MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Malvinas Veterans, Fallen and Families Day

Miguel Angel Pichetto, Argentina's National Auditor

April 2nd is a special date in the calendar of Argentine events, the country renders homage to the Malvinas Veterans, Fallen, and Families of mostly thousands of raw Conscripts sent by the military Junta 41 years ago, in 1982 to invade and occupy the Falkland Islands. Argentina has been claiming sovereignty over the Falklands, alleging inheritance from once the Spanish empire, and later Argentine governments extended their demand to include “South Atlantic Islands and surrounding maritime spaces”.

Argentina systematically ignores the existence of Falkland Islanders, the people who have lived in the Islands as farmers for generations, with positive neighborly attitudes towards their larger neighbor, and living even before the existence of Argentina as a country. In modern times Argentina governments also ignore the right of Islanders to self determination, enshrined in the UN charter, and invest massive resources and diplomacy in their claim, with April 2nd despite, being a military invasion by a military dictatorship, with the loss of hundreds of lives, remembered as an epic accomplishment, in the name of the motherland, and the so called Malvinas, “national feeling”, which can also be identified as a clear colonial attitude. Not to mention the recent decisions of the current Kirchnerite government of breaking all civilized good neighborly ties with the Falklands, and the setting up of a naval/air base in Tierra del Fuego to “keep track” of the Falklands “squatters” and their “spurious” intentions.

Last year was the fortieth anniversary of the Liberation of the Falkland Islands, when Argentine occupying forces surrendered to a UK Task Force sent to recover them. Commemorations were held in the Falklands and UK, and Argentina also took advantage to further push its claim and glorify the invasion.

This year however the nationalistic slogans and commemorations in Argentina should be more humble, the latest official statistics indicate that almost 40% of the Argentine population are poor, that is some 18 million people and another four million live in indigenous conditions. Besides 54% of those below the age of 29 are also dirt poor, in one of the richest countries in the world. Over a decade, Kirchnerite governments have managed what seemed impossible. Buenos Aires, once a booming, proud city is full of homeless families, evicted for not having jobs or being unable to pay their rents. In effect this week the twin sister of a three month child died of cold and hunger in a precarious tent at the gates of the Pink House (Casa Rosada, Government House), in the heart of Buenos Aires. Mother, father and children have been living in the streets for a year, with no jobs no home or the correct political contacts.

Likewise the National Auditor of Argentina, Miguel Angle Pichetto, has exposed and denounced that prime land belonging to the Argentine state is being handed out to so called social militants, in this case Juan Grabois, who is closely linked to the Vatican of Argentine Pope Francis. In effect prime land in Argentina's best known seaside resort, Mar del Plata, some 150 hectares overlooking the sea, have been awarded to “social organizations”, allegedly to set up vegetable plots, to help combat hunger. Likewise along the coast of the Nahule Huapi lake in Bariloche, another posh resort, tens of hectares have been granted to social groups by Kirchnerite militants and corrupt judges. Some of this land apparently belongs to the Argentine army and some church parishes, but eviction rulings are not respected and/or are met with violent resistance. But the worse case seems to be the granting of Patagonia land to the alleged aboriginal Mapuche tribes, supposedly a payback for peace and non complied treaties between the tribes and the then newly Argentine formed government state. However, honest Argentine courts have ruled there is nothing “aboriginal” about the so called Mapuche tribes, but rather a huge scam. The millions of hectares they have been granted or forcibly occupied are then sold to private interested parties. Obviously Kirchnerite government militants are involved.

Maybe it is time for the Argentine government to look at the self inflicted consequences of what is going on at home and stop harassing peaceful people willing to have normal, civilized, good neighborly relations.