09/15/2023 – 19:16
In terms of recurring illusions, the administrative reform continues as one that will one day emerge, when politicians put aside the pretensions of their electoral interests and the fear of losing their support base in the public sphere. Yes, because that’s all there is to explain so much pushing and shoving, dribbles on the agenda and purposeful shelving of one of the most sensitive, urgent issues and responsible for unsustainable public spending.
The government leaves, the government enters, and the reform remains in the bin of unfulfilled promises.
The former economy czar, Paulo Guedes, guaranteed for months that he would put the idea into practice. He designed the project. He promised to forward it to Congress. He set a date for his discussion. But the “myth” boss Messias Bolsonaro, fearful of the impact that the matter would have on his re-election plans, relentlessly postponed and put to rest any possibility in this regard. President Lula in power today doesn’t even want to think about the alternative. Anchored in the arms of civil servants, of basically union origin, he understands such reform as a bogeyman restricting workers’ rights and opportunities.
Let the State spend whatever it takes to maintain the machine – even though it is already bloated, inefficient and expensive. This is what the demiurge of Garanhuns defends and guides the ministerial body in the same direction.
The president of the Chamber of Deputies, the ineffable Arthur Lira, who no longer has anything to lose (since he is still in the House’s second term and cannot be reappointed), raised the issue again as a way of projecting himself into the role of good guy worried about using scissors on immoral expenses. Despite systematic efforts, it has not been successful. It has already received a resounding no from ministers who rejected the format being processed in Congress. He does not have a majority among his peers in parliament regarding the agenda. You could too! Municipal elections are just around the corner, next year, and discontent with the public servant apparatus would be almost suicidal for several candidates and potential aspirants. For these and other reasons, despite being considered a most vital and urgent change of State, the administrative reform remains on the back burner, moving at a snail’s pace. It seems to wait for an extraordinary moment that never comes. Any change in the area would be quite a revolution for the economy and fiscal adjustment in general.
The cost of public service offers distortions of various orders. Salary cliffs, ghost employees, generous and impractical extra payments, pensions in amounts as far as the eye can see. The Brazilian taxpayer is robbed of his pocket every day by this anachronistic system and nothing is done to change it.
Brazil is disconnected from reality. Countless studies prove this. Unfortunately, tackling the problem doesn’t seem to be a priority. Lots of stage play and nothing concrete. The state structure continues to gain weight, with the creation of irrelevant vacancies, political appointments, and all types of aggregates. In the world, only banana republics present similar figures and, even so, they are far from the size shown here. Changing this reality is a difficult mission, but it requires governments with courage to carry it out.
#chimera #administrative #reform