Bolsonaro Shuts Out Amazon States, Says Governor of Pará State

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The governor of Pará, Helder Barbalho (MDB), criticized President Jair Bolsonaro’s decision to exclude the governors of the Amazon region from the National Council of the Legal Amazon, announced by the government to address issues related to the region.

The council announced last week by Bolsonaro will be led by Vice President Hamilton Mourão, who said he saw an opportunity to establish “a true state policy for the region”.

The governor of Pará, who said he learned of the government’s decision on the council through the press, disagrees. “I cannot understand what the federal government’s difficulty is in having the states involved. When the government closes up, everything becomes more difficult,” he said.

Bolsonaro clarified his views on the matter on Thursday, February 13th, when reacting to criticism from Greenpeace, which he referred to as “garbage”. “If you want me to include governors, secretaries of big cities, there will be 200 guys. You know what you’re going to solve? Nothing. Nothing,” said Bolsonaro.

Helder Barbalho believes the decision to remove the council from the hands of Environment Minister Ricardo Salles was the right one, as it places the issue on a higher level, when headed by Mourão. However, he says, “restricting states is a mistake”. “It doesn’t make any sense, because the federal government loses power. It’s his choice and we have to respect it, but we don’t have to agree with it,” he said.

Waldez Goés (PDT), governor of Amapá state and leader of the consortium of governors of Legal Amazon, said the exclusion is a “setback” and that the government’s approach is to be ‘more Brasília and less Amazon’.

Mourão even said this was Waldez’s personal view. But Barbalho disagrees. “Waldez’s protest is not isolated. That is what the group feels. Each and every action in this region needs local debate.”

Helder Barbalho further said that the resources of the Amazon Fund, the main program to assist actions to fight deforestation in the region, remain stalled to this day because of allegations made last year by Ricardo Salles against the Fund’s management.

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