Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Opposition confirms attendance to CFK's meeting

As both PRO and Socialist parties have already confirmed attendance to President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner's speech for today at 7pm, the presence of Radical Party members is divided as the head of the UCR's bloc in the Upper House Senator Luis Naidenoff rejected the invitation as “the party can’t go to a blind date in which no one knows what is going to be said”, but other members as Ricardo Gil Lavedra and Mario Barleta confirmed their attendance.

 

Provincial governors were invited to the event, even though those not servile to the national government as it were the case of San Luis Governor Claudio Poggi, and the heads of the opposition blocs at both Upper and Lower houses, among other opposition leaders including CGT Labour Confederation boss Hugo Moyano.

UCR's Naidenoff confirmed they received a phone call making the invitation for today’s speech, but remarked that the UCR’s absense “comes as a show of respect for the nation’s institutions”, and conitnued, "I asked the government what the meeting was to be about but they did not want to disclose any information. Rumors indicates is going to be about Malvinas. Well, if rumors are true, then we think it deserves a more serious treatment."

Meanwhile, UCR's bloc head in the Lower House Ricardo Gil Lavedra confirmed he will attend to the Government House in compoany of the president of the Radical Party's National Committee Mario Barleta.  

On the contrary, the head of the PRO party caucus in the Lower House, Deputy Federico Pinedo, confirmed the presence of the men led by Buenos Aires City Mayor and business tycoon Mauricio Macri.

"We received the invitation as everything indicates that the main topic will be Malvinas, which is a topic that affect us all as Argentines, and goes beyond any existant political differences among parties."

Likewise, Socialist Progressive Front leader Hermes inner confirmed that his party will attend the meeting including Deputy Juan Carlos Zabalza, and Santa Fe's Governor Antonio Bonfati.    

The UCR’s decision to not attend today’s meeting also shows the rejection against the President’s modus operandi when addressing the opposition in which space for discussion and/or debate is almost null.

Not even a week ago, during the announcement of a 17.6 percent increase on pension floors; the President was clear about her thoughts on power and how far limits can be pushed once a politician gains the trust and votes of the people: “This President has been elected with 54 percent of the votes, and those who think different than me, who have all the right to do so, plus those who think that things must be done in a different way, should better start participating in politics and join a party, and then if they are voted, they can go ahead and do whatever they want.”

It was the very same presidential Legal Secretary Carlos Zannini who used to joke around saying “You don’t talk to the President, you listen to her.” In the same tune, Buenos Aires province Deputy Governor Gabriel Mariotto once remembered, “We are not freethinkers; we just receive orders as verticality is part of our movement (Kirchnerism).”

The Editor in Chief of Malvinas’ only newspaper Penguin News, Lisa Watson, expressed her concerns about today’s possible announcements on her Twitter account: “Hhmmm wonder what's going to happen next? She (Fernández de Kirchner) knows how to create drama.”

The use of grandiloquent massmedia announcements wrapped in drama has been one of the Kirchnerite’s favorite tools for approaching masses as well maiing direct attacks on the enemies of the Kirchnerite models.

Argentine famous semiologist Eliseo Verón indicated that debate and discussion play no part every time the Head of State comes on stage, “her massmedia messages are more related to the film language than to that of politics. She is the only one talking and some times she doesn’t even approach the audience. Instead she talks to the rest of the actors present by her side to which she always warns not to mess around as she is the only boss in charge.”