By EFE,
Mexico City : Mexican President Felipe Calderon has said that he is eliminating the federal departments of tourism, agrarian reform and public function as part of an austerity plan to save about $6 billion.
In a message to the nation from the Los Pinos presidential residence, Calderon announced that the Tourism Secretariat will become part of the Economy Secretariat, as is the case in countries like Spain, France and Canada.
The functions of agrarian reform will be assumed by the ministries of social development and agriculture, while those of the public function ministry, which oversees the federal administration, will pass into the hands of the Controller General’s Office, which reports directly to the president.
The change will leave the Mexican federal government with 15 departments.
The president warned his administration’s officials that now they will have to “do more with less to attend to the true priorities of the people”.
“These are difficult times and before asking for any additional effort from Mexicans, the government should have to be the first to set the example,” he said.
Calderon said that the process of restructuring will be carried out “scrupulously respecting workers’ rights”.
In addition to cutting back on the number of ministries, the president ordered expenses to be reduced at embassies, consulates and other Mexican offices abroad.
Calderon announced the government streamlining a day after replacing the attorney general, agriculture secretary and the head of the state oil company as part of his proclaimed strategy to profoundly transform Mexico and seek new political alliances.
Nearly halfway through his six-year term, Calderon decided to dismiss Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora, Agriculture Secretary Alberto Cardenas and the director of Petroleos Mexicanos, Jesus Reyes Heroles.
The men named to succeed them – Arturo Chavez, Javier Mayorga and Juan Jose Suarez, respectively – are career civil servants with no political baggage.