The Other Lion

Mirabeau is one of the major protagonists of the French Revolution. He was nicknamed the "lion" for his oratorical skills. He sensed both the good and the bad of the Copernican shift that this iconic moment in history represented, and he synthesized his perspective in one phrase: society must be shielded from the suddenness of change. In every transition from one regime to another, the individual is the primary victim of the shifts, and Mirabeau understood better than anyone else that the only safeguard is the institutional system.

In Argentina, we are in the midst of a regime change process. What we don't know is whether it is limited to the economic sphere or if it includes institutional changes as well. This is the crux of the matter because it defines whether the country is heading towards lasting stability or towards a new ephemeral experience dominated solely by the economy, which is a necessary aspect but not sufficient on its own.

The bill called “Ley de Bases” is a represents a positive development following several institutional setbacks within the first three months of the government: a comprehensive law ultimately fell short; a decree currently facing a similar fate, and a controversial appointment to fill vacancies (and non-vacancies) in the Supreme Court.

Principio del formulario

It is auspicious in its content and political construction. We move from a normative potpourri in an "all or nothing" scheme to a condensed proposal, a result of dialogue with governors and legislators from other political forces. A whole learning process that needs to be highlighted, even if it is tarnished by furious verbosity in interviews and on social media, which bewilders both insiders and outsiders.

It has three axes: current situation, structure, and scope of action. For the current situation, it proposes a classic whitening of undeclared assets, with a tax as a condition; it is accompanied by a tax debt moratorium, with forgiveness of interest and fines. Regarding the structure, it proposes three major changes: a reform of the administrative procedures law to streamline the functioning of the state bureaucracy; a new competition defense law, which should be the cornerstone of any regime that prides itself on being liberal, in a country where economic competition has historically been a chimera; and a regime for new productive investments, which are granted stability and fiscal and exchange incentives. Finally, the project declares administrative, economic, financial, and energy emergencies and delegates powers to the Executive Branch to expand its scope of action.

That is the heart of the project. Even in its trimmed and refurbished version, even with preliminary political dialogue, it still must undergo serious dialogue, the one that mandates the institutional control represented by the two chambers of Congress. An opportunity for empathy with those who think differently, to correct and add. But above all, to determine if the change proposed by the government includes the other lion, that fundamental aspect for a change of true future density and without which real and lasting stability is impossible: the institutional, which contains power and protects the individual.