Alberto Fernández traveled to La Rioja on Monday, where he shared an act with Ricardo Quintela hours after the governor achieved re-election with 48% of the votes. From his chair, the President witnesseda strong speechagainst the media. The provincial governor anticipated that the Constituent Assembly will seek "the self-limitation" of the press and attacked journalism: "They live on the national guideline."
The governor made that comment after an allegation against the Justice and the announcement that the provincial Constitutional Convention – which was also elected this Sunday – will discuss "the periodicity of the judges" and the formation of a commission that "can review the sentences of public interest."
"Judges can read, they can review, everything you write. And we, who are elected by the popular will, can say absolutely nothing about each of them. In addition, they remain for life and are made invisible, unlike us, who know our faces," Quintela said.
Next to Alberto Fernández, Ricardo Quintela made a strong attack on the press.
And he continued with a dart to the supreme court: "It turns out when you open a little what each of them are that the members of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation have several pending accounts to render before society."
He then anticipated that the Constitutional Convention will discuss "the issue of press governance." And he launched the controversial comment about the media.
"We respect freedom of expression to the letter, we respect freedom of the press to the letter, but we believe it is important that we all limit ourselves every time we have to talk about our neighbors and when we have to talk about the authorities legitimately elected by the popular will," Quintela said.
He questioned the use of "disqualifying terms" and "grievances against families." And, looking sideways at Alberto Fernández, he tried to leave the president on the sidelines: "I don't want to involve you or any of those who are present." But boy did he do it.
He again referred to the press: "When you say something about that type of journalism, they immediately want to protect themselves by saying that they threaten freedom of the press or freedom of expression."
Next to Alberto Fernández, Ricardo Quintela made a strong attack on the press.
Then he aired a voice-over comment he said he told a journalist: "You all live off the guidelines of the national government. And from there they have started to build another type of business."
"It doesn't mean they don't have the freedom to criticize us harshly if necessary, but always with the respect they deserve. Because when you disrespect the President of the Nation, you disrespect 47 million Argentines," Quintela concluded, before the applause of the audience and after the rare mention of the pattern that the Government manages.
Alberto Fernández took the microphone to affirm that "much of what Quintela says is unfortunately like that."
"What Ricardo proposes makes sense. And not the logic of Peronist pathos, but the highest republican logic," Fernandez said.
The crossing of Ricardo Quintela with a teacher from La Rioja
In mid-March, the governor had already made a very controversial comment. It happened when a teacher approached him to demand better salaries and he responded with an abrupt exposition: "Go to work, you lazy shit."
"Governor, welcome the teachers. We want democracy with living wages. We are tired of earning misery," exclaimed the teacher, called Belén, through a megaphone in the middle of the days of strike.
The president of La Rioja looked at the demonstrators and, when he went down to the street, launched that contemptuous response, which soon aroused the repudiation of the unions and the opposition.
After the criticism, Quintela's entourage communicated to apologize, but she did not accept them and assured that she feels "fear" for her "integrity".
"They reached out on WhatsApp, they said they wanted to apologize to me personally, but I'm not going to accept for fear of my integrity," he said.
In dialogue with TN, together with Carolina, another of the teachers who demonstrated on the day of Quintela's insult, they added: "What happened is not an abrupt one, but is part of the state policy carried out by the governor."
Quintela had previously had a derogatory expression against teachers who demanded better salaries. "We turn a deaf ear to grievances. If they don't want to work, let them leave their place for another worker," he had launched in July 2022.
DS
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