might conflict with his current position, such as observing Shabbat (day of rest).
Regarding the conflict between Israel and Hamas, the libertarian explained that he decided to condemn the extremist group's “acts of terrorism” and show solidarity with Israel.
“We believe that Israel has a legitimate right to defense in the face of the terrorist aggression to which it is subjected,” he said.
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