DF: a thousand days without governance

Last week, the GDF (Government of the Federal District) celebrated one thousand days in office. Celebrate what?

Rodrigo Rollemberg was elected with the discourse that the Federal District did not lack resources, but rather mismanagement.

Despite proclaiming himself a representative of the 'new politics', he delivered the old speech that governing is like running a company, as if public power had no social and economic objectives to achieve, as if the ballot box did not make programmatic choices, and as if the State had no clear responsibilities regarding issues such as social inequalities, access to and quality of public services, the fight against poverty, marginalization, and economic development.

Even more so in the Federal District, where the high quality of life in the Plano Piloto has contrasted, for years, with alarming injustices and violations in the other administrative regions.

What we need is a concrete and realistic plan to address these challenges, not magical techniques without a clear direction.

Even so, it is possible to highlight the fallacy in Rollemberg's speech.

First, he maintained the old quid pro quo system, organizing a base marked by political patronage, instead of taking advantage of the hopeful voters from the Federal District to improve the relationship between the GDF (Government of the Federal District) and the CLDF (Legislative Chamber of the Federal District). This would have been possible if the government had prioritized politics over political maneuvering.

No one can stand watching a "reality show" of backroom deals anymore while security declines, public servants lose rights, and education and health services deteriorate.

It's impossible that the enemy, previously the alleged mismanagement of former governor Agnelo, is now the public servant, the most needy population, and the student free pass.

Incidentally, Rollemberg promoted two fare increases which, in some cases, added up to 96%. The governor wants to prevent workers from seeking employment, in the cruel scenario of the "Temer Era," and also prevents their children from studying, in the unfortunate reality where schools in the Federal District are losing quality.

Through legal action, we were able to obtain a ruling in the first instance declaring the latest increase in public transport fares illegal.

The government made two withdrawals from the public servants' pension fund (IPREV). One of 1,2 billion and another of 500 million. Recently, it delivered the hardest blow against these workers: the unification of the Funds, which will allow the current and the next government to withdraw all the resources from IPREV in installments, amounting to more than 4 billion.

Due to his inefficient management, the governor is chasing after resources that, according to his electoral demagoguery, were not problems. But he makes the wrong choices precisely because he lacks political sensitivity.

Cutting spending and privatization are not synonymous with good governance. This is the great lesson that Rollemberg has been teaching society.

But even in this, the governor fails to be efficient, as evidenced by the situation of the Hospital de Base, transformed into an Institute, but without any implementation to this day.

We discussed this unusual issue in the Health CPI (2016-2017), as sub-rapporteur for the budgetary part, when we proved that the current government reduced spending and investments in health, as well as the number of employees. In other words, it further deteriorated the service provided to the population in order to sell off the health system.

One of his main proposals was direct elections for regional administrators, with the claim that it would bring the state closer to the citizens. Like his administration, this also never came to fruition and never will.

Therefore, I am a strong opponent of this government, which separates technique and politics and makes the worst use of both, with incalculable damage to the Federal District.

One example is the "law and order" discourse surrounding land issues, promoting a series of demolitions without offering a definitive solution for the poorest population. It also fails to guarantee adequate environmental and urban planning protection.

For a thousand days, our World Cultural Heritage has been plundered by incompetence.

But there is hope, and it lies in the will of our society to make the Federal District recognized as a champion of social well-being in Brazil.