Northeast Consortium criticizes what it calls indication of “war between regions” as a way of perpetuating inequalities
Politicians from different parties and the Consórcio do Nordeste criticized the governor of Minas Gerais, Romeo Zema (Novo), for a speech in which he defends “Protagonism” from the South and Southeast. Northeastern governors indicate that the declaration incites a “war between regions” from the country.
In an interview with the newspaper The State of S. Paulopublished on Saturday (5.Aug.2023), Zema stated that the 7 states of the South and Southeast have formally joined together in Cossud (South-Southeast Consortium).
“[…] we have already decided that in addition to the economic protagonism we have, because we represent 70% of the Brazilian economy, we want – which is what we never had – political protagonism. Other regions of Brazil, with states that are much smaller in terms of economy and population, unite and manage to vote and approve a series of projects in Brasília. And we, who represent 56% of Brazilians, but who always stayed each one for himself, looking only at his backyard, lost”, said the governor of Minas Gerais.
For him, the states of the South-Southeast will have more weight acting as a group and this was proven with the analysis of the tax reform in the Chamber.
Now, according to Zema, the governors of the region are dialoguing with the Senate to “that Brazil stops advancing in the direction it has advanced in recent years”, that the regions of the South and Southeast do not receive “anything” for being rich.
“So will the South and Southeast continue to collect much more than they receive in return? This cannot be intensified, year by year, decade by decade. If not, you’re going to fall for that story, of the rural producer who only starts giving good treatment to the cows that produce little and leaves aside those that are producing a lot”, said Zema.
The lines led to criticism that he was encouraging division and the “separatist flash”, as quoted by the Nordeste Consortium.
“By defending the role of the South and Southeast, [Zema] indicates a movement of tension with the North and Northeast, regions that have been penalized over the last decades by national development projects”, says a note from the Northeast Consortium this Sunday (6.Aug).
And keeps going: “While the North and Northeast bet on strengthening the project of a democratic, inclusive Brazil and, therefore, one of unity and reconstruction, the aforementioned interview seems to deepen the logic of a subaltern, divided and unequal country”. Here’s the full of the note (687 KB), signed by the president of the Nordeste Consortium, the governor of Paraíba, Joao Azevedo (PSB).
The governor of Rio Grande do Sul, Eduardo Leite (PSDB), came out in defense of Cossud. “It has nothing to do with states against states or region against region.”, said the Gaucho governor. “Among these guidelines [as do Consórcio] is not discriminating, disuniting or disintegrating any part of the Federation”.
Already Renato Casagrande (PSB), governor of Espírito Santo, stated that Zema’s speeches are a “personal opinion” from him.
Earlier, in June, Zema had already stated that the South and Southeast work more and receive less aid. He also stated that the two regions would be “much of Brazil’s solution”.
Read other politicians’ criticisms of Zema’s recent speech:
- Aécio Neves (PSDB), former governor of Minas Gerais and federal deputy:
“This statement by the governor of Minas Gerais is more than unfortunate. We cannot admit that nowadays there are positions as prejudiced, aggressive and xenophobic as this one. Brazil demands a president who respects Brazilians, without distinction, and who has positions that promote the development of the entire country, with special attention to the peculiarities of each region, of course, without losing sight of the contribution that each region can make to the country as a a whole, as our President Lula has been. I repudiate this attitude and claim that Brazil does not accept this type of aggression”, said Veneziano in a note.
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