MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Book crudely exposes Kirchner’s tactics to remain in power

“The Landlord” Kirchner and his “penguins” who came from windy Patagonia

The Landlord (El Dueño) is the title of the latest book released in Argentina which tells the story of how a shy and humiliated adolescent manages to become the richest, most powerful and vindictive president of Argentina, according to the internet site Hipercritico.com which belongs to the author of the book Luis Majul.

The book on former President Nestor Kirchner is also a revealing investigation on his brutal strategy to keep hold on power thus avoiding the twilight or going to jail in 2011 when his wife, President Cristina Fernandez four year mandate comes to an end.

According to some of the Buenos Aires press critics the book is the most complete and documented evidence of the corruption scandals of the Kirchner couple administration, including those less publicized.

The Landlord reveals details so far unknown of the violent struggle of Mr. Kirchner with Argentina’s most powerful daily Clarin which belongs to a media group that also dominates a net work of radio and television stations. Among the revelations is that referred to a Clarin political affairs editor who had become a “spy” for the government until he was discovered and fired.

Majul also exposes details of corruption, inside trading and favouritism in areas such as gambling, public works, oil, banking, transport, power generation and the media. It also supplies evidence of Mr. Kirchner links with several well known personalities repeatedly names in cases before the courts for alleged irregularities plus the name of an enigmatic multimillionaire who pays for many of the couple’s bills in their Patagonia resort of El Calafate.

The book gives details of when Mr. Kirchner had several directors of Argentina’s Internal Revenue Service flown to Rio Gallegos to help his accountant fill up his income tax statement.

The Landlord shows how Mr. Kirchner and his closest advisors have taken control of most Argentine government companies to protect friends, manipulates statistic and “put the noose” on those businessmen who would not yield to the “K” gang demands or “invitation” to associate.

Several chapters are dedicated to President Cristina Kirchner and her psychological dependency on her husband. Details of how Kirchner put pressure on his wife to resign in July 2008, following the “positive-negative” vote of Vice-President Eduardo Cobos which turned into a major defeat for the government and its agriculture policies.

The Landlord offers evidence of how the fortune of the presidential couple and that of its loyal ministers, secretaries and trusted officials has multiplied several times in a few years in spite of recession and hard times for a majority of fellow Argentines.

Finally the book helps understand much of what has occurred in Argentina in the last six years and what could happen from now until 2011 when the next presidential election, which obviously Mr. Kirchner is obsessed in retaining.

Meantime Mr. Majul who has not only limited his gunfire on the Kirchners: he has several other books where he exposes “the real power behind Argentine politics”, said he fears for his life.