Senate President Yasna Provoste (DC) again referred on her Twitter account to the so-called Common Minimums Agenda, which, together with the Executive, seeks to establish a series of measures focused on helping families, SMEs and other sectors through the health and economic crisis a product of the covid-19 pandemic.
In an extensive thread, the Senate leader explained that this agenda “is a dialogue focused on four issues focused on the urgencies of families in Chile, SMEs and other deferred sectors, such as tourism, trade, culture and independent l@s trabajador@s and health.”
“It’s about solving issues focused on people and their needs. It is not a “national agreement” to incorporate all the issues of political debate. It’s about concentrating efforts on the social emergency that thousands of people chilen@s,” Provoste said.
What topics does this agenda incorporate? They are basically 4: Universal basic income, SMEs and deferred sectors, strengthening the health strategy and end of benefits to the richest via tax exemptions.
However, the senator noted that “on this agenda there are issues that are not, because they are longer-term issues, and because, realistically, the distance of visions with the right make us think of discussions that must take place in another time and on another plane.”
In that regard, he assured that those issues that are not on the common minimum agenda “are not nullified. There is no change in the permanent powers of l@s parlamentari@s or the Executive in other matters. Projects submitted in other areas should continue to be processed.”
He added that “the hit-and-run-ups to HRDs will follow their institutional paths. Super wealthy tax and mining royalty have path laid out in Congress. Tax ref. is a longer discussion. Government deficits are too many. We’re not looking to solve them all now.”
The Senate leader noted that she hopes that “as a result of this agenda there will be real Universal Basic Income, adequate in installments, amounts and with sufficient coverage. Let us end the need for families to continue to come to their savings to survive in the crisis.”
On the other hand, it reported that yesterday the Government gave a first idea of the resources it proposed to have for the emergency, and indicated that “beyond whether it is sufficient and the analysis we will make of this, the issues that are on the agenda are demonstrated here”.
In this regard, he stated that “as an opposition, today We started a round of dialogues and joint work with civil society organizations, guilds and specialists to reach the most cross-cutting proposals possible from various collaborations of members of our sector”.
He also noted that “we have agreed with opposition l@s senador@s of all related commissions (Finance, Economy, Constitution, Labour, Women and Gender Equity) to put all their energy into building proposals that represent political-social opposition to government.”
“The experience of previous dialogues with the Government makes it important to try a different method of work. It is not enough to have agreements only from political representatives. A “minimum” is also that solutions to the crisis have the organized civil society competition,” says Provoste.
It also says that “#AgendaDeMínimosComunes of the opposition will originate from an understanding of Congress with social organizations. As senador@s of opposition we are aware of the importance of taking this step.”
Regarding the procedure in Congress, he explained that “if we can agree with the government, the government will have to enter the projects that correspond to the National Congress”.
“They will be discussed in Parliament, broadcast on TV, receiving invitad@s, with full transparency to the national community. Nothing behind closed doors or in secret. Our condition for the government was that the debate be in Congress, for citizenship,” he added.
The President of the Senate also acknowledged that she is very asked why she is in dialogue with President Piñera’s government, to which she replied: “Today the urgency is to go to help families, that people can take care of the pandemic and stay at home as much as possible.”
“Congress has an obligation to seek formulas to solve problems and for the government to amend the failed path of its management in pandemics. It’s not “rescue.” As long as Sebastian Piñera is President-in-Office, he is he to whom we have to demand solutions.”
Finally, Yasna Provoste was angry at erning that “if we’ve come here, it’s not to save bad government. We are simply acting attached to a fundamental value: Putting politics at the service of those in need of state support urgently. Support that so far the government has inexplicably refused to give.”
