ROME (ITALPRESS) – “It’s easy to say ‘we collected a ton of signatures’ for the referendum if you tell that differentiated autonomy, as we passed it, is something that serves to penalize the South and favor the North. It was actually an ordinary law that went to declining a constitutional provision, which by the way the center-left did in 2001. We cannot invoke the Constitution only when it suits us.” This was said by Raoul Russo, senator of Fratelli d’Italia, interviewed by Claudio Brachino for Agenzia Italpress’ “Primo Piano” column. “Who is afraid of differentiated autonomy? Those who are afraid of giving responsibility to the ruling classes. It is a correct principle of subsidiarity, some functions can be better managed by the territory and the voter has the right of confrontation with the ruling class. For us, the one on autonomy is an issue of responsibility,” he explained. Russo then recalled that “the referendum on differentiated autonomy, as Giorgia Meloni also said, is an act of democracy, a moment of debate, but in the meantime it must be admitted by the Constitutional Court and I have some doubts about that.” On the agenda there are three possible referendums, in case of a green light from the Constitutional Court, besides the one on autonomy there are those on citizenship and minimum wage.
“They mobilize claques in collecting signatures, but then the average citizen is distant and we have seen in the past even a little tired of referendums. But beyond that, the center-left carries on all these referendum battles but keeps losing territorial elections,” he stressed.
In the wake of differentiated autonomy, the Fdi senator addressed other issues such as climate change.
“Speaking of prevention there has to be a proper balance between differentiated autonomy and central power. It is clear that the territory is known by those who live and work there, the local administrators, but the maintenance of the territory must be supported economically.” Russo is a member of the Antimafia Commission, grappling these days with the Striano case. “We are facing misuse of databases, certainly, because these confidential data were given to newspapers. Dr. Melillo of the Dia is now asking to be heard because he wants to tell about the flaws he found in the system that Striano was part of, to ascertain responsibility. We are not interested in witch hunts or polemics, but it is legitimate to ask for what use and on whose behalf these accesses were made and confidential data disseminated. As a Parliament, we want to know what went wrong in the architecture of the state. The fight against the Mafia must always keep us vigilant about anything that can take us back to the time of the massacres, from Falcone to Borsellino,” Russo concluded.
(ITALPRESS).
-Photo: Italpress-
Autonomy, Russo (FdI) “For us it is an issue of responsibility.”
