What happened in Argentina in the last four years was a successful looting; Ariel Dilon tells ILNA

Ariel Dilon is an Argentine writer, journalist and teacher born in 1964, best known in his country as a literary translator. As such, he has translated almost ninety books of literature, philosophy and social sciences from French and English into Spanish, (by fundamental authors such as J.M.G. Le Clézio, Patricia Highsmith, Pierre Bourdieu, Kurt Vonnegut, Henri MIchaux and many more). He has been invited to important writing and translation residences in Europe, both to teach and to pursue his creative task. He lives in Buenos Aires. Below is ILNA interview with this distinctive figure about recent presidential elections in Argentina.

ILNA: Argentina’s Peronists swept back into power on Sunday, ousting conservative president Mauricio Macri in an election result that shifts Latin America’s No. 3 economy firmly back toward the left after it was battered by the economic crisis. How do you assess the results of Argentina’s elections?

I receive the news of the triumph of the left, unified around Peronism, with much hope. The destruction of industry and employment, the indebtedness of the country with international financial organizations, the reduction of population rights, to which the Macri government dragged us, need to be urgently reversed.

ILNA: In a dramatic comeback, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, one of Argentina’s most popular presidents during her two terms in 2007-2015, has been voted back into office as vice president. How do you think Fernández de Kirchner's return will affect Argentina's political arena?

I think she is a very important leader in the construction of a fairer Argentina and a united Latin America. She has had the intelligence to withdraw from the central place, aware that, despite her huge number of followers, a part of the citizenry looks at her with some distrust. The idea of a government that is not centered on one person but on the union of many wills is encouraging.

The step to the side that she gave when giving up the candidacy for president to Alberto Fernández, placing herself in a relatively secondary position, was certainly bold but proved to be a master move, an extraordinary strategic gambit. The result of the elections confirms it. On the other hand, she is a lawyer and jurist and has great legislative experience. I believe that, in her capacity as vice president of the nation, she will be an excellent president of the Senate. Many vice presidents in the past have been minor figures, without a true political identity. Cristina's presence in that role will give vigor to the new government and real consistency to the legislative debates.

ILNA: The vote was dominated by concerns over the economy. With nearly one in three people now living in poverty, voters backed the candidate they thought was best-placed to lead the country out of the crisis. Why do you think Mr. Macri's plan for achieving "zero poverty" didn't work? Can the new government achieve this goal?

Macri rose to power promising zero poverty, but each of his economic measures was aimed at favoring a few financial actors. It didn't even favor the big industrialists. It is hard to believe that a systematically damaging policy for the population had the objective that the Macri government declared. It's hard to believe that someone can be so clumsy. I believe that what happened in Argentina in the last four years was not a plan that failed; it was a a successful looting. However, the men and women who held power, starting with the president himself, were also clumsy, banal and insensitive in the exercise of power. But the result of the elections clearly demonstrates that the majority of the population is no longer willing to be fooled by empty statements and slogans of change, empty of social content.

I think the central idea of the next government will be to activate the economy through internal consumption. For that, it is necessary to alleviate the difficult situation that people live. Stop inflation, regulate prices, grant a significant increase in wages and pensions. This is very difficult to do in a country conditioned by indebtedness, a largely illegitimate indebtedness indeed. But I hope that a government that has the decision, the popular support, the capacity for dialogue, the energy and the political ability that are necessary, and that knows how to establish good internal agreements with all sectors of the political and economic life of the country and good strategic alliances with international actors, especially with countries in the region, will be able to take Argentina forward.

ILNA: With protests in Chile, the wave of unrest in Bolivia and a far-right president in Brazil, what challenges the new government will face in foreign politics?

Latin America lived a very promising moment when in most southern countries there were progressive presidents: Lula in Brazil, the Frente Amplio in Uruguay, Evo Morales in Bolivia, Nestor and then Cristina Kirchner in Argentina, Correa in Ecuador, etc. These governments shared the historical notion of a united and strong Latin America. It does not seem coincidental that most of the right-wing governments that came later have done much to destroy the ties that had been woven before, and to weaken the inter-American agencies that progressive governments had strengthened. It is necessary that in each of our countries that union be a constitutional mandate, and that the principle of a united Latin America be a permanent policy, regardless of who presently governs each country. National rights should understand the importance of a united and strong Latin America, il shouldn’t be only a leftist goal, because it’s vital to the survival of our countries. Divided and weakened, we are an easy target to be rapped by both foreign powers and internal predators –such as Macri and others like him.

Interview by: Kamran Baradaran