‘Imagine tolerating 6 hours without strangling her,’ says Brazilian Senator about minister
18 de March de 2025
By Ana Pastana and Marcela Leiros – From Cenarium
MANAUS (AM) – “Imagine what it’s like to tolerate Marina [Silva] for 6 hours and 10 minutes without strangling her.” This statement was made by Senator Plínio Valério (PSDB-AM) during his speech at the 2025 Amazonas Commercial Merit Medal award ceremony, organized by the Amazonas Federation of Commerce (Fecomércio-AM), which took place on March 13 in Manaus (AM).
The Minister of the Environment and Climate Change (MAMC), Marina Silva, was mentioned in Plínio’s speech as he recalled the federal minister’s participation in the Parliamentary Inquiry Commission on NGOs (CPI das ONGs) in November 2023.
“Marina was at the NGO CPI, six hours and ten minutes, imagine what it’s like to tolerate Marina for six hours and ten minutes without strangling her… My wife, Ana, who is right there, kept sending me messages the whole time, you know, egging me on, pouring gasoline on the fire, and in the end, she told me: ‘If you had 10% of the patience you had with Marina, we would never fight.’ Because that’s exactly what she wanted—she provoked, provoked, provoked, and provoked the whole time, but I made her say those absurdities. One of them was that we want a road just for sightseeing. Yeah… for sightseeing too,” he said.
When mentioning the BR-319 highway, which connects Amazonas to other states, Plínio made further attacks on the minister. “This issue with BR-319 will be resolved even if by force, it has to be. Marina is shielded, Marina is not dumb, she keeps repeating things, it’s brainwashing, but she [inaudible]. Lula wants to remove Marina, but he can’t because of external forces,” he stated.
Manaus Free Trade Zone
During the event, Senator Plínio Valério also stated that he doesn’t understand anything about the Manaus Free Trade Zone (ZFM) and its taxes, using a vulgar expression to emphasize his point. The senator was commenting on the work carried out in Brasília (DF) and the importance of commerce to the economy.
According to him, there was no need for the senator to be present at certain discussions as long as his assistant, whom he referred to as “Ivone,” was there. “My assistants were there, Omar [Aziz] mentioned Ivone, she is my assistant, she was there day and night. I wasn’t there because I don’t understand a f**ing thing about the Free Trade Zone, about taxes. But I don’t need to be. My advisory team is there for that,”* said the senator.
The event was also attended by Senators Eduardo Braga (MDB/AM), Omar Aziz (PSD/AM), and the superintendent of the ZFM, Bosco Saraiva.
Plínio Valério Responds
To CENARIUM, Senator Plínio Valério stated that his remarks were taken out of context. See the full statement:
“In response to interpretations regarding a statement made by Senator Plínio Valério (PSDB-AM) about the Manaus Free Trade Zone (ZFM), we clarify that the excerpt was taken out of context. By stating that he does not have deep knowledge on the subject, the senator aimed to highlight the importance of having a specialized technical advisor who assists him in monitoring tax and economic issues related to the ZFM.
Senator Plínio Valério’s commitment to defending the Manaus Free Trade Zone is widely proven by his actions as a senator. Since the beginning of his mandate, he has used his voice in the Senate to reinforce the importance of the economic model and to fight measures that compromise its competitiveness. He was the rapporteur of the Informatics Law, ensuring investments in the sector, and acted against initiatives that could reduce the tax incentives of the ZFM, such as the decree that eliminated the IPI tax in the region.
During the Tax Reform discussions, despite some disagreements, he voted in favor of the proposal to ensure the maintenance of the Free Trade Zone’s benefits. The senator has also been an active voice in the debate on environmental preservation, demonstrating that the ZFM is essential for the conservation of the Amazon rainforest and the socioeconomic development of Amazonas,” the statement read.