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Montevideo, March 19th 2024 - 07:01 UTC

 

 

“Argentina never created conditions for Falkland Islanders to become Argentine citizens”, lawmaker Milei

Wednesday, April 13th 2022 - 10:45 UTC
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Javier Milei, a libertarian politician, economics professor who is shaking the Argentine political establishment or “political cast”, as he calls both the ruling and opposition coalitions Javier Milei, a libertarian politician, economics professor who is shaking the Argentine political establishment or “political cast”, as he calls both the ruling and opposition coalitions

“Malvinas sovereignty negotiations are going to be very long. it's a complicated issue”, and although a territorial claim, “Argentina never created the conditions for Falkland Islanders to want to become Argentine citizens”, said Javier Milei, an Argentine member of the Lower House who was the sensation of last October's midterm election

Brashly independent, libertarian, an outsider and caustic critic of what he defines as the “Argentine political cast”, which costs taxpayers 5% of the country's GDP, --and with no results--, and who has pledged to eliminate the Central bank, --which has been used by corrupt politicians to print money and keep their privileges--, managed to surprise the strongly established political system by becoming the third force in the city of Buenos Aires with 13,7% of cast votes.

His newly created party, “Freedom advances”, according to opinion polls has not ceased to grow, and has the following of an electorate fed up with Argentine politics, --ruling and opposition coalitions and their “socialists” policies, that do not deliver to tax payers--. He is a consummate radio host, always willing to give his opinion and debate with opponents, forecasting that if Argentina, one of the richest countries in the world, continues on the path of either the ruling or opposition coalitions, will end as a gigantic slum, “villa miseria”.

He is 50, an economics professor, an admirer of the Austrian economics school of Frederick Hayek and to express his despise of the political system privileges, raffles his monthly stipend, since “the job I was elected for is to serve the people, not to collect parliamentary expenses or allowances”

Milei declares he lives from conferences, as an economics advisor and professor and is also employed by the Grupo America, belonging to Eduardo Eunerkian OBE, the Argentine/Armenian born millionaire who financed the Argentine military cemetery at Darwin, and trips of the next of kin.

Precisely this month and coincidence with the start of the South Atlantic conflict, he was asked about the Falklands/Malvinas dispute.

“The Malvinas situation is an issue linked to a territorial claim, since it has to do with geography. These are the conditions under which rights are built. However that is not the methodology. Besides, Argentina never created the conditions for the inhabitants of the Malvinas Islands to want to become Argentines. Therefore it is an extremely complicated situation, in which Argentina committed all possible errors, resulting in a stuck and muddy situation. So now it is a counter-factual scenario because of all the errors. It is most complicated”

Milei added, “if we want the Islands to return and become part of Argentina some day, is will mean a long, very long negotiation in which Argentina must propose something interesting. And Argentina is not an interesting country, if its own people are choosing to leave the country,” concluded the lawmaker whose party is identified with the head of a lion and mane, and begins his speeches, “let me listen the lions roaring”

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  • Swede

    “Argentina should not be trying to make the islanders want to be Argentinians”. But you want to FORCE them to be Argentinians. According to Argentine law they already ARE Argentinians. Argentine citizenship is one of the few on the planet which is unrenouncible. It is impossible to get rid of it. But, fortunately, Argentine laws cannot be enforced in the F.I. There are no Argentine police, no Argentine prosecutors, no Argentine lawyers, no Argentine courts, no Argentine prisons, no Argentine nothing there.

    Apr 13th, 2022 - 09:56 pm +5
  • Jo Bloggs

    He won’t last long…sadly.

    Reading between the lines he believes the Falklands is a lost cause but even he knows to say that at this stage would be risky. Let’s watch his publicly stated stance become more realistic as (if) his numbers continue to grow.

    Apr 13th, 2022 - 11:49 am +4
  • Falklands-Free

    No matter how much Argentine policy changes to try and make the islanders want to become Argentine, it simply wont happen. If we felt we wanted to be Argentines we would have leaned towards that when Argentina was a very wealthy country. But we did not for the simple fact we dont want to become Argentines, never have and never will. More so since they brutally invaded us in 1982. That was the last nail in the coffin of any hope of ever wanting to become Argentine.
    Their track record is really bad. They are known land grabbers. They treat their own people with contempt. They have destroyed their own economy. They have created mass poverty. They have become debt ridden. They even got rid of upwards of thirty thousand people who simply dissapeared.
    Why in gods name would we ever contemplate changing our rationality.
    We chose by an internationally recognised referendum in 2013 by an overwhelming convincing majority of 99.98% to remain a British Overseas Territory and to live the lives of our choosing.
    The islanders have decided their future and it's not with Argentina period.

    Apr 13th, 2022 - 12:40 pm +4
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