Shortly after she became manager of Artesanías de Colombia, last October, Adriana Mejía brought together people linked to the entity attached to the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism. Nearly 300 attendees at the appointment —including plant employees and contractors— heard her when she vehemently announced that things were going to change radically.
Apart from repeating some of the slogans of the campaign that led the Historical Pact to triumph in the 2022 presidential elections, this lawyer, plastic artist and legal adviser to the Petro Alcocer family, He did not hesitate to criticize the management of those who preceded him in the institution. «Since then, much of what had been built began to be dismantled,» says a professional in the sector.
An anonymous complaint, sent a few days ago to the Ministry of Labor, speaks of «labour harassment» and mentions individuals «humiliated and mistreated in public» by name and surname. The communication laments the fate of a staff that «has always been committed to the bone» and speaks of «an environment of constant fear.»
Beyond the allegations and the eventual intervention of the control agencies to verify the validity of the complaints, the episode once again brings up the takeoff of the Petro administration. Five long months after possession, complaints are on the rise and question the suitability of some of the names in very different areas of government.
Initially, the criticisms focused, in part, on the ministerial cabinet, which could be equated to the «front line» of the Executive. In particular, the appointment of Irene Vélez in Mines and Energy caused surprise, accentuated by the statements of who she defines herself as an «activist dedicated to the critical and participatory study of environmental and agrarian conflicts.»
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That the setbacks continue in a key sector is something that became evident last week after learning of the «induced resignation» of the Vice Minister of Energy, Belizza Ruiz. This new vacancy is added to that of electrical interconnection advisersenergy transformation and international affairs, in addition to the director of Hydrocarbons, in the same entity.
The choice of the head of Transport, Guillermo Reyes, also drew attention from the beginning. Now facing the emergency caused by the long planned closure of the Pan-American Highway as a result of the landslide in the Rosas area, in Cauca, the civil servant has had to do an intensive course to know the related issues with the development of the physical infrastructure and the progress of numerous projects.
Apart from the multiple issues inherited by this lawyer who was president of the National Electoral Council, in December brought forward the expensive idea of halving the rate of compulsory insurance of traffic accidents (SOAT) for motorcycles of smaller displacement. And last week he proposed not to raise the tolls that exist in different points of the national territory, a shortfall that would eventually be compensated with recovery charges, but that completely puts into question the current concession model.
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The responsible
“It became clear that the left did not have a large enough group of people to fill the vacancies.”
However, announcements are not enough, because whoever has had public responsibilities knows that there is a long way from saying to doing. It is here where what could well be called «the second line», made up of a group of senior officials with decision-making capacity in the Casa de Nariño and ministries, as well as heads of agencies and institutes.
According to the analysis portal the empty chair, the number amounted to a centenary and would be divided into several chapters: political, economic, security and peace, social, agricultural, environmental and infrastructure. The actual figure may be slightly higher, but beyond the precise figure, It is evident that the formation of the team has not been easy.
The reasons are of diverse order and begin with the lack of people. As the researcher and professor at the Externado de Colombia University, Jorge Iván Cuervo, explains, “it became clear that the left did not have a large and sufficient group of people to fill the vacancies, with the exception of some who accompanied the current President when he passed through the Bogota City Hall».
For the expert, «the difference compared to what had happened in the past is notorious, because now the number of suitable candidates is much smaller when looking for profiles outside the establishment.» Criteria such as militancy or loyalty to the Historical Pact have had a disproportionate weightapart from the bureaucratic commitments acquired with the parties that make up the coalition that supports the Executive.
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Such elements leave a disturbing balance. According to Pablo Sanabria, professor at the School of Public Administration at Florida Atlantic University in the United States, “this government at first sight is not doing things differently to those who preceded him in terms of appointments, but the truth is that he is doing worse”.
The specialist points out that political appointments are normally combined with those of those who have technical capacity and whose quality is the trust it generates, Seeking that the appointees meet at least two of these characteristics. However, currently that would not be the case.
What has been seen to date shows a mixed picture. For example, There are ministers who have had sufficient autonomy to choose their collaborators higher-level directors, such as the Treasury, Education, Commerce, Justice or Environment, as well as the National Planning Department. More than one even opted for the path of pragmatism when ratifying officials from the previous administration, regardless of their affiliation.
