MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

CFK says nationalization is not rooted in ideology or populism, but disastrous private management

The Argentine president recalled she is one of the few leaders left from the original group of G20 launched in 2008

Argentine President Cristina Fernández vindicated on Tuesday the nationalization of public services and said that all decisions made “are not rooted in ideology or populist decisions. It’s the disaster caused by the concessionary companies that forces us to intervene”.

The head of state made the statement during the opening of a water processing plant in metropolitan Buenos Aires, belonging to a nationalized water and sewage company originally under French control (Suez Water) but which was seized in 2006 under the government of President Nestor Kirchner.

The French Suez company “had not honoured absolutely anything of what it had promised” but immediately added “mind you the French are not to blame, it is the business people, they are the same all the world around, so please let’s not mix things, the French people had nothing to do with Suez” said the Argentine leader.

“Decisions taken involving nationalization of public services are not rooted in ideology or populist decisions. It’s the disaster caused by the concessionary companies that force us to intervene”, underlined the Argentine president in reference to the water works nationalized in 2006 and obviously the recent seizure of YPF from Spain’s Repsol.

Immediately she blasted those (Argentines) “who said with nationalization everything would collapse and we would be isolated from the world. Well we’ve done it and we will do it every time it is necessary, and here we are proud of the achievements of the nationalized waters’ public service”.

“These are small interest groups, but very powerful which need the people to continue excluded from public services, and it is very strange and rather curious that come haven’t even realized the benefits of delivering the benefits of public services” insisted Cristina Fernandez in direct reference to her domestic critics regarding the seizure of YPF.

Likewise CFK criticized policies in other parts of the world. “How many times have we heard about certain policies and I look and see what is happening in Europe, the US, but mainly in Europe, the heart of the crisis, and some seem to forget what is going on”.

The president then referred to the trip of Vice President Amado Boudou to Washington where he was booed and covered in flyers demanding Argentina be expelled “as a rat” from the G20.

“When we meet next time I think it will be at the most two or three heads of state that will have been present since the launching of the group in 2008” insisted CFK adding that her former husband Nestor Kirchner was the president who founded the basis for the current Argentine model and who against all odds decided to restructure the sovereign debt.

“They forecasted we would be outcast from the world some twenty times, by now we should be in Mars”.

Finally the president called on all Argentines for “a major exercise of responsibility and common sense, from the workers, the business people, and students and ‘John Doe’ the common citizen who works hard every day and is not involved in politics”.

“I’m doing a great personal sacrifice and you must be everywhere with the political decision of confronting minority interests. Even when many times I have to say no to some of the 40 million Argentines, I also remember that trying to please everybody ends pleasing nobody. Our duty is to please our country, and our history, it can be done, and must be done”, concluded CFK.