Mendes Ribeiro says he is leaving the ministry to focus on healthcare.
According to the former Minister of Agriculture, the intense pace of travel and work demanded by the ministry prevented him from taking care of his recovery; he underwent surgery to remove a malignant brain tumor in 2011, but continues treatment.
Luciene Cruz*
Reporter from Agência Brasil
Brasilia – Former Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa) Mendes Ribeiro Filho admitted this Saturday (16) that he left the ministry to take care of his health. According to him, the intense pace of travel and work that the ministry demanded prevented him from taking care of his recovery.
"Now I'll be able to take better care of myself, focus on my physical fitness, and recover in such a way that I'll be ready, very soon, for another challenge," he said. Mendes Ribeiro Filho underwent surgery to remove a malignant brain tumor in 2011, but is still undergoing treatment. This is the second time the former minister has been diagnosed with the disease.
According to the former minister, the demands and specificities of the agricultural sector required constant travel and direct contact with the agricultural sector. "Dilma [Rousseff] had already been warning me to take care of my health, that I had to stop traveling everywhere. I had already reduced my travel somewhat, due to regionalization. But it's impossible, I had to be in contact with all the crops, I had to talk to the farmers. It was something I couldn't just stay quiet in Brasília," he explained.
During the swearing-in ceremony for the new ministers, Mendes Ribeiro Filho became quite emotional upon hearing President Dilma Rousseff's words of gratitude for his performance leading the ministry. On that occasion, Dilma stated that, in addition to the political aspect, their relationship has "strong emotional foundations."
"Mendezinho is above all a person of great political and personal loyalty. To Mendes, I will say, with much affection, thank you for your work, and resist the difficulties because we, in Brazil, need you. I hope you stop pacing back and forth and take care of your recovery," she said during the speech.
Mendes Ribeiro's name was considered for the position of Secretary of Strategic Affairs (SAE), replacing Moreira Franco, who took over the Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SAC), but he preferred to leave the government. Mendes Ribeiro returns to his mandate as a federal deputy for the PMDB-RS party.
*Contributed by Luana Lourenço // Edited by Lílian Beraldo