Mayor of Rio Says State Isn't in Control and Should Be 'Ashamed of Itself'
Angered by the theft of equipment for two German TV networks on Friday (1st) morning and by declarations made by the State's Health Secretary, who said that hospitals wouldn't be able to function during the Olympics, Eduardo Paes (PMDB) Mayor of the City of Rio de Janeiro, ratcheted up the level of the rhetoric against the State Government.
"All of this bellyaching is really getting in the way here in Rio. It's time to get to work. I believe in Governor Dornelles and hope that he tells the secretariat to roll up his sleeves and stop with all the blah blah blah. It's nothing but complaining all day long", the Mayor said, on Saturday (2nd) morning, after a meeting with his team at a hotel in Barra da Tijuca.
"[The Federal Government] has taken responsibility, the resources are available, President Michel Temer has helped out, they should be grateful, licking their chops, and moving ahead", he continued.
Asked about the impact of the robbery of the German crew on Rio's image, the mayor reminded everyone that public safety is the State's responsibility and that he had done all that he could to assist the state government.
"Things are at the limit, there isn't a minimum amount of authority, we can't allow these excesses here in Rio. We can't blame it on social problems because social problems exist in São Paulo but we don't see this kind of thing. They exist in Recife, in Belo Horizonte and we don't see this. What we expect from the State Police Forces is for them to do their duty."
Paes pointed out that the municipality had taken over two state hospitals and a library and on Monday the 4th was launching the Centro Presente security project in partnership with private organizations to increase policing in the streets in the central region of the city.
The risk of interruption of state health services during the Olympics also provoked a reaction from the mayor.
Luiz Antônio Teixeira Junior, the State Health Secretary, revealed on Friday that the current scenario is worse than it was in December of last year, when the network entered into collapse due to financial crisis.
"It's absurd for a Secretary to say this at this point in time. They have to learn to manage, to economize", said the Mayor, before citing the two state hospitals taken over by the municipality in January of this year as examples.
"Albert Schweitzer and Rocha Faria were costing R$ 500 million (US$ 153 million) and we are paying R$ 300 million (US$ 92 million). If they have any shame, any managerial and administrative capacity, they can resolve the problems", he declared.
Paes reaffirmed the that State lacks managerial capacity and that the crisis in Rio State can't be blamed on the Olympics, like the Governor did when he declared a state of public calamity.
"They invented this story that [the public calamity decree] was because of the Olympics, but they haven't done anything for the Olympics, they haven't met their obligations. The Guanabara bay is polluted, the Jacarepaguá lakes are polluted, and they come up with this argument. It's time for them to do their job and serve the population."
Translated by LLOYD HARDER