One October 30, 1983, by Raul Alfonsin Argentines come to the first 25 years of democratic life, never went through a period of empire of freedom, peace and institutions as large and, therefore, never before have we had occasion to grasp so strongly the intrinsic values \u200b\u200bof the democratic order.
Undoubtedly, in 1983 laid the foundations for this learning, beginning the transition to democracy. When we said that "democracy is eaten, it heals and educates" We were telling the country that while not guarantee basic social rights such as access to food, health and education, " democracy that we began to build 25 years ago would not be complete.
That is our horizon further state that Robert Dahl called polyarchy "to greater degrees of freedom and equality, what we call legitimate state. "
In this journey of transition towards democracy, the last 25 years have made advances and retreats, with moments of hope and other anxiety. However, during that time the people rejected the crazy adventures of those who gave us back the past of violence and authoritarianism.
pain experienced what we did learn how fiercely the difference between life and death, and happily, for future generations, difference between democracy and dictatorship.
seems unlikely, but it took us over 50 years of alternating civilian and military understand that the people, and only the people can decide their fate and, as we held in 1983, large majorities have no right to stay silent.
We got to face the Republican reconstruction of the building, damaged by the continued and repeated appearances on the stage of "military party", heal wounds of a people beaten by the tragedy and violence, to recreate the sense of justice and memory, restoring the consensus calling trampled by the custom of the gang, restore us in a world divided and stressed by the cold war, to lend a helping hand and restorative to the Argentine increasingly driven by imported neoconservatism the sad years that preceded our management, in the conviction that, as we argued before the United Nations, there is no peace without bread, as there is no bread without peace.
We face the Argentinians all the Herculean task of reinventing a democratic culture in Argentina.
With these assumptions, we develop the transition government. We launched several initiatives in all fields to begin to set in motion those founding objectives, some fully implemented, some partially and some truncated by an opposition who believed that so weakened the party and ended up weakening the transition: the first law of democracy, the 23,040-repealed the military amnesty ruling supported the present, we National Commission on Disappeared Persons and in a move unprecedented in mankind, our Justiciajuzgó and ordered the military leadership, according to the differential responsibilities that we raised in our campaign, we urge the mortgage as never before, we awarded the National Food Plan to 1,500,000 families who not only received food but had access to basic services through programs like the Proagua, we conduct educational programs international recognition as the National Literacy Plan and the ABC program, develop the scientific and research, build hospitals and proposed health insurance for all Argentines rejected by the opposition, democratize the universities, we encourage the production and associative (more than 8,000 new cooperatives were established in our government), we call on all political forces to the Council for the Consolidation of Democracy , put the final point of the vision of our American neighbors as enemies endorse peace with Chile, endorsed by the majority of people and created what is now the Mercosur with President Sarney of Brazil, turn our foreign policy towards friendship with all peoples, respect for self-determination and South-South ...
We got to rule in one of the worst international contexts, with a society that was waking up in the worst nightmares and corporate apparatus resisted the idea that power resides in the people, opposition and trade unions acted as a battering ram to regain power. Also, and it would be dishonest to deny our own failings and weaknesses.
However, transition govern with integrity and national consciousness, in peace and freedom and with the clear direction of social democracy to a legitimate state.
In 1989, when we had over the government in advance, there was a warming of the political situation artificially produced. In retrospect, from a distance that gives us time, we confirmed what we thought at the time: with a seven percent unemployment, with individual freedoms are fully protected, with a tireless commitment to dialogue to all opposition parties and the determination to deliver to my successor government with greater spirit of collaboration, under these conditions there was an outbreak that left no other way to accelerate the transfer of power.
Assault supermarkets, everyday partial strikes, general strikes, street violence, PJ orders for me to resign and speeches originating bank runs were the trigger. Hunger and unemployment were the main arguments. A few years later, the administration happened to me was the twenty percent unemployment, hundreds of factories closed, marginality spread like an epidemic, more than half of the population were below the poverty line and installed a serious corruption. All this has not occurred any outbreak.
In this context, 25 years later we are pleased with what has been done. We walked towards a full democracy with the same values \u200b\u200bas enunciated and practice, know-how satisfied Kovadloff-Santiago argues the radical achievement was not that the transition is given in terms cherished but, simply, that has been given.
Aware of the enormous debt we still have, but proud to have as the cornerstone of democracy in Argentina forever.
