President Gabriel Boric addressed this Thursday the statements of the former president Sebastian Pinera -issued yesterday-, in which it was made clear that he voted Rejection in the plebiscite and criticized the current Government. In this regard, the head of state described as “unfortunate” that Piñera “hid” during the campaign months prior to the constituent election.
“It was a very bad proposal, very bad for Chile, for its future, and that is why I voted Rejection,” said the former president in conversation with meganews. Likewise, he said that the government was “dedicated too much” to the campaign for the plebiscite and “neglected the concerns of the people.”
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Regarding Piñera’s statements, President Boric stated: “I regret that a former president hides during all the months of the campaign and gives his vision regarding the option of the plebiscite only after it is over. convictions and not just electoral tactics”.
“Clearly he preferred to say it (his preference for Rejection) today, when many were silent for a long time so as not to remain on stage, and it seems to me that at a time when something so important for Chile is decided, it seems regrettable to me,” he added.
Regarding criticism of his administration, the President said that “it is legitimate for (Piñera) to have a critical view of our government, just as we have a very critical view of his.
“Let there be no doubt that we are fully concerned and busy with the safety of our compatriots, with facing the rise in the cost of living, the Chile Supports Plan has been dealing precisely with that,” he added.
Monsalve also responds
Earlier in the day, the deputy secretary of the interior, Manuel Monsalve, responded to the criticism of the former president in terms of security. “We have a situation of unleashed violence,” Piñera said.
“I want to verify some facts. The government of President Sebastián Piñera had four years to build a national policy against organized crime and did not do it,” said Monsalve.
“Today President Gabriel Boric has mandated us with an explicit deadline of October 31 to give the country a national policy against organized crime,” added the authority.
“A national policy against organized crime is going to have very specific tasks for the fight against illegal arms trafficking (…) drug trafficking. In these two matters, which is what a government has to do, provide the country with policies policies that protect people in matters of public security and in matters of organized crime, in the previous four years we have not been able to carry out policies of this nature and we are going to do so,” he said.
The undersecretary maintained that in the case of the Secure Border Plan, “during the four years of the Government of President Sebastián Piñera, (…) nearly $4 billion were invested in the four years, in the northern regions, for the tasks border security”.
“The Government of President Gabriel Boric this year has allocated $12 billion. In one year it has allocated three times more resources than was spent on protecting borders and border security, three times the resources spent by the Government of President Sebastián Piñera in four years,” he said.
Criticism of Piñera against the Executive
The former president spoke yesterday with meganews Y T13. In both interviews he criticized the current government.
“I know what it is to govern, it is very difficult. But if I could give some advice (to the Government), with humility, it would be that the Government in the last six months devoted itself too much to the Constitutional Convention, to the campaign for the plebiscite, and in my opinion neglected the concerns of the people”, Pinera commented.
“What people ask for today is tranquility, security, peace. What he asks is to control inflation, more employment opportunities, better salaries, a profound health reform. These are the great needs and urgencies of the people, and I believe that the Government should move away from the constitutional process and concentrate on governing”, he added.
Regarding security, he stated that “between March of this year and the month of August, violent crimes grew by more than 80% (…) I am giving the official data that was updated a few days ago.”
“For example, the traps have grown much more, there I am putting homicides, theft with violence, traps,” he added.
“I take advantage of telling the Government, President Boric, that the Law that creates a new intelligence system is still in Congress, which is essential; the Law to better combat terrorism, to better combat drug trafficking, to combat theft of wood; the modernization of the Carabineros. There is an agenda that we urgently need and that has been in Congress for years,” snapped the former head of state.
