Mariana Jungmann and Iolando Lourenço       Reporters Agência Brasil

Brasília – Following the testimony by the minister of National Integration, Fernando Bezerra Coelho, the handful of opposition congressmen who attended the hearing were unanimously dissatisfied.

The leader of the PSDB in the Chamber of Deputies, Duarte Nogueira (SP) compared the minister’s explanation of how the government is dealing with the situation in states hit by natural disasters to a “rosary recitation.”

“He just repeated what he already said in notes,” complained Duarte. “He defends sending loads of money to his state, but does not explain why other states that are suffering from floods did not get money.”

Members of political parties allied with the government saw things differently. They thought Bezerra did very well. The leader of the PT in the Senate, Humberto Costa (PE), said the minister cleared up all doubts and that the hearing was a victory for the government.

The acting leader of the government in the Chamber of Deputies, Luciano Castro (PR-RR), said it was easy to defend a minister under attack by the opposition when good arguments were presented. “The justifications were plausible and that makes it easy for us. His explanation of how his budget was executed was transparent,” declared Castro. 

Bezerra is being accused of nepotism: a brother headed a regional development corporation housed in his ministry and other relatives have jobs in the government. Besides that, he had to explain why funds were made available to his son (a congressman) and the large amount of funds he disbursed for his home state of Pernambuco.

Allen Bennett – translator/editor The News in English - content modified

Link - Oposição critica e governistas apoiam depoimento de Fernando Bezerra no Congresso Nacional