The bitter drop in the cocktail is the urgent reduction of public spending. It won’t make the president more popular, but good government requires certain sacrifices. When a parent realizes that his income is not enough, he has to reduce expenses. Experts say the subsidies cost billions. Those awarded to alleviate the effects of extreme poverty and improve the nutrition of mothers and children are undoubtedly justified. But fossil fuel subsidies are not. This subsidy is used by gasoline and diesel smugglers, drug dealers who produce cocaine. They are sold on the high seas, on land borders, wherever they want.

But prices are not rising because the indigenous movement is against it. In October 2019, Conaia demonstrations destroyed part of the city of Quito, even burning down the building of the supervisory office. At the televised meeting, we saw a half-naked, feathered and angry indigenous leader who almost challenged President Moreno. The government backed down.

The problem is that the leaders of the indigenous people, and they do not make up more than seven percent of the national population, believe that they are the owners of life and death of everyone and without reason have assumed the role of defenders of the Ecuadorian people. . They threaten to paralyze the country again, and the main reason for their struggle is the subsidized price of regular gasoline. They are not right. The subsidy is disastrous for public finances, for the environment, for the people of Quito who suffer the destruction of indigenous demonstrations. They paralyze the country. There is no excuse that vandals are infiltrators. The leaders know this and don’t seem to care. They have great power, but they must be stopped. By reason or by force, say the Chileans.

The reason is the high price of such subsidies. They are a very significant part of the fiscal deficit. Furthermore, they encourage the consumption of polluting gasoline and diesel and contain the injustice of encouraging unconstitutional privileges in favor of those who do not deserve or need them.

This could be one of the first tests that President Noboa Azín will have to face. Dialogue in good faith is necessary. No arrogance and no threatening outbursts. We must increase this price, which was fixed many years ago and which is costing the people more and more because hospitals, schools and universities can be improved with this money.

The same can be said about the bureaucracy. There are 40 ministries, too many, close to half a million bureaucrats who receive a salary daily. It is known that there is a surplus of public servants (I am not talking about the public force) and that the obese state must lose weight. This measure will be requested from the Government when it goes to look for money on the international market. He will be unpopular, but Sixto Durán-Ballén (president between 1992-1996) said that he was not elected Miss Sympathy, but President of the Republic. That’s the painful part of power.

We all hope that the new president will succeed in his endeavours. We will all win. (OR)