Bringing Truth to Argentina
The government allowed lies to spread, lies which allowed them to avoid the economic issues that needed their attention.
By Roma Blackham, Marketing —
President Mauricio Macri of Argentina is under fire for telling the truth about the Argentinian economy. It has come to light that the Argentinian government, in its effort to placate the people and avoid making any drastic changes, published false data about the economy.
Decrease in Popularity
Macri took office in 2015 and has since lifted currency controls, and paid off holdout creditors from Argentina’s default. These actions are part of a larger plan to turn around the Argentinian economy. And while these practices have made him quite popular abroad, they have not increased his popularity at home. Macri’s decreased popularity is not necessarily because of these specific practices however. Rather, his decreased popularity is more due to his honesty to the Argentinian people than to specific policies.
Economic Lies
His dedication to honesty and transparency is a break from tradition. In 2007 writer and editor Brian Winter discovered that the Argentinian government was lying to the people about how bad inflation really was in the country. At this time, the statistics institute in Argentina published data saying that Argentina’s inflation was 10 percent. In reality the inflation was 19 percent. After 2007, Argentina continued to lie about its economic data until Macri took office in December 2015.
Mess to Clean Up
Unfortunately, the lies told before Macri have had more than a few lasting negative effects. Under the previous presidency they lied to the people in order to keep them happy, and now that their time in office is done, someone has to clean up the mess. In order to turn around the economy, Argentina has had to make some sacrifices and now people are tired of sacrificing. But after so many years of lies about the economy it is going to take a bit longer.
Preventing Lies
The bottom line is that if the government had not lied to the people about the state of the economy, the problems they are going through now might have been prevented. But instead, the government allowed lies to spread, lies which allowed them to avoid the economic issues that needed their attention. Lies that are not discovered often cause problems that get out of control. In cases such as these, EyeDetect tests could potentially be used in government to prevent these kinds of disasters. This polygraph alternative could be used to ensure that politicians have the country’s best interest at heart.
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