Minister challenges Bolsonaro and Guedes and defends increased public spending.
Brazil's Minister of Regional Development, Rogério Marinho, criticized the fiscal austerity policies of Jair Bolsonaro and Economy Minister Paulo Guedes, and advocated for increased public spending to boost growth. "It seems like we have a knife stuck in our eye and we're worried about a speck of dust," he said.
247 - The Minister of Regional Development, Rogério Marinho, challenged the fiscal austerity and spending containment policies of the Jair Bolsonaro government, implemented by the Minister of Economy, Paulo Guedes. According to Marinho, it is necessary to increase public spending on infrastructure to accelerate economic recovery. "It seems we have a knife stuck in our eye and we're worried about a speck of dust," he said in an interview with the newspaper. The Globe.
According to the minister, the increased spending would prevent the paralysis of infrastructure projects in the North and Northeast of Brazil. “We have important water infrastructure projects, such as the São Francisco River diversion, aqueducts being built in various states in the Northeast, Midwest, and North, and basic sanitation works throughout the country. Therefore, these resources need to be supplemented,” he emphasized. These two regions have been receiving increased attention from Jair Bolsonaro, who is trying to expand his electoral base with a view to re-election in 2022.
“We have requested, and certainly the Ministry of Economy will seek an alternative so that the works are not paralyzed and we can avoid losses for millions of Brazilians,” Marinho added. The Northeast region is where Bolsonaro registers the highest rejection rate among voters.
The minister, however, admits that the attention given to the North and Northeast has a “political bias.” “Any action by the president has a political bias. He is the country's highest authority, and the fact that he expresses any opinion has immediate repercussions. Any act, gesture, or action. He is a public figure. He is simply giving visibility to what the federal government already does. Our biggest difficulty is communicating this to society,” he emphasized.
According to Marinho, the increase in spending on water and sanitation projects would have little impact on this year's fiscal deficit, which is expected to be around R$ 800 billion. "I'll repeat, we're going to have a deficit of R$ 800 billion this year. We're talking about an increase of R$ 2 billion to R$ 3 billion in the fiscal deficit. It feels like we have a knife stuck in our eye and we're worried about a tiny speck of dust," he said.