The pre-candidate for the Presidency of the Republic from the Colorado Añetete movement, Arnoldo Wiens, led a political rally in Villarrica, where he fired strong criticism against leaders and public employees who, in his words, remain “bolted” to their positions to serve particular economic interests.
During his campaign closing speech, Wiens stated that the National Republican Association (ANR) needs to recover its party identity and once again represent the real needs of citizens. “The ANR must once again feel like a true party. Today there are people with interests who are bolted to their positions; that is not the party in which we militated as true Colorados,” he declared before his supporters.
Wiens also questioned the top echelons of various state institutions, pointing out that many people hold public positions without generating progress or concrete solutions for the population. According to him, there are sectors that seek to remain in functions to protect personal benefits or outside interests, preventing changes within public institutions.
In this context, he referred to the recent situation at the Social Insurance Institute (IPS), mentioning the change of authorities in the presidency of the pension fund. The pre-candidate highlighted that the new head of the IPS, Dr. Isaías Fretes, intends to drive transformations in the institution, but assured that some members of the Board of Directors do not support these reform attempts. “Today the new president wants to make a change, and the board members neither resign nor give an opportunity for change. That is a bad sign because they do not want change and they bolt themselves to their positions,” he said.
Wiens hardened his speech and directly accused certain sectors of using public institutions to obtain personal benefits. “Those who do not want change are the bandits, those who use positions and institutions for personal gain. We must cut this attitude at the root,” he declared during the political rally in the Guairá capital.
The Colorado leader insisted on the need to recover what he defined as traditional values and called for greater sensitivity to the needs of the population. “The true Colorados who feel the people's needs must return,” he said.
At another point, Wiens also addressed the economic impact that citizens currently face due to the rising cost of living. He mentioned that many families struggle even to cover basic food expenses, a situation he attributed to the disconnect between authorities and social reality. “As a beautiful woman said, now you can't even eat barbecue because everything is expensive,” he commented.
He further stated that while citizens make great sacrifices to support their families, some privileged sectors continue to benefit from power structures. “The people are tired of the privileges of a few,” he concluded.