One Hundred Days in the Solitude of Power

Ceara 247 - This Friday, April 10th, Governor Camilo Santana celebrates 100 days in office. To combat the perceived "loneliness" of power, the governor has been engaging in extensive dialogue with all sectors and is generally recognized as a man of communication. 

Camilo Santana was sworn in on January 1st in a well-attended ceremony at the Abolition Palace, with broad participation from popular sectors and the political world. Assembling the government was no easy task, and the cabinet was only announced the day before the inauguration, after intense negotiations to accommodate allies and fulfill campaign promises.

Among the pressing problems, the new government had to resolve the strike by professors at state universities, which had already lasted more than one hundred days, and the problem of water supply in several municipalities, with the prospect of another year of drought.

In the Legislative Assembly, the governor has not yet faced major problems, thanks to the formation of a broad majority with the deputies from the parties that supported his election. Four deputies were appointed to the executive branch, opening up space for alternates, fulfilling campaign promises. 

The appointment of the leader, however, was a surprise, with the nomination of Deputy Evandro Leitão, from the PDT party, a first-term parliamentarian, after speculation that the leadership would belong to the PT or Pros parties, the main parties in the alliance that elected the governor. The leader, of course, gives a positive assessment of the beginning of the government. "I see these first 100 days positively, even though we need to make adjustments to spending. Every beginning of a government requires the manager to make adjustments to leave their mark, even in this case where the predecessor is an ally. Especially given the national economic scenario. We have already taken important steps, fulfilling campaign promises, giving salary improvements to health and education professionals, for example. The governor is focused on strategic and priority areas at this moment: health, water resources and security." Regarding parliamentary coordination, Deputy Evandro Leitão stated that, "in the Assembly, even though there is a numerous and fierce opposition, we are achieving unanimous approval of all projects submitted by the Executive."

The opposition is made up of 11 parliamentarians, out of a total of 46 deputies, but it does not act as a bloc. Deputy Renato Roseno, from PSOL, although declaring himself in opposition, does not align with the others. The other opposition members are distributed among the PR, PV, DEM, PSDB, PMDB, PSDC, and SD parties, but with varying degrees of oppositional zeal.

Regarding the relationship with the base, only two minor crises came to light: the resignation of Congressman David Duran from the position of Secretary of Sports, after just over thirty days in office, citing the depletion of the secretariat, and the departure of the PSD party from the parliamentary bloc, due to pressure from the party president, Almircy Pinto, who was dissatisfied with the relationship. However, the PSD congressmen reaffirmed their commitment to the support base, and the event had no major consequences.

From a general political standpoint, two events stood out: the problem of the Ceará Aquarium and Petrobras's withdrawal from the refinery project. These were the biggest debates raised by the opposition in the Legislative Assembly. In terms of political maneuvering, Governor Camilo Santana has been recognized as a man of dialogue, having opened conversations with all organized sectors. In these first hundred days, priority was given to the problems of drought and public safety. In this sense, the governor has already spoken with Fetraece, MST, the Movement of People Affected by Dams, and has set up a working group to discuss the actions of "Ceará Pacífico" (Peaceful Ceará), to address the issue of violence. 

In the area of ​​health, the government has faced problems with the operation of the Fortaleza General Hospital. On the other hand, it has made progress in regulating the minimum wage for health workers. The governor has also been making national efforts to discuss the financing of the sector, the biggest bottleneck for managers. In Ceará, where there have been large investments in equipment, with the construction of UPAs (Emergency Care Units), CEOs (Specialized Dental Centers), Polyclinics and regional hospitals, the operating costs are unsustainable.

Throughout the week, the State Government has been releasing reports outlining the actions taken during this period. Ceará 247 interviewed leaders from various sectors to find out how they evaluate the governor's first months in office. 

