Austerity contrariety: Madrid boils over

Demonstrators hold up a placards in front of Madrid's City Hall during an unemployment protest against government austerity measures in Madrid July 21, 2012. The placard (R) reads: "De Guindos shit bag" (Penunjuk perasaan memegang 1 pelekat di hadapan Dewan Bandaraya Madrid semasa protes pengangguran terhadap langkah-langkah penjimatan kerajaan di Madrid Julai 21, 2012. Pelekat (R) berbunyi: "De Guindos beg najis") (Reuters /Javier Barbancho)

1WC'sChannel REVIEW 2012: Hundreds of unemployed Spaniards take part in a demonstration against the Spanish government's latest austerity measures, in the centre of Madrid. (TINJAUAN 1WC'sChannel 2012: Beratus-ratus Sepanyol menganggur mengambil bahagian dalam demonstrasi menentang langkah-langkah penjimatan terkini kerajaan Sepanyol, di tengah-tengah Madrid)

Pertentangan penjimatan: bisul Madrid lebih

By Mardiana‘hamden | 1WC's REVIEW 2012. Monday, July 23, 2012

Beratus-ratus penunjuk perasaan telah tertumpu pada Madrid untuk meninggikan suara mereka daripada rekod pengangguran dan lebih mendalam potongan perbelanjaan sosial sebagai Brussels terus menolak penjimatan lebih pada Sepanyol sebagai balasan untuk menyelamatkan sektor perbankan. Ramai penunjuk perasaan yang menganggur tiba di ibu negara Sepanyol dengan berjalan kaki, setelah berjalan beratus-ratus kilometer. Mereka menuntut supaya berkumpul di Madrid Puerta del Sol Square untuk berjuang untuk masa depan mereka dan masa depan anak-anak mereka - di mana semua mereka takut akan dicuri oleh lebih berjimat cermat. Hampir 1 daripada 4 menganggur dalam Sepanyol moden hari ini.

Penunjuk perasaan menyalahkan kerajaan Perdana Menteri Mariano Rajoy untuk pengendalian ekonomi krisis miskin. Mereka berkata kerajaan telah didapati dana untuk menyelamatkan sektor perbankan Sepanyol yang mencipta krisis, tetapi tidak dapat membantu mereka warganegara yang dihancurkan di bawah beban hutang mereka telah digelar "perhambaan zaman moden". Pelan penjimatan yang diluluskan oleh Parlimen Sepanyol Khamis ini lalu termasuk € 65 billion euro penjimatan pakej dengan potongan mensasarkan gaji penjawat awam dan faedah pengangguran. Di tengah-tengah pemotongan, kenaikan cukai akan meningkatkan lagi beban diletakkan pada orang biasa.

Beratus-ratus hari berikut ribuan penjawat Sepanyol awam telah mengambil jalan-jalan untuk membantah pemotongan gaji. Pada hari Jumaat Zon Eropah menteri-menteri kewangan akhirnya meluluskan bailout € 100 billion euro perjanjian untuk membantu Sepanyol pemodalan semula bank-bank manakala Sepanyol terus merudum ke dalam kemelesetan sebagai kadar pinjaman telah meningkat kepada 1 rekod era euro 7.2 % peratus. Sementara itu, kerajaan Sepanyol dgn pandangan legam meramalkan bahawa kadar pengangguran hanya akan mula jatuh dalam masa 3 tahun.

A man takes part with hundreds of unemployed Spaniards in a demonstration against the Spanish government's latest austerity measures, in the center of Madrid on July 21, 2012 (Seorang lelaki mengambil bahagian dengan beratus-ratus Sepanyol menganggur dalam demonstrasi menentang langkah-langkah penjimatan terkini kerajaan Sepanyol, di tengah-tengah Madrid pada Julai 21, 2012) (AFP Photo/Pierre-Philippe Marcou)

Spaniards demonstrate against the Spanish government's latest austerity measures, in the center of Madrid on July 21, 2012 (Sepanyol demonstrate terhadap langkah-langkah penjimatan terkini kerajaan Sepanyol, di tengah-tengah Madrid pada Julai 21, 2012) (AFP Photo/Pierre-Philippe Marcou)

A demonstrator holds up a placard in front of Madrid's City Hall during an unemployment protest against government austerity measures in Madrid July 21, 2012. The placard reads: "Unemployed marching" (Demonstrasi memegang pelekat di hadapan Dewan Bandaraya Madrid semasa protes pengangguran terhadap langkah-langkah penjimatan kerajaan di Madrid Julai 21, 2012. Pelekat berbunyi: " Penganggur berarak ") (Reuters/Javier Barbancho)

A demonstrator holds up a mobile consisting of cut-outs depicting Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy (L), Santander bank chairman Emilio Botin and Socialist Workers' Party leader Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba in front of Madrid's City Hall during an unemployment protest against government austerity measures in Madrid July 21, 2012 (Demonstrasi memegang sehingga 1 terdiri bimbit cut-out menggambarkan Sepanyol Perdana Menteri Mariano Rajoy (L), Santander bank pengerusi Emilio Botin dan Parti Sosialis Pekerja 'pemimpin Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba di hadapan Dewan Bandaraya Madrid semasa protes pengangguran 1 terhadap langkah-langkah penjimatan kerajaan dalammadrid Julai 21, 2012) (Reuters/Javier Barbancho)

Austerity contrariety: Madrid boils over

Hundreds of protesters have converged on Madrid to raise their voices against record unemployment and deeper social spending cuts as Brussels continues to push more austerity on Spain in return for bailing out its banking sector. Many of the unemployed protesters arrived in the Spanish capital on foot, having walked hundreds of kilometers. They claim to be gathering in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol Square to fight for their future and the future of their children - all of  which they fear will be stolen by more austerity. Almost one out of four is unemployed in modern-day Spain.

Protesters blame the government of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy for his poor handling of the economic crisis. They say the government has found the funds to bail out Spain's banking sector that created the crisis, but is unable to help those citizens being crushed under a debt burden they have dubbed “modern slavery”. The austerity plan approved by the Spanish parliament this past Thursday includes a 65 billion euro austerity package with cuts targeting civil servant salaries and unemployment benefits. Amid the cuts, tax hikes will further increase the burden being placed on ordinary people.

The following day hundreds of thousands of Spanish civil servants took to the streets to protest against salary cuts.  On Friday Eurozone finance ministers finally approved a 100 billion euro bailout deal to help Spain recapitalize its banks while Spain continues to slide into recession as its borrowing rate has risen to a euro-era record of 7.2 per cent.  The Spanish government meanwhile, gloomily predicts that the unemployment rate will only start falling in three years time.