Government-aligned lawmakers and jurists came out in defence of the reform to the Penal Code yesterday after it faced strong criticism last week from much of the opposition.
“We need to stop worrying people, as they have enough to worry about in their daily lives,” said Buenos Aires province governor Daniel Scioli, emphasizing the bill was far from finished — “a draft is just a draft.”
“Let’s see how the government finally does this, if they send it, or how they send it, or when they send it, then you can make more responsible, serious and objective comments,” argued Scioli.
The governor assured the public that President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s government has no intention to “open prisons and allow dangerous criminals to go free,” countering claims that prison terms would be lowered.
“The reform doesn’t favour criminals,” agreed Victory Front (FpV) lawmaker Diana Conti, adding that Renewal Front leader Sergio Massa, who launched much of the criticism, was “not serious,” describing the former Tigre mayor as “a sleazy marketer and a demagogue.”
For his part, Léon Arslanián, a former justice minister who took part in the commission to write up the draft that was led by Supreme Court Justice Raúl Zaffaroni noted that those criticizing the reform were trying to “obtain votes at whatever price” by “confusing and cornering people like livestock.”
Arslanián warned that by doing this members of the opposition were creating “social alarm over the legal draft” that still “needs a lot more work” and that the point of the reform was to make criminal penalties effective, because raising prison terms “can’t be a continuous panacea.”
Arslanián criticized the former Tigre mayor’s attempt to launch a referendum on the reform, slamming what he perceived as an attempt to “abort the code’s debate by stirring fears.”
Meanwhile, Renewal Front lawmaker Graciela Camaño said that President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner defended her party’s proposal, saying that Article 40 of the national Constitution allows for this type of public consultation.
Herald staff with DyN