Tarcísio’s ally says Zema’s gaffe caused difficulties – 10/19/2023 – Power

An ally of Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans), the president of the Legislative Assembly of São Paulo, deputy André do Prado (PL), admitted at the opening of the 9th meeting of Cosud (South and Southeast Integration Consortium) that the approval of the group of states in the Home was difficult after the speeches considered separatist by the governor of Minas Gerais, Romeu Zema (Novo).

In front of Zema and the other governors, in a speech in Sala São Paulo, André do Prado stated that he thought it would be easy to approve the creation of Cosud in the Assembly with the participation of São Paulo, just as was done in the Legislature of other states. He then rescued the gaffe of the governor of Minas Gerais, who on more than one occasion was considered prejudiced against the North and Northeast.

“For some time this project was being processed in the Assembly. I thought it would be a peaceful vote given the importance of this legal instrument to align the states. And unfortunately that did not happen. It was an intense debate in light of a statement from our governor Zema, from Minas Gerais , which was misinterpreted”, said André.

The project was filed in the Assembly by the Tarcísio government in June, but was only approved at the end of September, after postponements due to lack of quorum and obstruction by the left-wing opposition.

Then, André do Prado temporized Zema’s speech. “We all know our governor Zema’s intention, which was to integrate all these states. We all know that politics was involved. And it took a long time to be approved in the Assembly”, he added.

Speaking after the deputy, Zema also sought to dispel the discomfort and criticism that his statements provoked. “Cosud is here to unite, to add, never to divide,” he said.

The governor of Minas Gerais also made reference to André do Prado’s speech. “What needs to be clear here, as André said, is that we are here to add and not to divide. These seven states have the greatest interest in this country moving forward and are the states that can contribute the most, both because of what they represent of population and production”, he added.

Tarcísio himself, in his speech, made no reference to the controversy. Eduardo Leite (PSDB), governor of Rio Grande do Sul, stated that Cosud is “never a front of states against states, [mas] a front of states that defends a common vision for Brazil for the benefit of the entire country”.

Governor of Paraná, Ratinho Jr. (PSD) stated that the idea of ​​Cosud is not new and that other regions already have their consortia — such as the Northeast Consortium.

Zema’s statement was given in an interview with the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo, in August. When talking about the creation of Cosud, he said that the difference in treatment of regions became clear during the discussion of Tax Reform and demanded proportional space.

The miner even made an analogy with “little cows that produce little” when talking about distortions in revenue and needs, saying that, if a rural producer starts to give good treatment only to these cows, “in a little while those that produce a lot will go start demanding the same treatment.”

In June, at the opening of the previous Cosud meeting, in Belo Horizonte, Zema stated that the states of the South and Southeast have “a much higher proportion of people working than living on emergency aid” and that only these states “can contribute to this country to succeed.”

Still at the Cosud meeting, Tarcísio and the mayor of São Paulo, Ricardo Nunes (MDB), exchanged hugs and compliments. The governor must support the re-election of the emedebista, who is still seeking the support of Jair Bolsonaro (PL) in next year’s election.