Mendes calls for immediate state reform against political crisis

By ETCO

Source: Estadão - SP - 31/07/2009

The president of the Supreme Federal Court (STF), Minister Gilmar Mendes, defended yesterday “immediate reform of the State, an escape forwards, through a new institutional model”, when being questioned if the public discredit in the institutions after the crisis in the Senate it can also reach the Judiciary. He preached limits on the hiring of civil servants on commission and suggested that the intense inspection exercised over the acts of Congress also point to the Legislative in the States and municipalities.

"It is essential that we carry out a reform of the State and establish limits, for example, for the hiring of civil servants on commission," he declared. “Let us qualify these servers. Only commission people who are really qualified and from the permanent staff for the commission position. Perhaps we would improve the effectiveness not only of the national parliament, but of the state parliaments. ”

The minister emphasized: “If this occurs at the level of Congress, the Senate, the Chamber, what is happening in the City Councils or in the Legislative Assemblies? Are the Courts of State Accounts supervising well? If we, at the federal level, were unable to do so with the presence of all the gentlemen (he addressed the journalists), would it not be necessary to proceed with a reform of the State? Reduce the equipment, improve the State in the sense of assigning it to the public service. ”

RADIOGRAPHY


Mendes spent the day in São Paulo, where he presided over two long meetings at the Court of Justice, the first with 150 first-degree magistrates, the second with 50 judges - in debate the radiography of Power, budgets and strategic planning. “Justice in numbers”, mapped by the National Council of Justice (CNJ), reveals that the total expenditure of the São Paulo Justice increased 37% from 2004 to 2008 and the human resources expenses increased 36,4% in the period.

"We are recommending to the courts to replace those commissioned by permanent employees, that a good part of the positions on the commission be filled by occupants of permanent positions," said Mendes. "We have to do this reform, with that we might really recover these situations."

The president of the STF pointed to changes in the political model. “I think that political reform has to cover the issue of alternates. The time has come, this model is showing signs of exhaustion. They are alternates who do not have votes, who generally come through a campaign financing mechanism that later provides a model for delegitimization. ”

For Mendes, “the political model has propitiated” the current scenario of scandals. “We will avoid this. It is necessary to end with this mentality. Bureaucracy has to be stable. Political party that likes to equip the state is not good, it is not good for democracy. It is time to discuss reform. A new election is coming, it is necessary to present proposals that make us achieve a dignified civilizing standard. ”

In defending a new law on telephone interceptions, the president of the STF pointed to another target. “The Federal Police, throughout the Lula government, practiced the leak with great tranquility. I even think that one of the hallmarks of the Paulo Lacerda administration in the Federal Police was data leakage. It was a political decision to leak, ”he said, referring to the former PF general director.