Dilma says "stubbornness" generated jobs in Brazil.

247 - A day after saying that a country cannot be "measured by its GDP," President Dilma Rousseff returned to addressing economic issues in her own way. During the christening ceremony of Petrobras' P-59 platform in Maragojipe, Bahia, she reaffirmed her government's commitment to stimulating the economy.

"We will face challenges to guarantee quality jobs for the population," she said in a speech in which she praised the "stubbornness" of former President Lula for determining the construction of the platform in Brazil. Emotion filled her speech. She said she was from a time "not so long ago" when it was said that Brazil should "import everything." "But we were stubborn, first because we are indeed capable of building platforms, having discovered the pre-salt reserves, and after 20 years we are building the first drilling rig in the country. Why wouldn't we be capable of building a platform?" The president continued: "The most interesting thing is that we were the second largest shipbuilding industry in the world until the 80s." Referring to Lula, who was not present, she said that "this Brazilian called Lula was stubborn, stubborn that we are indeed capable of building platforms, and today, after an enormous number of years, we are here, building the first drilling rig again in Brazil."

In a renewed emotional outburst, the president continued: "This is a source of immense pride, but above all, a promise for the future. What we have here is not just steel and computerized systems; it's a path to the future. The fact is, we will continue to generate jobs and income for the Brazilian people."

Dilma sought to differentiate between Brazil's position regarding the global financial crisis and that of the United States and central European countries. "Brazil is on a different path; our path is not the same as theirs (developed countries)," she stated. She reminded that Brazil "currently shares the pie," while European nations are experiencing unemployment. "My government is attentive to ensuring that our country, in the face of this international situation, performs as well as possible and emerges from this crisis by taking advantage of the opportunities that a crisis always brings," said Dilma.

For Dilma, Brazil will "transform into one of the greatest nations in the world" because it has joyful people. "I have immense confidence in my people's ability to face challenges and find solutions," she argued, to applause.

Alongside Petrobras president Graça Foster, Dilma praised the former president of the state-owned company, Sergio Gabrielli, whose management has been indirectly criticized by Foster. Dilma called him a "great manager." According to Petrobras, the P-59 is capable of drilling wells in high-pressure and high-temperature conditions and reaches depths of up to 9.100 meters. The company invested approximately US$360 million in the platform's construction.