“Former MAS Minister proposes universal retirement for military amid world crisis”

The former minister and former deputy of the Movimiento Al Socialismo (MAS), Susana Rivero, raised yesterday that in the face of the world crisis, the military should be “patriots” and accept universal retirement and not 100% as is the case today.

“If the world crisis really comes to us, I propose that the military be the patriots they have not been, and accept changes such as universal retirement like everyone else. Not 100% like now,” Rivero, who was a minister during the government of Evo Morales, posted on her Twitter account.

If the world crisis really reaches us, I propose that the military be the patriots they have not been, and accept changes such as universal retirement like everyone else. NOT 100% like now.

— Susana Rivero Guzman (@susanariverog) April 27, 2023

Rivero’s publication does not mention how much can be saved if this approach is followed, nor how many uniformed members of the Armed Forces benefit from 100% retirement.

Meanwhile, the MAS deputy Gabriel Colque, after the announcement of the salary increase, reported that he will present to the Chamber of Deputies a bill of “austerity and economic balance”, so that the salaries of the authorities of the Executive, Legislative and public institutions.

“At this moment I urge our brother president Lucho Arce, David Choquehuanca, the ministers of State, vice ministers, directors, managers of the decentralized companies Entel, YPFB and others, and the brother deputies and senators, it is time to show solidarity with our beloved Bolivian people (…). Therefore, I urge that for this May 1st, instead of increasing our salaries, we must reduce our salaries,” said Colque, quoted by Red Uno.

The declarations of both occur in a period in which the Net International Reserves (RIN) became a secret since the BCB stopped publishing the reports in February, and they also occur after the Government admitted that the country It is dealing with a “series of difficulties” economically since the pandemic. For this reason, he called on his assembly members to facilitate the approval of external credits and the gold law.

In the midst of this panorama, The Economist warned that Bolivia is on the brink of collapse.

“The Bolivian economy is overcoming a series of difficulties that came with the pandemic, the increase in energy in 2022 and this 2023, countries are concerned about high interest rates,” admitted the Minister of Economy, Marcelo Montenegro.