César “Landy” Torres, candidate for governor of Alto Paraná for the Colorado Party, said that during the first 6 months of his government he will suspend all extortion control of state agencies operating in the departmental capital. These statements were made on a television program in Asunción, when he was especially consulted about his plan to fight corruption prevailing in State institutions in the department. Landy acknowledged that many of his co-religionists fall into these temptations, but it is not just a matter of colorados. “The vices of corruption were committed from other parties as well,” he said.
The candidate for departmental leadership said that, to combat corruption and informality, his plan, already drawn up and sufficiently publicized, is to generate job opportunities to combat smuggling and other illegalities, which prosper as the only alternative to the unemployment of the population. “As a government, I am going to look for a mechanism to generate said investments and correct this shortcoming,” he added.
He said that the Getulio Vargas Foundation in Brazil establishes Paraguay as the country with the best business climate in Latin America, and then he questioned why industries are not installed in Alto Paraná, arguing that it is because some public institutions have become collection offices, which with blackmail and bribes visit and harass businessmen, according to what he denounced.
Next, Torres said that he does not blame Alto Paraná officials for this situation, since most of them hardly respond to people from the capital. “That is why we draw up a plan and we are going to execute it: the first six months, we are going to suspend all inspections, we are going to give clear signals, the Ministry of Labor, IPS, MADES, no extortive inspection of the business community,” he snapped.
The Colorado candidate for Governor also acknowledged that, when crossing the Friendship Bridge, tourists are already stopped by the military, they control merchandise, an activity that is not the responsibility of the military. “We are going to ask them to leave that sector, where today they are doing unpatriotic work,” he finally said.