Antonio Resquín is a candidate for deputy for Alto Paraná for the “Republican Commitment” movement of the ANR. The 34-year-old electromechanical engineer was highlighted on several occasions for the fight he maintains in favor of the sector of people with disabilities.
How did you get into politics?
Actually, all the interest in participating in politics arose from the need for representation in the disability sector initially. As we know, at the country level, the disability sector is not the priority in terms of public policies. There are certain problems that I want to address as a personal responsibility, being a person from the disability sector. I was born without both legs and without the right arm. But thanks to the support of my family, the support of different people, I managed to graduate as an electromechanical engineer. I worked in the technology sector, creating solutions for people with disabilities. Currently, since 2019, I am a university director, I am carrying out the Electromechanical Engineering and Automotive Mechanics careers, managing the career at a private university.
What will be your lines of work?
All the experience that I was accumulating in my professional life allowed me to detect many things, inconveniences and weaknesses in the disability sector that we need to face. One of the main ones that I saw is the issue of the lack of compliance or the incomplete elaboration in the laws of the disability sector. The people who prepare these projects may have good intentions, but if they are not comprehensive projects that focus on the basic problem, they are half solutions, they become laws that are not enforced.
What laws will you focus on?
A clear example is the law on contracting in public institutions, Law 2479/2004 “What establishes the mandatory incorporation of people with disabilities in Public Institutions”, where it explicitly says that all State agencies and entities must have a minimum of 5% of people with disabilities hired. To date, 18 years after its creation, only 6.78% of institutions comply. Why was this law not enforced? because it is a law that was created precisely to allocate a decent job for people with disabilities. We currently have 387 institutions that are in default. We must know the reason for these situations, from the Chamber of Deputies that is probing and promoting compliance with that law. Only in Alto Paraná, requesting reports, the intervention I want to make will not collide with the elected authorities, my style of work or strategy is accompaniment with a specific plan. I want the municipalities of Alto Paraná, where I am running, to comply with this law.
What will the fulfillment of Law 2479/2004 imply only in Alto Paraná?
This will directly generate 500 direct jobs for people with disabilities. It remains to be seen why this law was not being complied with. First, from the point of view of the institutions, there are fines that are not being applied. There is no one to claim, or to follow up. We have committees in Parliament but they are not looking at whether the laws are followed. The Judiciary is also responsible. If I am elected, I will request information, I will claim if necessary and I will try to get it.
What is your political team?
I am from the “Republican Compromise” movement of the Colorado Party. We are presenting departmental candidacies, our leader of the movement is Deputy Arnaldo Samaniego who is running for senator. Iván Sosa is our candidate for governor for Alto Paraná. I am on list 14, option 6 for the council. We are joining the ruling party, we are accompanying the presidential candidacy of Arnoldo Wiens and we are working. Now the way of doing politics has changed. We must have the form of representation, a movement for which to run and work with the entire team to lead. You vote for the people and then for the lists. Thanks to this new election mechanism, I was able to run for office.
