Edinho: 'This is a time of turbulence and adjustments'
The Minister of the Secretariat of Social Communication, who took office today, stressed, however, that "this government has credibility and can tell the Brazilian people what will be done in the future"; "We need to establish a frank dialogue with society, showing that a government that has already done things has all the conditions to lead the country at this moment and to continue doing so," he added.
Luana Lourenço - Reporter for Agência Brasil
The Minister of the Secretariat of Social Communication of the Presidency of the Republic, Edinho Silva, who took office today (31), said that the government is going through a moment of "turbulence and adjustment", and stressed that dialogue with the press and society will be expanded.
"This is a time of turbulence and adjustments, but this government has credibility and can tell the Brazilian people what will be done in the future," he said. "We need to establish a frank dialogue with society, showing that a government that has already done things has all the conditions to lead the country at this moment and to continue doing so," he said in an interview after taking office.
According to Silva, during his administration there will be "no forbidden topics, no conflicts that cannot be explained, nor contradictions that cannot be clarified." The new minister replaces Thomas Traumann, who left the government last week.
Silva defended the integration of government communication policy and said that he will base the actions of the department on technical criteria, including the distribution of government advertising funds. "I will be a diligent manager to ensure that we can guarantee the proper use of resources, optimize budget execution, and ensure that resources reach the largest number of media outlets, respecting age diversity and regional diversity, so that the largest possible segment can have access to government achievements and informational campaigns," he added.
A sociologist and professor, Silva has served two terms as mayor of Araraquara, was president of the Workers' Party (PT) in São Paulo, and a state representative for the party. In 2014, he was the treasurer of President Dilma Rousseff's reelection campaign.
Despite not being a journalist, like the previous ministers who headed Secom, Silva says he is aware of the role of government communication, especially in providing accountability to society. "Not accountability as a convention, but as a duty to the taxpayer, to those who pay their taxes and want to know, on a daily basis, what is done with public resources. Communication happens in everyday life," he assessed.
The new minister participated today in part of the political coordination meeting, led by President Dilma, and intends to meet in the coming days with those responsible for communication in the ministries to improve coordination between actions. "There is no such thing as a ministry's public policy; there is only government public policy, and this communication must be integrated and organized to be efficient."