Thursday, May 31, 2012

'I save in dollars because I feel it's my right to do so,' Aníbal Fernández

Victory Front’s Senator Aníbal Fernández came on stage to explain why his savings are in dollars after the government, including him personally, launched not only strong restriction policies on dollar purchases, but told the population to forget about dollars and start thinking in pesos. His answer was more than eloquent: “I save in dollars because I feel like it.”

Hypocrisy has turned once again into the trending topic of the political agenda after Fernández's contradictory comments came along in a moment in which many high-ranked officials including Cabinet Chief Juan Manuel Abal Medina emphasized their support to the government’s latest measures to avoid the access to dollars.

During an early radio interview with Continental AM radio station, and later on with La Red AM, Fernández responded categorically to the journalists who asked him why he had chosen to save in dollars as it is stated in his last affidavit issued to the AFIP tax agency.

“Why do you care? That’s none of your business. Back then dollars purchases were open and I bought them legally.”

Asked once again why he did pick dollars over pesos, and if he would sell his dollars to collect pesos as he’s been recommending, the Senator exploded:

"First of all, I bought dollars because I felt like it. Didn’t you listen what I just said? It’s my money and my right to do whatever I want with my money."

And second of all, please do not ask me to do things that only a stupid person would do. I’m not stupid. I’m just a regular guy who made some money. I will neither sell my dollars at the official exchange rate nor at the black market price. Leave them [dollars] where they are as they are well kept.”

The very same Senator, warned two days ago that Argentina “should forget about the dollar and better start thinking in pesos”, after explaining that “only 11 percent of the population have their savings in dollars. Plus, the dollar is only printed in the US, we don’t have the green-maker.”

Likewise, Fernández had warned that dollars “should be preserved for things that really matter in times in which the country is growing, like imports of key products needed for the manufacturing of some other locally manufactured products.”

To conclude the contradictory and incoherent speech, the former Cabinet Chief bashed those “who are constantly promoting to save in dollars”, and concluded, “Saving in dollars is not a good way to keep personal savings.”