The new minister wants to boost the number of parliamentary amendments aimed at sector activities to compensate for the portfolio's low budget. The deputy said that he will carry out “awareness work” among parliamentarians so that they allocate more resources for tourist works in their electoral strongholds.
Elevated to the position by an agreement between the Planalto Palace and his party União Brasil to improve the governance of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Sabino said that he will also work to increase the speed in the execution of amendments in the ministry.
One of the Chamber's main complaints in the first half of the year regarding the government's political articulation was, precisely, the delay in the release of funds to the congressmen's electoral bases.
The new Minister of Tourism is the first name of a ministerial reform that aims to strengthen the federal government's relations with Congress. Next to the mayor, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), Sabino has the endorsement of the majority of the Union bench, of 59 deputies.
Exonerated last Friday, former minister Daniela Carneiro, also a deputy, has lost the support of the party since she decided to ask for the acronym to be disconnected. She is awaiting the opinion of the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) to leave the Union and join the Republicans without losing her mandate.
Negotiations for the exchange in Tourism, however, lasted for weeks and the official only took place last Thursday (13th).
Sabino voted in favor of legalizing gambling when the bill was approved in the House in February 2022. At the time, the proposal was approved with 246 votes in favor and 202 against. The PT, the ruling party today, was one of the political parties to vote against the proposal.
Currently in progress in the Senate, the matter still awaits the designation of a rapporteur in the Constitution and Justice Committee (CCJ) of the House. In summary, the measure releases the practice of casino games, bingo, video bingo and even the jogo do bicho in Brazil.
Within the scope of the Executive, the legislation interests precisely the Ministry of Tourism. In previous administrations, portfolio ministers defended proposals on the subject.
Unlike Celso Sabino, Daniela Carneiro voted against the measure when it passed through the Chamber. Then a member of the MDB, she was part of the group of just over 200 parliamentarians opposed to the project. The vote on the proposal had the unusual union of votes between conservatives and deputies from leftist parties, such as PT and PSOL.
These are the main excerpts from Sabino's interview with Globo:
O Globo - What are the important projects for the sector in Congress?
Celso Sabino - The National Tourism Plan is in the Senate. There is a project to legalize gambling, which is in the Senate, which may favor tourism. The project includes the legalization of resorts and casinos. I voted in favour.
Is support for the project peaceful in the government?
I believe it is. Most of the government, the people I talked to, the idea is to be favorable.
Does your arrival bring the government of President Arthur Lira closer?
President Lira has been very republican, based on projects of interest to the government, they have been approved. We see in him a high level commitment. A real commitment to Brazil, to the economic agenda. So, there are ideas, proposals, which are consensus between both. It is a matter of time before there is an even greater approximation.
You replace a woman in a government that claims to be concerned with gender equality. Are you going to prioritize women in the assembly of your team?
I think all projects related to the issue of gender equality are very important, I voted in favor. There in my state, where I am president of my party. We absolutely complied with the issue of quotas for blacks, browns, and women. The women all received the appropriate electoral fund. I think it is very important that women, more and more, participate in politics, in public administration.
What are your priorities in the portfolio?
Our priorities here, already discussed with the president, is to make tourism in Brazil mean, in terms of revenue generation, the generation of wealth for the country, which some countries in the world have achieved.
There are countries in the world that don't have even close to what we have to “sell” for tourism, in terms of natural beauties, forests, cultural and historical heritage. We started to work on a national tourism development plan and we intend to present this plan to the president by the end of September. This program is more macro, it lasts for five years, and foresees goals to reach the generation of wealth.
Are there any international examples that Brazil should follow?
Portugal, in ten years, tripled the number of tourists. It was a tourism policy, they spread it in Europe, they improved security issues.
Source: GMB
