It is sometimes difficult for ordinary citizens to understand the reforms debated in Congress. But this is not the case for administrative reform. All Brazilians live daily with deficiencies and aberrations in public services. Queues, bureaucracy, bad decisions, work to be done and a thousand other difficulties. On the one hand, there is a lack of minimum conditions for employees willing to work. On the other hand, there is a proliferation of disengaged and disengaged civil servants. To top it all off, the civil service elite enjoys endless perks and perks, embedded in the Public Prosecution Service (MP), the judiciary and the armed forces. The problems are so numerous and so well known that the lack of urgency with which the issue is addressed is surprising. This is why the year 2026 should begin with a priority: the approval of the Draft Amendment to the Constitution (PEC) for administrative reform, reported by federal deputy Pedro Paulo (PSD-RJ). This would be the best legacy that the current legislature could leave to future generations.
- Editorial: The priority is administrative reform and not salary adjustment
Protocoled in the House at the end of October, the PEC puts an end to several errors in the legislation which governs the public service. It standardizes dozens of careers, by creating a single remuneration scale, with the ceiling being the salary of a minister of the Federal Court (STF). It prohibits seniority bonuses and restricts the famous “benefits” (such as bonus leave or assistance of all kinds). Establishes mandatory performance evaluation for career progression and bonuses for achieving goals. Prohibits mandatory retirement as a disciplinary measure for judges and prosecutors, proposing loss of position or dismissal for serious misconduct. Prioritizes the careers of those who wish to work in different organizations, in addition to adopting several other common sense measures.
- Editorial: Approval of administrative reform will be a historic achievement
The PEC also addresses topics such as digital transformation of the state and introduces results-based management as an institutional principle, requiring state and municipal governments to set performance targets and strategic planning. “This text, which contains 70 proposals, is robust and complex. It is the result of a lot of listening. And it constitutes what is necessary for us to create a more agile public administration, so that we have a motivated, recognized and respected civil servant. There is not a single comma in the proposal that takes away the rights of civil servants, that affects stability”, affirms Pedro Paulo.
Over the past decade, the consulting firm McKinsey has carried out a comprehensive study on the potential for improvement in the public sector, which still serves as a benchmark. The 42 countries studied, including Brazil, represented 80% of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP) at the time. If all 42 countries had improved the productivity of their health systems over five years to the same level as the best-performing countries, healthy life expectancy would have increased by one year and four months, without any additional spending. At the time, it was predicted that together the 42 governments would save up to $3.5 trillion a year simply by providing better services.
Anyone who knows the Brazilian reality knows how much progress could be made with a more efficient state. Given the lack of interest of the government of President Luiz Inácio da Silva in this subject, this is a transformation that essentially depends on Congress. Parliament cannot remain silent.
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