The secrecy with which President José Antonio Kast's government has handled the details of the 2027 Budget Law has cast a shroud of doubt over the opposition. In the Broad Front (FA), they do not hide their concern about all the possible cuts that the fiscal budget drawn up by Finance Minister Jorge Quiroz may bring. This was made known this Friday by deputy and leader of the party, Gael Yeomans, at a press point following a meeting with Mipymes and cooperatives guilds.
"(We are) also reviewing the cuts that are coming, which have us worried, so that we can also have an alternative," she said. The Broad Front leader also slammed the Executive for the decision of the Ministry of Education, headed by María Paz Arzola, to end the Yo Elijo Mi PC program, an emblematic policy of former President Michelle Bachelet's first term, launched in 2009.
"We are not going to accept cuts that involve fewer rights for people. And here there is a right that students already had and that President Kast is taking away from them," Yeomans emphasized. She then added: "The right to be able to study today, especially with how the way of studying has changed, makes it extremely important that students have all the necessary tools to do so, and taking away, in this case, the computers from those who today already had the possibility of having them as a tool in these times, where technology plays a fundamental role, is truly unacceptable. I don't think it will be accepted in Congress."
The opposition leader recalled that from La Moneda they stated that there would be no cuts affecting social benefits and that they will hold them to that pledged word when discussing the 2027 Budget Law.
"A Budget Law like that will have many difficulties moving forward and getting out of Congress if the cuts end up affecting people. Moreover, because during the campaign President Kast and throughout all this time, when we told him there cannot be cuts that involve fewer benefits and rights for people, what we were answered from the government was: that will not happen. And we are going to expect that word to be kept in deeds and we are going to demand it in the processing of the Budget Law," she warned.
She also expressed concern about the recent statements of the head of the fiscal wallet, who alluded to possible teacher layoffs to reduce state spending.
"There is also special concern about teachers, because throughout all this time we have seen that Minister Quiroz, who is unfortunately quite an ideological minister in these matters, especially when we are talking about the right to study, if there is any kind of impact that also involves teachers," she said. To that she added that "it is the teachers who take on the job of teaching the students, of making it possible for students to learn. In this context, workers, who in this case are teachers, cannot be left with fewer rights."
During the day, deputy Emilia Schneider, head of the FA committee, also spoke out.
"We cannot allow this budget of setbacks in education that President Kast's government proposes. For Minister Quiroz, Chilean education is something to save a few pesos on, but the truth is that this is a fundamental investment in the future of people and also in the future of Chile," she stated. She also said it cannot be allowed "for a base inequality to become bigger by going through the education system. We have to correct those inequalities and provide these fundamental materials," in reference to the end of Yo Elijo Mi PC.
Likewise, she called on the Executive to reconsider, "as it is going to leave nearly 2,000 teachers out of the public system with the staffing cuts it proposes. Teachers who teach the boys and girls of public education. Their work is fundamental to the right to education, and we also demand that the government reconsider on this matter."