Guedes' Comments Spark Outrage and Threatens Government Reform Agenda

For congressmen, declarations further undermine the reform process

Brasília and São Paulo

The recent controversial statements by Minister of Economy Paulo Guedes have angered Jair Bolsonaro’s team and congressional leaders. His recent comments have created an atmosphere of tension and disrupt the process of reforms because they complicate the administration’s relationship with Congress.

On Wednesday (12), Guedes said the higher dollar was good for everyone. When the dollar was low, he said that even domestic workers traveled to Disney. The statement increased his negative impression among parliamentarians. Yesterday, Guedes declined to comment on the repercussion of the sentence.

Brazil's Economy Minister Paulo Guedes walks during a physical exercise near Alvorada Palace in Brasilia, Brazil February 5, 2020. REUTERS/Adriano Machado - REUTERS

Faced with criticism from several fronts, Bolsonaro sought to detach himself from the episodes starring the minister. He stated that “the dollar was a little high” and, when questioned about the controversy of the domestic workers, he replied: “Ask whoever said that. I answer for my actions ”.

Already the comparison of servers to parasites, made last week, provoked irate functionalism and contributed to the government postponing the sending of administrative reform.

Translated by Kiratiana Freelon

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