MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Uruguay with IDB support plans to invest US$600 million in rural roads network
Uruguay plans to improve the rural roads network of the 18 department governments with support from two credit lines for an investment project totalling US$600 million with two initial loans completing US$150 million from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). The funds will support the implementation of rural roads construction in agriculture production areas, and will also be geared to improve and strengthen fiscal management and services at the departmental government level. Read full article
Comments
Disclaimer & comment rulesThe second US$300 million credit line for investment projects will focus on enhancing the fiscal management and investment capabilities of the country’s 18 inland departments by strengthening their governments’ ability to manage revenues, spending and investments as well as the design and implementation of projects aimed at developing strategic sectors of the economy.
Nov 18th, 2016 - 06:57 pm - Link - Report abuse -1There is one MAJOR stumbling block to this otherwise excellent idea.
Local governments do not follow top governments so closely. Maldonado no longer has a Broad Front (aka Broad Fraud) Mayor. So all the top jobs are now done by other people to the last four years under the BF.
So any money on training will be wasted and you can just bet that if / when the Broad Fraud get back in the 'old regime's ideas' will be dropped.
Uruguay is 60 years behind the west on many things and it particularly shows with the type of government.
@ ChrisR
Nov 18th, 2016 - 07:28 pm - Link - Report abuse +1That actually does sound like a problem. Does Uruguay not have a civil service to do the real work? Those are the people who should get the training. What do these 'top jobs' really involve?
Firstly, you have to understand that ONLY politicians (or those appointed by a politician) can head a government department or similar undertaking.
Nov 19th, 2016 - 12:11 pm - Link - Report abuse -1The classic horror story, as usual involved Mujica who when he came to the presidency appointed as Head of Oncology for the whole of the Maldonado Region a female friend whose only claim to fame was that she ran a PIZZA PARLOUR!
Three of my friends actually know this woman and were as aghast as I was. The solution of course was to appoint a medical team below her who 'advised' her on all matters and 'suggested' what she should do.
As soon as Vasquez (a recognised leader in the oncology field and self-made millionaire from his clinic) became pres he fired her arse.
You have no real idea what goes on here.
It is also evident that the 'civil service' people are nowhere near the caliber of those in the UK (I know that is incredulous) and there are at least twice as many people in post than those needed. Even less now they are putting everything on 'computer'. I give you a guess how that is going. :o(
In our local intendencia (the council) the head of the whole shebang doesn't have a title plate, he has Frente Amplio (the Broad Fraud) above his office door and he NEVER arrives before 12.00 noon.
I still love the country and the vast majority of those people I have met so far.
@ChrisR please continue with these fascinating reports on local Uruguayan politics, and the associated disfunction that appears to plague its institutions. We know the country is renown for its transparency and resolute adherence to a secular state respecting women and the LGBT community. Your descriptive stories don't necessarily contradict that perception, and ring true. Nepotism sounds rampant, which would indeed imply the transparency may not be there after all?
Nov 20th, 2016 - 03:45 am - Link - Report abuse 0Now, I wish I could say the same about your US political comments ;-)
It's true I don't know much about Uruguay; I've never even been there. That's why I have more questions than answers.
Nov 20th, 2016 - 11:22 am - Link - Report abuse 0Is the problem the system itself, because these department heads should not be appointed by a politician in the first place? Or is it just that Mujica was abusing the system to give his friend a good job? Mujica took over from Vasquez, who was in the same party, so he had no real need to change the previous appointments. Who had the job before and who has it now?
It would also be interesting to know how things were done before the Broad Front took over, but that would have been long before you moved there.
What do you like about the country anyway? You mostly seem to complain about it on here but perhaps that is due to the nature of the site.
@ DT
Nov 20th, 2016 - 01:28 pm - Link - Report abuse 0The country in the winter is very the UK during the summer: verdant and stuffed full of all sorts of trees.. In summer it does tend to burn somewhat like Southern Italy around Caserta / Naples.
The people who actually do work for a living are very sociable apart from a few commies who hate the British Imperialists (I kid you not).
There is a schism though between MVD and the eastern holiday coast. MVD in some areas is as bad as Manchester at it's worst for armed gangsters and despite the ban on short barreled handguns in the UK there are still two no-go areas in Manchester that the police are loath to go.
I don't like big cities anyway so MVD was only ever a suck it and see city when we came over in 2010 to make up our minds whether we would like it or not.
The small 'cities' along the coast are as varied as any in the UK but the natives are without any doubt more friendly. Outside the season where I live you can leave your house unlocked without any problems. I don't do this deliberately but the door locks are very different to the UK and can give false indications until you actually get used to them.
Not many people stay around here out of season except for the locals who are employed in the surrounding area. This makes for a very quiet time until the visitors come in December. We have a many American who come to see if their houses are still OK and they stop until the very end.
My next door neighbours are Argentine and a lovely family indeed, they will also be coming soon as will those Uruguayos who own houses in the neighbourhood. I can't say too much more about the area or else EB and her 'professionals' will hunt me down!
We go out with friends who are in business in the town and speak good English and they showed us the area when we first moved here.
The Policia Caminera are very friendly and have stopped me many time whilst riding my bike, not for anything wrong but they wanted to look at it! The local Policia are just the same. :o)
Commenting for this story is now closed.
If you have a Facebook account, become a fan and comment on our Facebook Page!