Federal and state governments need to work together
In a ceremony at the Palácio do Planalto on December 12th, President Lula broke with the quiet choreography of power by yielding the floor to São Paulo Governor Tarcísio de Freitas — a political rival from the opposing party. The moment, small in form but large in meaning, accompanied the announcement of federal financing for a São Paulo-Campinas rail project and carried a message about how governance across difference might actually function. In a country as vast and fractured as Brazil, Lula seemed to suggest, the willingness to let another voice speak first may itself be a form of leadership.
- Lula broke ceremonial protocol mid-event, refusing to speak first and directing attention to a Bolsonaro-era governor in front of a room that had not expected the gesture.
- The unusual deference created a charged atmosphere — a former adversary praised the current administration's flagship infrastructure program, the PAC, in the president's own house.
- At the center of the announcement was BNDES financing for a medium-speed rail line connecting São Paulo and Campinas, with Tarcísio signaling ambitions for further rail corridors and a return to federal financing.
- Lula, when he did speak, turned the moment into a contrast: public bank investment under his administration had quadrupled compared to Bolsonaro's, and the Transportation Ministry had matched that pace.
- The event landed as a deliberate signal — federal-state cooperation is not incidental but philosophical, a rebuke to what Lula described as his predecessor's failure to govern through dialogue.
On December 12th, 2023, a ceremony at the Palácio do Planalto took an unexpected turn. President Lula, a man who typically closes these events on his own terms, waved off the ceremonial staff when his name was called and insisted that São Paulo Governor Tarcísio de Freitas speak first. It was a quiet disruption — but the room felt it.
Tarcísio, who had served as infrastructure minister under Bolsonaro, rose and addressed the gathering with a light joke: Lula had chosen him, he suggested, because he was the one receiving the largest check. He then spoke seriously about the São Paulo-Campinas rail project, financed by the BNDES, and praised the PAC — Lula's relaunched Growth Acceleration Program — as the instrument making such projects viable. He outlined plans for additional rail corridors and promised to return for more federal financing.
When Lula finally spoke, it was as a second voice rather than the final word. He made his case in numbers: public banks had invested four times more under his administration than under Bolsonaro's, and the Transportation Ministry had matched that ratio. Then he turned philosophical, saying he had never understood how anyone could govern a country the size of Brazil without genuine dialogue with its governors.
The gesture of yielding the floor, he seemed to be saying, was not a concession. It was the point.
The ceremony at the Palácio do Planalto on Tuesday, December 12th, 2023, was meant to showcase public bank investments flowing into the states. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva had a script for it, as he always does—speak last, speak longest, frame the moment. But when the ceremonial staff called his name, he stayed seated. He waved them off and said the person who needed to speak was the governor of São Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas.
It was a small gesture, but it broke the room's rhythm. Lula, a man accustomed to closing these events, had ceded the floor to a political rival from the opposing party. Tarcísio, who had served as infrastructure minister under Jair Bolsonaro, rose and spoke first. He joked that Lula had chosen him because he was the one receiving the biggest check—a quip that landed lightly in a room watching an unusual moment of deference unfold.
Tarcísio's remarks centered on the São Paulo-Campinas rail project, financed by the BNDES, Brazil's national development bank. The medium-speed train would connect the two cities, he explained, and the financing represented something larger: proof that the federal government and the states could move together on infrastructure. He praised the PAC, the Growth Acceleration Program that Lula's administration had relaunched in August. "We're very satisfied to see these projects becoming viable," Tarcísio said. "The PAC is an instrument for that." He mentioned that a bidding process was scheduled for February and spoke of plans for additional rail corridors—Sorocaba to São Paulo, to be auctioned in 2025. He promised to return to the BNDES for more.
When Lula finally spoke, he did so as the second voice rather than the final word. He emphasized that public banks exist to invest in the states, and he offered numbers to make his point: the state-owned banks had deployed four times more capital under his administration than under Bolsonaro's. The Transportation Ministry, he added, had invested four times as much. The message was clear—this government prioritizes infrastructure in a way the previous one did not.
But Lula also used the moment to take a swipe at his predecessor. He said he had never understood how someone could govern a country the size of Brazil without dialogue with the governors who share responsibility for that governance. It was a pointed contrast to Bolsonaro's approach, and it framed what had just happened in the room—Lula deferring to Tarcísio—as evidence of a different philosophy. Federal and state governments, Lula was suggesting, need to work together. The gesture of letting the governor speak first was not weakness. It was the opposite.
Citas Notables
We're very satisfied to see these projects becoming viable. The PAC is an instrument for that.— Governor Tarcísio de Freitas, on the rail financing and Growth Acceleration Program
I've never understood how someone could govern a country the size of Brazil without dialogue with those who share responsibility for governance.— President Lula, implicitly criticizing Bolsonaro's approach to federal-state relations
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why would a president give up his closing remarks at his own event?
Because sometimes the point isn't about who speaks last. Lula was signaling that this administration listens to governors, even ones from opposing parties. It's a contrast to Bolsonaro.
But doesn't that undermine Lula's authority?
Not really. He still spoke. He just spoke second, and when he did, he had the weight of having already heard the governor's needs. It's a different kind of authority—collaborative rather than dominant.
What's the actual infrastructure project here?
A train between São Paulo and Campinas, medium-speed rail. The BNDES is financing it. Tarcísio mentioned they're planning more—Sorocaba to São Paulo next. These are real projects with real timelines.
Is this just theater, or does it matter?
It matters because it shows the federal government is willing to fund state infrastructure projects. Under Bolsonaro, that didn't happen at the same scale. Tarcísio even joked about coming back for more money. That's not theater—that's a governor who believes the funding will continue.
What was Lula's real message?
That public banks should serve the states, and that dialogue with governors is how you govern a country like Brazil. He was making a point about Bolsonaro's isolation, but he was also making a promise about his own approach.