In a new step towards its assembly by 2027, the governor Axel Kicillof headed this Thursday in the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences of the UBA the launch of Right to the Future Movement «University and Science». ANDIn this framework, he considered that the president Javier Milei He is executing a “plan for the massive destruction of public education,” but warned that he has “less than two years” left in power. He also sent an internal message to Peronism. He called for building “new songs” and asked “not to waste time on internal ones.”
The provincial leader presented his space in University City accompanied by rectors, researchers, teachers, non-teachers, students and university union members, as well as ministers, legislators and Buenos Aires officials. After ensuring that he felt “at home” because he belonged to the UBA as a former student, teacher and researcher, Kicillof made a diagnosis of the current economic situation. He also spoke about the adjustment that the libertarian government has been applying to universities.
«We are experiencing an unprecedented attack against science and Argentine universities, which is advancing both in terms of salaries and budgets. “This is not a simple adjustment but a plan for the massive destruction of public education and our scientific system,” he said. And he considered that what is happening with the “floor” salaries of teachers and researchers, the paralyzed works and the defunding is “very serious.”
In this context he asked a question to the audience that was listening to him, who interrupted him with chants of “Axel president.” The governor’s question was: “What would happen if there are four more years of Milei?” And once again he said that the government fails to comply with laws, agreements and even the National Constitution. “This model is leading us to a state of national dissolution, contrary to what our history, our culture and our identity says,” he shot.
He criticized the destruction of industry and employment and repeated that Milei is going against the world. «In a time of great turbulence worldwide, we see how all the governments on the planet are protecting their industries and taking maximum care of each of the jobs. Javier Milei is the only one who goes against the grain and delivers national resources, unprotects local labor and applies Washington Consensus policies that are already out of date,” he stated.
He also asked not to fall into the false dilemma of “field or industry” and highlighted the key role played by technology and science. «While the global system is being redesigned, we must rethink what we produce and how we insert ourselves internationally. Argentina cannot fall back into the false dilemma of having to choose between field or industry: we must be the ones who give added value to our raw materials, and that is achieved with technology and knowledge,” said Kicillof and for this reason he considered that “defunding” science and the university “leads to the destruction of our productive framework and facilitates the program of a national government that wants to distort the future of Argentina.”
He said that, however, the massive marches in defense of public education show that Argentine society continues to “value and defend” the free public university, and assured that this is where the Right to the Future Movement finds its reason for being. “So that everyone who does not want these policies has a tool and a space to think and build the future of Argentina,” he stressed.
Already in the final stretch, Kicillof spoke to Peronism. He said that “we must not waste time on internal affairs” and we must “speak to everyone” in reference to opening the armed forces, as he has been preaching. He also called for building “new songs” – the same phrase that generated so much anger in La Cámpora in the 2023 campaign – and warned that we must not repeat the mistakes of what the Frente de Todos was between 2019 and 2023. “It cannot happen to us again that we achieve an electoral expression that can win the elections and then have difficulties to govern,” he launched.
Closing his speech, the president reiterated that “there is another way”, in what already seems to be his campaign slogan for the next election, but that it is “everyone’s task” to build it. «With the premise that there is no autonomous development without science and education, I invite you to work together and not waste time in internal discussions. We have an immense task ahead of us: to plant the flag of national industry and the defense of science, universities and sovereignty,” he concluded.
