The deputy justice and public security minister, Douglas Moreno, launched the scheme, entitled “special parks for labour insertion and the culture of peace”. Moreno was flanked by two representatives of companies participating in the project: Rodrigo Bolaños, director of League Central America, a textiles producer, and Josué Alvarado, from the company Río Grande Foods, a manufacturing and distribution company. The “special parks” will be open to former gang members and youths deemed to be “at risk” because they are living near areas where there is a considerable gang presence. A pilot scheme will provide job training for some 500 participants, but the aim is to roll it out nationwide to benefit between 50,000 and 70,000 people.
The long-term success of schemes such as this is highly dependent on employment and investment that comes form a thriving economy. El Salvador is working hard with the US, through its Partnership for Growth scheme, to try and provide this environment by combating insecurity and low productivity to increase growth. However, the government suffered a setback on 27 April when the economy minister, Héctor Dada, who had held the position since the start of Funes’ term in June 2009, resigned. Funes said Dada had explained he was leaving for personal reasons, but Dada let it be known publicly that he went for professional reasons.
Dada used the social networking site Facebook to explain that he had resigned because he felt his position had become untenable as the government was taking economic decisions with which he disagreed. Days earlier, Funes had said that “anyone who does not think we are implementing changes (in government), tender your resignation.” The deputy trade minister, Armando Flores, immediately announced his appointment to replace Dada on Twitter.
The dynamic of Flores’ relationship with Alexander Segovia, the technical secretary of the presidency and a close ally of Funes, will be very important. Segovia has considerable control over economic policy in the Funes administration, calling the shots as far as the US Partnership for Growth goes, and there was clearly friction between him and Dada. Most recently, the two were at odds over the government’s gas subsidy. Dada said earlier this year that the government was evaluating the efficiency of the subsidy, which benefits 1.2m beneficiaries, among whom many either do not have gas or do not need a subsidy. Dada said everything was being managed by the technical secretary of the presidency. Segovia said that there were no changes envisaged to the subsidy scheme, but when he was asked about these irregularities, he said the issue would have to be raised with the economy minister as it fell within his remit.
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