New Transport Minister says he will appoint Dnit and Valec technical staff

BRASÍLIA – The new Minister of Transport, Antonio Carlos Rodrigues, took office on Monday the 5th, in Brasília, promising to expand investments in railways and to appoint technical staff for the National Department of Transport Infrastructure (Dnit) and Valec.

“I intend to appoint the technical staff to assume management of Dnit and Valec”, said the minister to an audience that gathered former office members.
Accompanied by PR leaders, the former senator from PR São Paulo made a short six-minute speech, where he highlighted his involvement with the transportation industry in the 90s, when he was a member of Executive Board of the São Paulo Metro, and thanked the work of his predecessor, Paulo Sérgio Passos.

“I hope to expand this work that has been able to lift Brazil to a new logistical level”, he said.

Rodrigues spoke about improving the conditions for distribution of national production and mentioned numbers already achieved by that office through the Growth Acceleration Program 2 (PAC, in Portuguese), such as the 5000km of highways under concession in Dilma Rousseff’s government. Together with the government of former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, it reaches 8600km. “I anticipate that I will continue the highway concessions”, he said.

Antonio Carlos Rodrigues (PR-SP) is surrogate to Senator Marta Suplicy (PT-SP) and held the post for the two years in which the PT member was head of the Ministry of Culture. The former senator made a special deference to the party’s national leader, Senator Alfredo Nascimento (AM). “I know how much you were important for the ministry”, said the new minister. Nascimento left the office in 2011 after reports of an alleged overbilling scheme in works.

Nearly 20 parliament members attended the ceremony, most from the PR bench. The Chamber presidential candidates, Arlindo Chinaglia (PT-SP) and Eduardo Cunha (PMDB-RJ) were also present.

And the end of the ceremony, the new minister did not answer any questions from the journalists. Asked whether the alleged involvement of the largest contractors in Brazil in the investigated Operação Lava Jato (“Car Wash Operation”) may generate concern, Rodrigues evaded the issue. “I’m not worried about anything. I will devote myself to this government’s continuity. My motto is work”, he merely responded.