translated from Spanish: Minister Palacios ahead of pension withdrawal project: “We are going to transform into a banana country”

“It’s a little disappointing to see such short-term attitudes and helping issues as important as the pensions of people who are already low. It gives me the can that seeing a conjunctural debate takes place and that the pensions which need to be increased and not reduced are incorporated into this debate. We have to be responsible because if we continue to pierce institutionality and put our hands on what is of people for old age, we are going to become a banana country and the banana countries are poor, unequal and with weak democracies,” economy minister Lucas Palacios said of the current political and ad portas of a new workshop in the project that would allow 10% of the planned savings to be withdrawn from the AFPs.” At times the difficult, what the political and leadership class is asked to do is a greater responsibility and ability to agree with those tools that are best to resolve the current situation that is profound but transitory, but without putting into check long-term solutions that are pensions. But if we remove the money that people need for their old age to solve conjunctural problems today, I don’t think it’s the right tool,” he added in Radio Universe.” I have been traveling the country and no one has raised a resquemoration or fear of the performance of parties or politicians from anywhere. The problems are real, what you live are real problems and what leaders have to do is live up to it. There are no two political sides, everyone should be on the side of citizenship and that is why it is required is the ability to agree on the best solutions, but without putting in check on what is important to people as their pensions. There is a kind of country-level disillusionment with the inability that has been observed, at times, to reach agreement on such important matters and it is a challenge that we must all build, here there are no political sides, here is a fundamental objective that is the people of Chile.” We from the central government, as well as the municipalities, especially in these conditions, have difficulty reaching the right information to those who need the tools of the State. For example, the IFE requires people to be registered in the Social Registry of Households, I have had to talk to poor people who require it and do not know that this IFE exists, so it is always a challenge to be able to reach the people who need it most with information,” he added. “Here I think we have to make more effort and if you say self-criticism, I think yes, you have to make a greater effort in that matter.” Asked by the announcement of IFE Plus or expanding the coverage of the Middle Class Plan requested by the UDI, Palacios replied: “That announcement will be made is being done to perfect it, all these things are innovations. In these four months we have taken out a lot of initiatives that are innovative, that did not exist, where deep assessments must be made with legal impacts. The idea is that it reaches people with the biggest problems. That has difficulty and lag. I would love for everyone to come up on the first day, but they all come up according to the development of the reality that generates information from people.” “We have brought out enough measures and if we see other countries, there are countries that take us forward and we lift and implement the good measures and have worked, but the coverage, the bureaucracy, our system is not ready.” On the situation at CHV he noted that “it is clear that there are tensions. (…) here what should prevail is the country project, we do not have time not to solve tensions. The country needs it and expects its leaders to rise to the occasion, all, of government and opposition and that these tensions will be put aside to succeed. We are in a situation that does not give room for tensions and yes for problem solving and to reach agreements that correspond to agreements,” he argued.” When there is a perforation of institutionality with transient motives, with inadmissible projects, when we confuse the roles of each, of the municipalities, of the Congress, when we are disordered, that violates the country’s ability to give real solutions to the real problems. When that happens, we risk becoming a less strengthened country, with the weaker institutionality to deal with the real problems on the street.”Cabinet change? “I don’t know, I don’t have any information, I feel that more than changing cabinets what is required are changes in attitudes of the different parties to come to an agreement. (…) The problem is how everyone votes, the problem is also on our part, the Executive, the problem is that you have to sit at the table, agree and raise the real issues and look for better measures and solve those problems and not confuse things that go with flour from another side.”

Original source in Spanish