Zema criticizes authorities’ overflight in Rio Grande do Sul, but did the same in Brumadinho in 2019

The governor of Minas Gerais, Romeu Zema (Novo), criticized, without naming names, political authorities who flew over flooded areas in Rio Grande do Sull. In an interview with Jovem Pan, the head of the state Executive said he was “a little disappointed” with the stance.

Last weekend, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) flew by helicopter over flooded regions of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, alongside other authorities, such as the president of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD) and the Chamber of Deputies, Arthur Lira (PP).

“I’m a little disappointed when authorities start using events like this as propaganda, as personal disclosure. We have to send help. Staying there showing off in the middle of the tragedy, in my opinion, does more harm than good to those affected. Sometimes it’s even an affront. Sometimes, the helicopter that could be used to rescue someone is being used by an authority to promote itself”, he stated when questioned by Felipe D’Avila, former candidate for President of the Republic in 2022, for Zema’s party.

The Minas Gerais governor’s statement draws attention because at the beginning of his first term as head of the state Executive, he boarded a federal government helicopter with then-president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) to check the damage caused by the collapse of the Vale dam in Brumadinho. , in the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte. In the disaster, 270 people died.

The flyover took place on January 26, 2019, one day after the dam collapsed. Bolsonaro traveled to Minas Gerais and gave Romeu Zema a ride in an H-36 Caracal helicopter, from the Brazilian Air Force (FAB). On a social network, he commented on the overflight and thanked the country for its solidarity with the state.

“This morning I flew over the affected area alongside President Jair Bolsonaro, who promised the Union’s full support for Minas Gerais. On behalf of the miners, I want to thank you for the solidarity and help we are receiving from all over Brazil. Thank you very much,” he said in a social media post at the time.

The following day, other authorities from the Minas Gerais government flew over the site again, such as the State Ombudsman General, Simone Deoud and the Attorney General, Sérgio Pessôa, in Fire Department equipment.

The report contacted the press office of the Government of Minas Gerais and asked for an explanation about Zema’s statement on Jovem Pan and the overflight carried out in 2019.