They see cynicism in government advertising that tries to highlight false achievements | Ven cinismo en publicidad estatal que trata de destacar falsos logros

By El Diario:

Authorities must be held accountable

  • Critics point out the high cost of state advertising in the middle of an economic crisis.
  • They argue that the Arce administration, through propaganda, is trying to highlight non-existent achievements that clash with the reality lived by the population.
  • They identify an intention to promote the idea that the outgoing administration is leaving behind stability, when in fact it will be the next government that must take drastic and possibly unpopular measures to reverse the damage left by “masismo.”

Questioning the ongoing government media campaign aimed at showcasing the supposed achievements of the current administration, Comunidad Ciudadana (CC) deputy Carlos Alarcón condemned the cynicism of an administration that is leaving the country in ruins while trying to pass this heavy burden onto the next government.

The main criticism of the legislator from La Paz concerns the high cost of state advertising during a severe economic crisis. He emphasized that the Arce administration, through propaganda, seeks to promote non-existent achievements that contradict the hardships the population faces.

“The cynicism of Arce’s government, spending millions on advertising to make us believe it is leaving us a wonderful country, when in reality it is leaving it in ruins,” said Alarcón.

He also pointed out the clear intention to create the perception that the outgoing administration is leaving stability behind, when in truth it will be the next government that must face drastic and possibly unpopular measures to undo the damage left by “masismo.”

“They are doing this to shift the blame and responsibility onto the next government, which will have to bear the worst part,” he added. In light of this, Alarcón urged lawmakers to accelerate the approval of a bill preventing outgoing authorities from leaving the country once their mandate ends, so that they can be held accountable before society and justice for their actions while in power.

“It is a patriotic imperative to approve the bill I presented to the Plurinational Legislative Assembly, which remains stalled, so that every high-ranking outgoing authority must remain in Bolivia for up to one year after leaving office to be held accountable before justice and the people,” he concluded.

Earlier, after President Arce called for a meeting with the two candidates running in the upcoming October 19 runoff election to inform them about the state of the national economy, representatives of the National Committee for the Defense of Democracy (Conade) had already criticized the administration for continuing to waste resources on state advertising aimed at highlighting non-existent achievements.

“Stop wasting money on state advertising. They are already leaving, they cannot keep pushing propaganda in the media. That money should be saved for more important expenses,” said Julio Alvarado, Conade’s spokesperson.

The activist also denounced the continued squandering of resources just months before the Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) leaves power. “We must begin cutting off waste such as official propaganda in the media, and stop investing the few dollars coming into the country into state-owned companies that are also corrupt,” he remarked.

Back in March, asserting that corruption is one of the main causes of the country’s “economic collapse,” Deputy Carlos Alarcón submitted a bill to the Legislative Assembly proposing penalties of up to 30 years in prison without the possibility of pardon for those found guilty of aggravated corruption.

“Through this initiative, we propose lifetime disqualification for all public officials involved in aggravated corruption,” said the legislator in a press conference.

The bill also proposed the confiscation of all assets acquired or transferred illicitly to third-party holdings in order to conceal corruption, in addition to establishing a mandatory one-year residency in Bolivia after leaving office for all top state authorities facing corruption allegations.

“This residency requirement applies to the President, Ministers of State, and Executive Heads of institutions and state-owned companies during their last year in office. With a simple complaint, accusation, or lawsuit under this law, the responsible prosecutor must immediately issue a preventive residency order, banning the official from leaving the national territory for up to one year after leaving office, and registering this restriction with the national migration authority,” he explained.

Deputy Carlos Alarcón of Comunidad Ciudadana criticizes President Luis Arce’s media campaign.

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