Velasco speaks out against right wing criticism of statements made by Bachelet

SANTIAGO.- Following the latest public address by President Michelle Bachelet, Andrés Velasco refuted the words of criticism spoken by the right-wing Alianza coalition and their presidential candidate, Sebastián Piñera, stressing that the decisions made pertained to government initiatives, not campaigning ones.

In response to the statements made by the presidential candidate, who said that he would have preferred a bonus of $50 thousand pesos and not $40 thousand as was announced by Bachelet, Minister Velasco asserted that "there is no shame in asking, but when you are governing and not campaigning, you have to make decisions and the government has made decisions I consider wise".

During an interview with Radio Cooperativa, the state official also rejected criticism made by the Alliance regarding "minimal investment", saying that the statement "simply does not align with the facts".

Velasco also reminded the public that a fiscal plan to invest 700 million additional dollars had been added to the 2009 Budget Law.

Despite the negative response of all political sectors concerning the continuation of the 7% health payment for retirees, Velasco justified the measure.

"In my position I make calculations every day.  We analyze all types of alternatives and we opt for the good decisions and rule out the bad ones", he said without indicating how much it would cost to eliminate the payment.