Federal Police Detectives Accuse Minister of “Fostering Hate” Against Civil Servants

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The National Association of Federal Police Detectives reacted to a statement by the Minister of Economy, Paulo Guedes, who on Friday, February 7th, compared public servants to parasites during an event in Rio de Janeiro. The body says it repudiates not only the term, but also the systematic strategy of pointing out Brazilian civil servants as the culprits of national issues, ignoring the true motives, as well as spreading fake news about them.

“Any basic management manual would consider the Minister’s statement as harassing and discouraging. It is a real tragedy to witness repeated attacks by the one who should encourage the smooth running of the public machine. Paulo Guedes, with his statements, seems to nurture growing hatred for public officials. And with hatred nothing can be built”, say the detectives.

Guedes made the statement on Friday morning, February 7th, and was widely applauded during a lecture at the Federative Pact seminar, promoted by the Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV).

“Functionaries have had a 50 percent pay increase over inflation, they have job stability, a generous retirement plan, they have everything. The host is dying. The guy (a civil servant) has become a parasite and the money is not reaching the people,” he said when advocating the administrative reform bill.

The federal police detectives rebutted. “If the offense were not enough, the Minister misinforms and confuses society by saying that civil servants have automatic salary readjustments above inflation. The last wage negotiation for most of the federal public service occurred over four years ago and only restored part of the inflation until then. In the specific case of the Federal Police, there have been inflationary losses since 2016. Every cent of inflationary correction comes from strenuous and prolonged negotiations with governments, just as it is typically the case in private companies between employers and employees”.

“Certainly the Federal Police officials, who in recent research have been identified as the most reliable institution in Brazilians’ view, as well as the other honorable public agents, merit greater respect and appreciation. There is no strong state without strong institutions. To demonize the public servant is to destroy the institutions and the country itself. Who is interested in the depreciation of public service?”, asks the body.

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