"The state could be the most competitive in Brazil"
The new head of the Secretariat of Management and Planning says the goal is to make Goiás take another leap in development and establish itself among the five most competitive states in Brazil; "Given the characteristics of the state, we know that we cannot be the largest economy, but we can be the most competitive, the state with the highest quality of life," says Thiago Peixoto; the secretary also acknowledged the need to cut spending, one of the priorities of the Marconi government at the beginning of his fourth term; "What we are doing is preparing the ground so that we don't have difficulties in the future. It's better to suffer with these cuts now than to be unable to meet commitments in the future."
The Editorial Team (Adriana Marinelli) - To make Goiás take a great leap in development and become the most competitive state in the country. It was with this mission that federal deputy Thiago Peixoto (PSD) assumed the Secretariat of Management and Planning of Goiás (Segplan). A graduate in economics, the secretary, who achieved great success leading the State Secretariat of Education (Seduc) in the last government of Marconi Perillo, sees the task as challenging, but assures that it is possible.
“Being competitive means having good social indicators, development indicators, and good educational indices. Our plan is to have Goiás among the five most competitive states in four years, but the goal is first place. We will have the support of some important institutions to achieve this goal,” the secretary stated in an exclusive interview with the newspaper A Redação on Wednesday afternoon (February 11).
According to a study by the British consulting firm Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) and the Center for Public Leadership (CLP), published in September 2014, Goiás was the 9th most competitive state in Brazil in 2014, behind states such as Espírito Santo and Mato Grosso do Sul.
“Given the characteristics of the state, we know that we cannot be the largest economy, but we can be the most competitive, the state with the highest quality of life. I use the comparison that applies to Asia for the following reason: our goal is not to be China, which is the largest economy in Asia and one of the largest in the world. Our goal is to be something like Singapore. It is a socially well-developed place, a place that has an ideal business environment, a place where institutions are strong. That is the mission,” he concluded.
As Secretary Thiago Peixoto pointed out, Governor Marconi Perillo has been closely monitoring the activities of Segplan and other departments, remaining firm in his demands and requirements. When asked if the new challenge had ever frightened him, the secretary assured that he is prepared.
“Many people doubt this idea and objective of the state being the most competitive, but I also heard it a lot in Education. We were 16th in the IDEB (Basic Education Development Index) and our goal was to be among the top five. Nobody believed it, but we surpassed it and today we are first,” he argues. “I have good experiences in this. I have reasons to believe that it is possible and the state has potential.”
Economic crisis and spending cuts
Thiago admits that, even with some preparation, Goiás will suffer, like other Brazilian states, the consequences of the economic crisis in the country and the world. “However, crisis can also be synonymous with opportunity if we are prepared for it. At this moment, the government is preparing for this period of crisis. This explains our concern with the financial and fiscal issues of the state. What we are doing is preparing the ground to avoid difficulties in the future. It is better to suffer these cuts now than to be unable to meet commitments in the future,” he explains.