A lack of respect to democracy institutions, was how Cabinet Chief Jorge Capitanich has considered statements by UIA’s head Héctor Méndez who compared ruling Victory Front (FpV) MPs’ voting to the dictatorship-era due obedience law.
“Cataloguing as a dictatorship the Victory Front’s majority in Congress constitutes a reckless accusation, absolutely unfounded, which is a lack of respect to the institutions of democracy and political parties,” the head of ministers said while addressing reporters this morning at the government house.
Amid strong resistance by the private-sector business leadership opposing to the government-sponsored consumers bill that involves an amendment to Argentina’s anti-hoarding legislation, chairman of the Argentine Industrial Union (UIA) yesterday compared FpV’s lawmakers to a “troop” that “recalled” him of the “dictatorship and the famous due obedience” law, alluding to the country’s 1976-1983 dark period.
“The Congress has 257 lawmakers and 72 senators, all elected by popular will and Mr. Méndez is not elected by popular will but by the representation of big economic groups that put businessmen of less magnitude to defend covertly their interests; I mean, they (business leaders) are figureheads to say what they (economic groups) don’t dare saying,” Capitanich affirmed expressing his “repudiation” to Méndez’s comments, demanding for “respect” to “dissent” that “all democracy must have.”
“I don’t know what they complaint about when all the opposition represents genuinely the interests of the G6 and concentrated groups that have a qualified representation in Congress,” the ex governor of the Chaco province insisted today.
“But evidently these interests don’t match the majority of the Argentinean people that gave the Victory Front the majority in Congress. When people vote, they do it so that we make sovereign decisions.”
Source: Buenos Aires Herald