The economist and senator of the Broad Front Daniel Olesker, in his last visit to Cologne and regarding the entry of Accountability in the Senate, reviewed the most worrying areas, according to his evaluation. In this sense, he affirmed that housing and the University of the Republic are the most affected sectors because they have already lost budget and do not have, in this instance, an incremental budget.
But he also referred to the National Administration of Public Education (ANEP) which, according to him, lost 150 million dollars in the years 2020 and 2021, which requested 49 million and will receive just 30 million. In the case of health ASSE has lost 70 million and will receive 26 in 2023 and 35 million in 2024. He also referred to the drop in the number of jobs in the Central Administration, a loss that he estimated at 2,800 officials. To this was added the loss of 6% in the most depressed wages. In the opposition, a coordination area was established where three senators – precisely Daniel Olesker, Silvia Nane and Charles Carrera – accompanied the deputies in the budget discussion. Olesker said that the public expenditure of 2020 and 2021, in relation to the resources allocated to 2019, was reduced. In the project, the government allocated an extra expense of 226 million dollars for 2023, of which 70 million will be for the salary recovery of public officials, 45 million for education, 27 million for security, 26 million for health public and the same amount for science. “What is announced today as increases is actually a reduction if compared to a projection of what was allocated in 2019,” said the socialist senator.
On the other hand, Olesker said he is concerned that with an economy growing in good shape, this expansion will not be accompanied by a similar behavior of wages and employment. “For 2022, the GDP projection was adjusted by one year, but employment remained unchanged,” he said. For Olesker, “this growth is based on a high concentration of wealth.” Likewise, the Frente Amplio legislator said that “there are qualitative aspects of the project” that attract attention. He then he added; “the media law is repealed and it is not known what can happen” with several of the aspects addressed by the law; on the other hand, the supplement to the Solidarity fund is repealed, it is noted that they want to compensate UdelaR with other income in the legislative discussion, “but it is not clear where they would come from or from whom that resource would be taken away,” he stressed.
“The government made two big laws at the start, LUC and Budget, and then it governed without taking much into account the legislature”
The left-wing senator announced in turn that he is resigning from his seat this year and will assume the presidency of Social Affairs of the Broad Front. The socialist José Nunes will be the one who will take his place. “This is a process that has been going on for a long time. When Fernando Pereira wins the election, the FA proposes to the Socialist Party and to me in particular, the secretariat for social affairs, such an important task that the FA has prioritized and has valued as one of the weak points, it is a prior process, that having a relationship with many organizations, it required a lot of dedication”, explained Olesker.
On the other hand, he will also assume the task as secretary of government and conjuncture of the Socialist Party, of important political weight, he remarked, and information of his party. He thus expressed: “sometimes it comes as a surprise, you go to a Senate activity that has a certain privilege, to an activity of territorial militancy. I don’t see it that way, I think all tasks are important,” he explained.
The economist took office as a senator for the first time in this legislature. He said that he leaves with the feeling that little was done. “Because each project that we presented went to the drawer, each minute initiative that we presented, went to the drawer. The government made two great laws at the start, LUC and the Budget, and then governed without taking much into account the legislature, ”said the senator Daniel Olesker.