However, when the holder of the portfolio is inexperienced in the matters that correspond to him, the situation is complicated. Among others because he does not have the criteria to choose well or say no to those recommended by politicians. Others choose to entrench themselves in ideology and they prioritize speech over execution.
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In addition, there are resumes that come from above. Those who keep track of the administration assure that those who lead the Colombian Institute for Family Welfare, the Land Restitution Unit, the Special Assets Society, Invías, the Transportation and Health Superintendencies or the Financial Analysis Information Unit, among others would never have been chosen in a serious selection process that took into account the experience and managerial skills required for such positions.
The president of Colpensiones deserves a special mention, Jaime Dussán, who at the end of 2022 gave some controversial statements related to the use that would be given to the billionaires resources that today are administered under the individual savings regime. This false start is complemented by the dismissal of a series of key professionals for the smooth running of an entity that had been oblivious to the vices that are seen in other places in the public sector.
The Foreign Ministry is not missing from the list either, so the positions abroad are not decisive for the progress of the Government. In the opinion of the political scientist Sandra Borda, “These are appointments whose only criterion is political proximity or personal with Petro, but that at no time incorporate the most basic needs of a professional and useful foreign service: knowledge, experience and track record, or belonging to the diplomatic career”.
He adds that, «despite the fact that all governments have done this, the current one has already far exceeded the appointment of unsuitable people, and even openly questioned in Colombia, be it legally or ethically”. A Cambio report maintains that in the first five months of the administration, 78 new diplomats were appointed, 27 more than the Duque administration in the same period.
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To add insult to injury, Procolombia’s commercial offices began to leave people with a lot of experience in capitals in which building contacts is a job that takes years. If those vacancies are defined in another prize pool, the objectives of increasing exports or attracting investment will be much more difficult to achieve.
More of the same?
Although the argument of greater diversity, when making appointments of people outside the establishment, may be valid, it does not justify nepotism or contempt for those who know trades that require training. no doubt this it is questionable in what was presented as «the Government of change». If it continues like this, sooner or later, the public will end up realizing that the promised improvements are not coming and will express their discontent on the streets or at the polls.
Faced with this eventual outcome, two alternatives appear. One is to gain supporters at the point of the official checkbook, combining direct aid and positions. Pablo Sanabria affirms that «many people expected that the left would not be clientelistic and what it has been demonstrating at the regional level is that, through service provision contracts, it manages to conquer power.»
A different option is to amend the plan, which begins by having a manager in charge of running the Executive. “Gustavo Petro believes that to govern is to communicate, which leads to an imbalance between symbolic discourse and administrative practice”, says Jorge Iván Cuervo.
The gap is even more noticeable because there is no one to put order inside. Unlike Germán Montoya, in the time of Virgilio Barco, or María Lorena Gutiérrez, in that of Juan Manuel Santos, in the Casa de Nariño it is conspicuous by his absence who accompanies a disjointed cabinet in which everyone plays their own score.
If it is about fixing what is not working, the agenda must begin not only with making the civil service work, applying meritocracy and formalizing parallel payrolls, but also for training officials. Today, the Escuela Superior de Administración Pública recently became part of the bureaucratic piñata, and getting it back requires funding, vision, and leadership.
Examples of successful experiences are available and not only in developed countries like France. Chile or Brazil provide lessons from which Colombia could learn if it wants to carry out real transformations that improve the actions of the institutions.
Experts on these issues say that the real revolution does not consist of kicking the board or making room for populism, but adopting the best practices. The question, of course, is if Gustavo Petro is willing to take a turn that would force him to listen not only to his own opinion but also to that of others.
Deng Xiaoping, the architect of China’s progress, made famous the phrase “it doesn’t matter what color the cat is, the important thing is that it catches mice”. The speech matters, but getting results is even more important.
During his short visit to Santiago last week, the Colombian president had the opportunity to remember Salvador Allende, whose death occurred during the military coup in Chile will be 50 years old next September. The upcoming anniversary is a good opportunity to vindicate Carlos Matus, who was Minister of Economy during the government of the so-called Popular Unity and would end up publishing, in 2007, the book Goodbye Mr Presidentrecently reissued.
The text, which mixes the novel and the essay, is written for «the political leaderships (that) have limited themselves to conquering and, sometimes, buying the representation of the people, but they have not been trained to govern in its name, interpret it and defend it effectively». This would be a good time to read it.
RICARDO AVILA
Special for EL TIEMPO
On Twitter: @ravilapinto
