A few years ago I heard an interview with the president of the Japanese multinational company Suzuki. When asked what he considered when deciding whether or not to sign a new contract, the entrepreneur replied: “I can imagine if I could swallow it. If I imagine it’s not going down my throat, I reject it.”

The expression of a businessman is the same one we use when someone or something does not convince us: “I don’t buy this person”, “I don’t buy the story”. This is how we Ecuadorians go: some suffocate, others celebrate (for the sake of ‘governance’), with pacts and coalitions between three unique political tents that announce their intention not to cross established red lines. And if someone crosses them or if the red lines change color and become blue, yellow, purple or green, what awaits us? Because it is known that the impossibility of preserving form is inherent in fluid, flowing times.

As of the day I am writing, we have the Steering Committee of the National Assembly (one member is missing), as well as 15 commissions. As soon as we begin, we find behaviors that are obsessively repeated in each legislative period. Let’s say, what does E. Recalde do in the second vice president, or why was the experience and knowledge of the assemblyman not used for the formation of commissions? There is a moral responsibility in making such decisions.

If we ask ourselves what are the behaviors that caused mistrust in the past and which I do not necessarily transfer to every member of parliament, I state the following: inefficiency in the processing of emergency laws, constant rejection of executive power proposals, lack of criteria for distinction. global than local, weak capacity for reasoned discussion, insulting via digital or face to face, bench changes, defense of party interests over state, placing untrustworthy people in key positions, friends and family as advisers, wandering during interventions, lack of interest in those they expose, pacts under the table and/or with other powers, somewhat tepid Supervisory and Ethics Commission, decorations at will, domestic or foreign trips without clear results for their functions: legislation and supervise.

In short, the new Assembly would face several challenges: 1) Administrative: achieve greater effectiveness, efficiency and effectiveness in its management; 2) Technical: prepare quality interventions, framed by scenarios and technologies of the 21st century; 3) Political: promote interbank dialogue without exclusion, dealing with relevant and urgent issues for the development of the country (security, economy, energy, employment, health, education); 4) Ethical: to maintain the essence of Parliament, through words and public example; 5) Cultural: create a culture of citizen participation, with creative proposals that inspire young people.

Hannah Arendt wrote that the political being is characterized by the ability to act together in search of new results. Taking on that role will be the greatest challenge for engineer Henry Kronfle, and his success will be the success of the entire country. (OR)