Safety

Public security is a strategic area for the government, and the governor himself has taken on the responsibility of addressing the problem. Among the guidelines of his campaign program, he advocated for a "Peaceful Ceará," and soon after taking office, he created a special discussion group, with representation from society and government sectors, to develop proposals for the sector. The relationship between the government and the troops was one of the main bottlenecks to be faced by Governor Camilo Santana, since...

During the administration of former governor Cid Gomes, relations with the troops were very tense.

In these first hundred days, however, the president of the Civil Police Union of the State of Ceará, Gustavo Simplício Moreira, believes that the Camilo Santana government has had a different approach in its relationship with the police. “The union is very confident in this new government. We are noticing a completely different attitude from the previous government. The Secretary of Security, Delci Teixeira, is also very accessible,” he said. Gustavo Moreira also stated that this government will be more accessible and will prioritize the people. According to him, "the previous government invested heavily in equipment and forgot about the police officer." 

State Representative Capitão Wagner (PR), although part of the opposition bloc to the governor, also has a relatively positive assessment of this first period of Camilo Santana's administration. He highlighted the decrease in violence in the first months of 2015. According to Capitão Wagner, "the state's public security is not yet better due to budget cuts. The SSPDS (Secretariat of Public Security and Social Defense) had 20% of its costs cut. This increases the difficulty of the work. It's difficult for the Secretary of Security to present a positive number." Wagner also said that he hopes the government's Security Plan – Ceará Pacífico – will establish goals for the institutions that deal with public security and regarding crime statistics. "We need the government to remain open to dialogue and for the suggestions given to be evaluated and put into practice." 

Education

While Governor Camilo Santana inherited serious problems in security, in education, on the contrary, Cid Gomes' legacy was very positive, particularly regarding the results of primary education, placing the new administration under the obligation to achieve greater progress. According to the president of the Apeoc union, Anísio Melo, “the expectation is that the government will support public education, focusing on school infrastructure and valuing education professionals. We want to create a large front to defend oil royalties and raise funds for education professionals as a priority. We hope that Camilo will coordinate with the federal representatives.” 

The main measures adopted by Camilo at the beginning of his administration were the commitment to the national minimum wage for teachers and the guarantee of food vouchers for temporary teachers. "Governor Camilo Santana fulfilled a historic demand for temporary teachers, which is the guarantee of food vouchers," said Anísio Melo.

In the area of ​​higher education, Camilo Santana took office facing a strike that had already lasted more than one hundred days at state universities. According to the president of the Union of Professors of Uece (Sinduece), Célio Coutinho, 100 days is still a very short time to evaluate the Camilo government. However, the professor emphasizes that the category's concern is the threat of budget cuts that the three state universities – Uece, Urca, and UVA – may suffer. “Historically, universities in Ceará have suffered from government neglect. Our understanding is that the institutions cannot suffer any percentage of cuts. We are waiting for the current government to present a state policy based, above all, on state public funding.” According to him, in these 100 days there has been no invitation from the State Government to discuss the issue. “There was initially a commitment in January directly with the governor, there was progress on the agenda, but the fundamental point that needs a concrete agreement is funding,” he said. 

Public service

Regarding the relationship with public servants, the administrative director of the Union of Public Service Workers of Ceará (Mova-se), Evaldo Ribeiro, an entity that represents workers in the Judiciary, Executive, and Legislative branches, assesses the first 100 days of the government as negative, in terms of its relationship with state public employees. According to him, the government adopted the same methodology for recognizing salaries and working conditions as the previous government. However, he stressed that this assessment is preliminary and that he understands that the government is still setting up the state apparatus. 

Although Governor Camilo Santana is being recognized for opening dialogue with various sectors, Evaldo Ribeiro criticizes the channels of conversation. "Our problem is that we are dialoguing with people without decision-making power. We expect to speak with someone who decides, who makes the final decision." Even so, he emphasizes that if the governor maintains transparency and dialogue with the movements, especially with public servants, this will have a positive impact.