Justice Minister Julio Alak spoke out in defence of the new civil code yesterday and denied assertions that the new law would threaten gated communities. Frente Para La Victoria (FPV) deputy, Agustín Rossi implied yesterday that the new code could include an opening up of private estates in Argentina. However today both Alak and Rossi denied this, saying Rossi’s statements were indications of personal desires and not representative of the content of the new code.
“This is total nonsense,” said Alak today. “At no point in the reform bill for the Civil and Commercial codes de we state that we are seeking to eliminate architectural barriers between gated communities…we are doing the opposite.”
Yesterday, during Alak’s speech in the second debate around the reform of Argentina’s civil code, deputy Agustín Rossi seemed to raise the potential of opening up private estates. The head of the FPV group in the Chamber of Deputies said he wanted to see legal modifications which would ‘open’ gated communities in order to “return to a city which included all sectors of society” however speaking to press today, he said this was only a “personal desire.”
“There is no initiative underway to open up country clubs and tear down the walls” said Rossi this morning in an interview with Radio La Red .
He added “if, with the things I said yesterday, anyone living in a gated community was offended, I apologise, this was not my intention.”
There are several private estates and country clubs in Argentina which include houses, leisure centres and sometimes schools. Some live in these full-time while others use them as country homes or recreational spaces.
The regulation and laws around these is one of the things on the agenda in the current reform of the Civil and Commercial code in Argentina. However there is much confusion surrounding what the changes will mean.
Speaking to Radio 10 today, Alak claimed the new civil code would in fact result in more rights for gated communities, enshrining protections for the developments which had not previously existed.
Speaking to pres this morning he said “we are consolidating the rights of people who want to live in gated communities”.
Despite this, many feel that country clubs are bad for segregation and social friction in Argentina. Rossi is one of these and today said to Clarin,“many country clubs have disrupted the urban fabric of cities. The areas around these private estates are depressed and its common to see a country club and right next door, a shantytown.
“We need to build a more communitarian society where people can meet” he said
Yesterday’s debate in the Bicameral Commission was the second hearing for the Updating and Unification of the Civil and Commercial Codes. The first debate was held on the 15th August. There will be a 90 day period from that date to analyse the new draft code and hand it to Congress for voting.
