Opinion: Rousseff Sends Message That Governors Don't Want to Hear

07/31/2015 - 10h17

The days leading up to the meeting of Dilma Rousseff with the country's governors were surrounded with discomfort among the guests.

In the face of economic and political crisis and the President's fallen popularity, the State governors feared being called to share the heavy burden that Rousseff carries in the second term.

The opposition feared falling into the trap of being asked to contributed to the country's governance that neither interests them nor is their responsibility.

Therefore, most of the 27 governors had little disposition to travel to Brasilia.

In addition to that, there was a tangled ceremonial to which invitations were sent just a few days before and without specifying the theme or who would speak. Then you can get an idea of the pre-meeting mood.

At the very end of her speech, Rousseff sent the message the governors did not want to hear: she needs their help to stop the controversial agenda in Congress.

It turns out the governors think otherwise: the crisis belong to the central government, which created it and aggravated it. If Rousseff wants help with the fiscal adjustment, something that many are willing to offer, she should ask specifically for it and assume the responsibility, without hesitating.

The question is whether the politicians who criticized the meeting behind the scenes will have the courage to say it right to her face, if they have the chance to speak. It is most likely they will also keep to general observations.

In this case, it will be just one more long, tiring and innocuous meeting, like the one in 2013 and many others.

Rousseff will leave it as unpopular and weary as she entered it; the governors will return to their States with no budget or investment prospects and the controversial agenda will still be out there when the Congress resumes work on Monday.

Translated by JULIANA CALDERARI

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	Pedro Ladeira/Folhapress
	Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff poses for a picture during a meeting with governors at Alvorada Palace, in Brasilia