The President of the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores (ALRAA), Luís Garcia, argued today in Horta that “Public Administration Reform must involve its employees,” reinforcing the importance of their availability to act as active partners in this process.

“There can be no Public Administration reform against civil servants. They must be partners in its construction and irreplaceable in its implementation,“ said the President of the Legislative Assembly this afternoon at the seminar entitled ”State Reform: Simplification and Digitization in Public Administration,” promoted by the Union of Public Administration and Public Entity Workers (SINTAP) at the Parliament Museum.

Alongside this concern, the President of the Azorean Parliament also highlighted the need to “introduce clear criteria for evaluating and ensuring the effectiveness of the services provided,” arguing that the improvement in remuneration conditions that has been seen in recent years “should be matched by greater productivity and, consequently, greater motivation.”

“Let us not be afraid of words: to the process of valuing civil servants, which we have followed and applauded, we must add another term—productivity,” said the President of the Legislative Assembly.

In addition to the challenge of involving civil servants in this reform, President Luís Garcia warned of the burden of bureaucracy in public administration, stating that “excessive bureaucracy undermines its functioning, discredits institutions, hinders our development, alienates and demotivates our citizens and investors.”

At the seminar, which was also dedicated to the topic of digitization, the President of the Legislative Assembly stressed that “on our nine islands, digitization is not just a convenience—it is a necessity,” highlighting the fundamental role that Artificial Intelligence can play in this field, considering it to be “the beginning of a new era,” capable of promoting solutions that reinforce the credibility of information, protect knowledge, and increase the efficiency of public services.

Despite the advantages identified, President Luís Garcia acknowledges that new technologies bring public authorities closer to citizens, shortening distances and facilitating access to services, but warns that “technology alone is not enough,” and that it is essential to unite generations in public administration: “older people have experience and accumulated knowledge; younger people bring innovation and familiarity with digital technology. Only in this articulation will we find the real gain.”

From Press Release

Translated into English as a community outreach program by the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL), in collaboration with Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno. PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.