Kassab says that merging ministries will not harm science and technology.
The Minister of Science, Technology, Innovation and Communications, Gilberto Kassab, said this Tuesday (7), in a public hearing at the Senate's Science, Technology, Innovation, Communication and Informatics Committee, that the merger of the Ministry of Science and Technology with that of Communications will not harm Brazilian research; Kassab guaranteed that the sector will not suffer new budget restrictions; “Brazilian society knows that resources for this sector have not been sufficient in the last 30 years, despite the great evolution we have undergone. Unlike the area of communications, science and technology continue to depend on public resources,” he said.
Brazil Agency - The Minister of Science, Technology, Innovation and Communications, Gilberto Kassab, said today (7), in a public hearing at the Senate's Science, Technology, Innovation, Communication and Informatics Committee, that the merger of the Ministry of Science and Technology with the Ministry of Communications will not harm Brazilian research. Kassab guaranteed that the sector will not suffer new budget restrictions.
"Brazilian society knows that resources for this sector have not been sufficient in the last 30 years, despite the great progress we have made. Unlike the communications sector, science and technology continue to depend on public resources," said the new minister, who did not rule out increasing funding for the sector.
The chairman of the committee, Senator Lasier Martins (PDT-RS), reminded the minister that on May 24th the committee held a hearing with 56 institutions and associations linked to research and science in Brazil, all of whom were "very concerned" about the ministerial merger. Martins questioned Kassab about the sectoral funds for investments in the sector, which, according to the senator, in the last five years, had 87% of their resources allocated to generating a primary surplus.
According to Kassab, releasing the funds requires negotiation with the government's economic team. “My mission today in public administration as minister is to strengthen science, innovation policies, and advance communications. However, this debate cannot exist without the participation of the Ministry of Finance, so that together we can sensitize the President of the Republic that, by releasing funds for investment, we can indeed strengthen our economy, with growth generating jobs. It is a discussion that cannot exist without Planning and Finance,” he said.
Assignments
Senator Jorge Viana (PT-AC) criticized the merger of the two ministries and said that the area of communication will predominate in the activities of the new ministry, especially with requests for the operation of radio and television stations.
“Science and technology will be swallowed up by everyone's desire to have a radio. We are mixing science and technology with this, which is consuming us like quicksand. Let's work towards merging ministries, yes, but let's preserve science, technology, and innovation as a matter for the Brazilian State. That's what will define whether we are truly in the 21st century or if we are moving backward,” he compared.
Senator Otto Alencar (PSD-BA) said he was in favor of the reduction in the number of ministries made by Michel Temer's interim government. "What matters is that the minister is able to meet with the President [of the Republic]," he argued. Kassab highlighted that the merger fulfills a desire of Brazilian society, detected by all opinion polls, for a reduction in the number of ministries.
At the end of the hearing, Lasier Martins approved a request of his own authorship asking for a detailed explanation of the policy related to the application, in the last 5 years, of resources from sectoral funds that should be used to strengthen science.
*With information from the Senate Agency