Source: Jornal NH - Novo Hamburgo / RS - 06/07/2010

The objective is to enable the population to act as a inspector in government applications.
Brasília - Preventive work aimed at engaging society to control public spending is being encouraged by federal agencies in the state of Rio.

The Social Control Working Group, formed from the experience of the Social Observatory of Maringá (PR), has already created units in five municipalities in Rio de Janeiro (Niterói, Campos, Cabo Frio, Rio das Ostras and Búzios) and is preparing to install a new nucleus in the capital.

The working group is made up of ten public bodies, including the Federal Revenue Secretariat, the Federal Audit Court (TCU), the Federal Comptroller General (CGU), the Federal Public Ministry, the state departments of Education and of Finance and the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Unirio).

The deputy head of the Inspection Division of the Superintendence of Revenue in the 7th Fiscal Region, Luciene Ferro da Cunha, said that the objective is to enable society to act as an inspector in the application of government resources. “We try to encourage the organization of civil society, of citizens, to exercise social control, through these practices”.

The work, however, should not be limited to bids, but should extend to the later stage, to check if the service was provided or if the goods are in accordance with the specification.

“We are leveraging the agency's actions. We provide training for citizens and councilors, taking this idea, making people aware of having to monitor public spending, ”reiterated Luciene. Students and retirees who have some free time constitute an important part of the population for the inspection of public spending.

Rio's Social Control group accepts partners and collaborators. Luciene stated that the participation, for example, of the Regional Accounting Council is fundamental for the mobilization of society. The population can help by asking for the invoice for purchases.

In order to control the application of these resources, it is necessary to understand the bidding mechanism and how the government spends. According to the IRS technique, with the help of society, “the money stops going down the drain”. The observatory wants to help city halls to spend well "and to prevent the municipality's resources from being spent badly".

In the coming days 15 and 16, the group will bring to Rio the experience of the Social Observatory of Brazil, which resulted from the Maringá project, so that it can be transferred to already formed Rio de Janeiro observatories and to non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Luciene clarified that even in the five social control centers installed, city halls have not yet understood that this action is an aid to the administration. "There is still no receptivity".

The Rio Social Control Working Group began to be created in late 2008 and was consolidated in June last year, with the signing of an agreement between the bodies involved. Luciene insisted on the need for the population to engage in work. "Without help from society, there is no way". She believes that if the population becomes a partner, the technicians responsible for controlling expenses will be able to work with more quality, concentrating their activities on the biggest frauds.

In addition to Paraná, Rio Grande do Norte and Paraíba have similar projects. The Rio group is coordinated by CGU, which has a two-year term. The system adopted is that of rotation among the participating agencies.