The officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs belonging to the Association of Officials of the Diplomatic and Consular Career of the Republic of Paraguay (ADEP), lobby strongly in the Chamber of Deputies, an instance that must define changes to the consular law, which puts in equal conditions of promotion and positions among officials.
The ADEP, today headed by Helena Felip, intends to maintain the privileges of the family clans in the Foreign Ministry, some of them even entered through the window, contradicting the argument of the ranks.
A meeting was held yesterday at the Foreign Relations Committee. Colorado deputy Walter Harms, president of the aforementioned advisory commission, stated that they await the sending of the resolution of the project in order to analyze it together with members of the National Foreign Ministry and Paraguayan diplomacy.
“We are going to study and analyze what we can contribute according to what was approved in Senators. We are going to consult with the foreign minister and diplomats, who are going to have a line of thought to clarify in this regard, ”he said in an interview with 1330 AM.
The parliamentarian considers that the diplomatic career should be sustained based on meritocracy and not on political quotas, as proposed by Senator Lilian Samaniego, who, until now, has been the target of all kinds of criticism from the diplomatic career sector.
“The foreign policy of a country has to have a line, a course, it should not act according to the conjunctural power of that State, but rather have a political line that goes beyond the power of the day,” said Harms.
On the other hand, in the Foreign Ministry, the resignation of Euclides Acevedo, who would present himself as a candidate in the general elections next year, is considered a fact.
favored
Among so many privileged public officials, those of the Foreign Ministry could be the most favored. They receive millionaire sums and fill the institution with family clans.
To give an example, only the ambassador Raúl Florentín earns G. 193 million, while another 33 officials earn more than G. 100,000,000 each, even surpassing Itaipu’s salaries, says a report prepared by the cyberactivist, Alfredo Guachiré.
The ranking of the top earners starts with 5 ambassadors, consuls, secretaries and members of the diplomatic staff who receive more than G. 152 million. Another 13 people who hold the same positions earn more than 108 million. All of these surpass the great majority of the directors of Yacyretá and Itaipú.
Only 33 officials of the Foreign Ministry, belonging to the diplomatic ranks or appointed by the president, receive amounts greater than G. 100 million, and even almost reach G. 200 million. These officials cost the Paraguayan State nothing more and nothing less than USD 7,500,000 a year.
These are the real interests and why the Foreign Ministry officials want to continue upholding the status quo, with all its vices. Some of these even started a lying media campaign, stating that, with the modification of the law, the opposition and merit contests will be eliminated.
The privileges of this diplomatic caste must end. It is not possible to continue spending an abusive amount of money to support officials whose real function is unknown and their contribution to the country uncertain.
Background
The Chamber of Senators gave half sanction in December 2021 to the bill promoted by a group of Colorado and liberal legislators that seeks to modernize diplomatic and consular regulations to nominate, through the Human Resources Directorate, politicians as future diplomats, without the need to pass an entrance exam.
That initiative had generated at the time the reaction of political references and Paraguayan diplomacy, as well as the recommendation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to delay treatment of the project in question until a consensus was achieved on its main points.
