The tragedy that has hit Bahía Blanca has exposed, once again, how disconnected Argentina’s political leadership is from the reality of the people.
In moments of emergency, when people lose everything, the least which can be expected from those governing them is that they be there, in the mud, in the water, in the suffering. It is not enough to appear in photos, unfold maps in a meeting-room or fly over the zone in a helicopter.
Buenos Aires Province Governor Axel Kicillof visited the Hospital Interzonal Dr. José Penna and overflew the city, establishing from the air that the water had drained away in some areas while in others, like Cerri and Ingeniero White, it continued to carry all before it with launch boats continuing to evacuate the victims.
But people expected more. They hoped to see them wade into the mud, stay on the spot and coordinate the aid at first hand. Instead they saw them arrive for the photo-op and leave without even putting on their wellies. It might sound untrue but many felt more accompanied by the media than by their own rulers. The spotlight of an entire nation is falling on these attitudes of politicians.
In the 2023 storm everybody went there in fatigues. Those were other (electoral) times with a need to boost their image although they did not stay long then either. The impact hit all sectors of Bahía Blanca without distinction. There have been several serious alerts clearly informing on this issue for decades. A study by the CONICET national scientific research council anticipated a possible climate disaster in Bahía Blanca 13 years ago.
The 2012 report referred to the city’s location in the lower basin of the Maldonado channel and the Napostá creek. The CONICET work, based on an analysis of the local drainage system, identified the geography of the terrain, especially in sectors below slopes as an aggravating factor. In these areas, the run-off from the higher zones erodes the unpaved streets, transporting sediment which ends up blocking the drainage systems in the lower parts of the city.
Economy Minister Luis Caputo has announced 10 billion pesos but is that sufficient? Is that all the national and provincial governments can do for a devastated city? Bahía Blanca Mayor Federico Susbielles warned last Sunday that the city’s reconstruction will demand "over 400 billion pesos," a figure which reflects the magnitude of the terrible damage left by the storm. The lack of suitable infrastructure not only exacerbated the impact of the disaster but also exposed how disconnected the political leadership is from the real needs of cities. While the city faces devastation, the responses of the national government have been tardy and marked by political calculation more than concrete action.
And talking of absences, President Javier Milei did not even show up. He suspended his trip to Mendoza, preferring “to stay in the official presidential residence to evaluate the risks.” Not even a symbolic gesture of accompaniment at a time when the population feels abandoned.
You cannot go to a flood in a suit or an elegant blazer. You cannot go to a tragedy without immersion. Politics should not be a mise en scène but a real service to the people. Again absent, our leaders find themselves far from the people. The tragedy of Bahía Blanca also confirmed a sad reality – politics is too distant from the people it claims to represent.
"Politics is not a pastime nor a profession to live off but a passion with the dream of trying to construct a better social future; those who like money had better keep their distance from politics" – the words of Uruguay’s former president José ‘Pepe’ Mujica.
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