The Chamber of Senators approved in general the bill “Of the diplomatic, consular, administrative and professional service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE)”. His particular study was postponed for eight days due to questioning and the 140 articles the initiative has.
Lilian Samaniego, national senator for the ANR, is the main promoter. The legislator had already presented a similar project in November 2019. However, after two public hearings it was withdrawn due to the rejection it generated in the public.
A year later (November 2020), Samaniego, returns to raise a similar document, but with more substantial changes than the first initiative. One of the differences between one and the other is that the second did not hold any public hearing. The six requests for a hearing requested by the diplomats were rejected by the Foreign Relations Commission chaired by Samaniego herself.
Most importantly, the bill establishes that consular officials can access the position through political appointments. That is, without the need to pass a contest.
ARGUMENTS
Samaniego pointed out that throughout its history, Paraguay has tried to update its institutions. In this case, the foreign service is a public service made up of public servants. He pointed out that those who oppose revising the law did not invent diplomacy, alluding to the members of the ADEP.
“Today the country needs its best men and women. With training and experience ”, he highlighted.
He put out some numbers to support his argument. He said that from 1999 to 2019, a total of 516 officials entered the Foreign Ministry without passing a contest. Among them, 159 entered without competition. By reconsideration, another 55 were incorporated. Another 114 by court order. Also 41 entered through internal competitions, just to name some of the cases.
“68% did not take the entrance exams. Many do not have college degrees. Political appointment should not be related to partisan quota. They are powers that the President of the Republic can carry out ”, he affirmed.
ARRÚA
Georgia Arrúa, national senator for the Patria Querida (PPQ) party, who supported the project presented in 2019, but who after criticism withdrew her signature, urged to postpone the treatment in particular. He pointed out that the project presented in 2019 and the current one are different.
The first was rejected due to questions generated in public hearings. While this second project, which was presented in December 2020, was not addressed by any public hearing.
“The ADEP denounced that the foreign relations commission never received diplomats to discuss this law. It is a code that modifies it completely. Unlike the first project that only established the modifications of two to three articles ”, he said.
Finally, his request that the project be referred to the Finance and Accounts and Control committees for a better study was approved by the plenary session. The articles that will be approved, rejected or modified, will only be known in a week.
