ARGENTINA: Chubut on Fire & more – 8th Feb 2024

¡Buenos días from Greenway Parks! This is the Rorshok Argentina Update from the 8th of February twenty twenty-four A quick summary of what's going down in Argentina.

We have updates from last week’s stories, and some of those aren’t great. The wildfire in the Chubut province keeps raging. While there was some relief on Friday with the light rain, the windy conditions are now speeding up the fire’s advances, and residents of the Alto Rio Percy area have had to evacuate.

Even after twelve days of intense efforts, the fire is spreading toward the city of Esquel, and it has devoured approximately 6,000 hectares of native woodland. The response so far entailed an intensive operation across eight sectors with helicopters, water-carrying planes, drones, and 330 people. Authorities have also launched investigations to discern the fire’s origins, including sniffer dogs.

In Buenos Aires, things have not been much more peaceful than in Patagonia, but for different reasons. While the lower house was debating the Omnibus bill on Thursday the 1st, outside the Congress building the police took harsh measures against protesters. Demonstrators faced water cannons, rubber bullets, and tear gas, leading to injuries even among journalists and deputies.

The federal police arrested four women who were singing the national anthem, accusing them of resisting authority. However, they released them the following morning after a bunch of political figures took to social media to criticize the move, saying the women were protesting peacefully.

As for the Omnibus bill itself, the lower house initially approved it on Friday the 2nd after three long days of debate. Despite President Milei’s party holding less than fifteen percent of the lower house, he garnered support from the center-right PRO party and two other moderate parties to advance his agenda.

This was after making some concessions, such as scaling back privatization plans and emergency executive powers. However, the revised bill underwent further scrutiny on Tuesday the 6th, with a detailed article-by-article voting. It was then that it became clear the bill lacked the necessary support for the pivotal sections, and instead it was returned to the committee stage for even more revisions.

Moving on, Jorge Macri, the Mayor of Buenos Aires City, announced that the city is going to put locals first when it comes to medical care at public hospitals in the capital. We’re not talking about Argentines in general, but specifically city residents. In fact, Macri didn’t hold back and called out Axel Kicillof, the governor of the Buenos Aires Province, hinting at the possibility of charging the province’s government for services provided to its citizens.

This whole issue blew up after a video went viral showing a doctor at the Argerich Hospital in La Boca having a tough time with patients, many of whom were from different parts of the Buenos Aires Province. Referring to the video, Macri blamed the provincial government for dropping the ball on healthcare.

Another thing for Buenos Aires residents to keep in mind is that, starting this week, there will be a significant increase in public transportation fares. Bus tickets now begin at 270 pesos (some twenty US cents, according to the parallel exchange rate) and train rides at 130 (twelve cents), doubling previous prices.

All users will have to pay these new fares until the 1st of April, after which people who have an unregistered SUBE transportation card will face even higher minimum fares of 430 pesos (forty cents) for buses and 260 pesos (twenty-three cents) for trains.

Subway fares, managed by the Buenos Aires City government, also saw a recent hike, with tickets now priced at 125 pesos.

These increases make sense if we take into account that petrol prices went up by another ten percent recently, and by a total of seventy-five percent in the last seven weeks.

Similarly, there have been significant price hikes in school supplies, with some products experiencing increases of over 500% compared to last year. As we head into the new school year, a basic kit, including a backpack and other essentials, starts at about 40,000 pesos (some thirty-six dollars at the parallel exchange rate.) Paper, the costliest item in this basket, has surged by 480%.

Partly as a result of these price increases, small and medium-sized businesses are facing a significant downturn in sales, with retail transactions dropping by almost thirty percent compared to the same period last year. According to a report by the Chamber of Small and Medium-sized Businesses, the sluggish performance in the commercial sector, characterized by limited transactions, reflects the erosion of consumer purchasing power. The report notes January as a “lost month,” attributed to economic uncertainty and steep price hikes outpacing wage adjustments, while expressing hope for a demand rebound in the coming months.

Despite all of this, President Milei expressed optimism about the country’s economic outlook, suggesting that inflation has begun to slow down and emphasizing a positive trajectory ahead. Congressman Oscar Zago, who leads Milei’s Libertarian bloc, projected January’s inflation at twenty percent, acknowledging it as a reduction from previous rates.

In other news, the president initiated his official visit to Israel by pledging to relocate Argentina’s embassy to West Jerusalem. During his arrival at Tel Aviv’s airport, Milei reaffirmed Argentina’s support for Israel’s defense against Hamas, labeling the group as a terrorist organization.

His delegation comprised his sister Karina Milei, Foreign Minister Diana Mondino, and Argentina’s prospective ambassador to Israel, Rabbi Axel Wahnish.

Speaking of Karina Milei, the Secretary General to the Presidency is now in charge of government communication and institutional media relations. This was defined by an emergency decree that also tasks Cabinet Chief Nicolás Posse with overseeing the management and control of government-owned media outlets, along with decision-making powers regarding policies related to National Public Media.

The decree also subjects all state media to public trusteeship for the next year. These changes mark a significant reorganization within the government, potentially paving the way for privatization.

While the government asserts that the takeover aims for greater operational efficiency, opposition voices, including the Unión por la Patria Senate bloc and the journalists’ union, condemned the decision as authoritarian and illegal, expressing concerns about the erosion of media plurality and integrity.

Something similar is happening with Aerolíneas Argentinas, the flagship carrier. The Infrastructure Ministry revealed plans to streamline the company by cutting nearly half of its departments and reducing senior management roles. Air transport unions, like APTA, have criticized the reforms, citing concerns over an open skies policy allowing increased competition and foreign involvement. They are also accusing the government of favoring business interests over national control and workers’ rights, ultimately leading to plans for a strike.

From open skies to open water, Ushuaia, the city in the southernmost tip of Argentina, is experiencing a highly successful cruise season, with a potential record number of calls and passengers estimated at 250,000. Roberto Murcia, the head of the Tierra del Fuego province ports corporation, highlighted the improved docking capacities and logistics, which have contributed to the city’s appeal as a top cruise destination. He emphasized the collaborative efforts between the public and private sectors, which led to Ushuaia being recognized as one of the best cruise ports in South America.

In other water-related news, a man attempted to swim across the Rio de la Plata from Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay, to Buenos Aires. Despite his experience as a swimmer, tragedy struck as he suffered a fatal cardiac arrest shortly after reaching the shore of Buenos Aires. His endeavor contributes to the arduous legacy of those who have dared to undertake this crossing, a feat achieved by only a select few throughout history, including Argentine-British swimmer Lilian Harrison in nineteen twenty-three.

Sadly, we also have to bid farewell to El Tula, the iconic football fan who attended every World Cup match and multiple others in support of the National Team. He even received FIFA’S Fan Award at the “The Best” ceremony on behalf of Argentina’s fans after the twenty twenty-two Qatar World Cup.

Aand that is for this week.

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¡Nos vemos la próxima semana!