The cream of the corporate leadership received Mauricio Macri this afternoon without hiding his sympathy but with the message that there can be no cracks in the arc of the opposition. “Invented”, Marcos Pereda, the president of the host institution, the Cicyp, which houses the Rural, the UIA, the Stock Exchange, the banks and the Chambers of Commerce and Construction, snapped.
The meeting took place in the central dining room of La Rural, rather than the classic Alvear hotel. And this time they handled 268 diners 40 more than when Sergio Massa was last November. At the time, Massa was keen to cut inflation to less than 4% this month.
Pereda, also deputy de la Rural and in command of the Bermejo group, leader in the agri-food sector, welcomed Macri with a bankruptcy deed: “How long did it take you to accept the application?”. He realized this and immediately started with a scathing acceptance speech the night before.
He listed: “a country adrift, huge deficit, inflation that tears everyone apart and above all those who have less, the foreign exchange festival, the siege of entrepreneurs, the lack of legal guarantees”.
In passing, he pointed to agriculture as the most punished with distortive taxes. And he exhorted:The driver could start tomorrow instead of prolonging the agony and delaying decisions so that others can exploit them.
For the majority, Pereda’s speech described the picture of the situation. This was expressed by Alfredo Gusmán (Celusal), Martín Cabrales (Café Cabrales), Adrián and Daniel Werthein, interviewed among others by clarion.
Mario Grinman (Chamber of Commerce) said that his partners, given the uncertainty, they take care of the stump as if it were a treasure. Gustavo Weiss (Chamber of Construction), complained about the late payments of the public work being carried out “set to” to several companies in a context of high inflation. Javier Bolzico (Association of Banks) focused the problems on the overflow of public accounts.
At one of the tables, the CEO of a multiconsumer company reported that on the way from the airport to the company’s headquarters, he reviewed his notes on the questions he should have been asked. He was surprised by curious looks and thirsty for knowledge to explain how prices are set with an inflation rate of 7% per month. “They’re obsessed with what we’ve naturalized,” she said.
Another banker warned of the big scare: the spiral of the crisis. June and August are the dates followed by decision makers in companies that recently transitioned from chief operating officer to chief financial officer.
June, for the definition of the candidates, and August for the PASO, the first electoral test, have become fundamental.
There was a coincidence of directors, consultants and some fear-stricken business owners. “If the result is very unfavorable to the ruling party, the government can throw in the towel and let the ship adrift”, many agreed that they had their names reserved. Prudence, cash privilege, less debtfast charge is what has been heard in front of the dreaded stage.
Macri, on the other hand, responded relaxed to all the perplexities. Among these, if he could go back on the decision not to run. He said he was irreversible and left with little applause and lots of hugs.
In that they warned that the toast, a tradition of these meetings, was missing. And they called it. With Eduardo Eurnekian absent, it was the turn of Daniel Funes of Rioja. And wish: “predictability, trust, commitment and a word you didn’t mention Mauricio, future”.
Source: Clarin
