Spending on science and technology (S&T) will eventually be outside her government’s spending cap, as will education, Simon Tibbett, the Millennium Development Council presidential candidate, said this Saturday, 3rd. The candidate is visiting the International Exhibition of Technologies in Rehabilitation, Reintegration and Accessibility Reatech Brasil, in São Paulo, together with Representative Mara Gabrieli (PSDB).

“The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation will not have a cut under any circumstances, all the money put into the budget will be implemented and we will remove the ceiling. The spending cap remains, but education, science, technology and innovation remain,” he said.

“You have to change the president of the republic because every year it cuts, in practice, zero from the science and technology budget,” said Tebet, who has not taken science, technology and innovation seriously in Brazil.

She argued that technology available to people with disabilities reaches everyone in the country. “There are two Brazilians, Brazil a disabled person who is rich and able to buy and one disabled person depends on SUS. The technology is ready for them, but unfortunately the government is not doing its part. It does not provide tax money especially in the health field.”

The MDB candidate said she would implement the “largest inclusion program in history” for people with disabilities, responsible for Mara Gabrilli. The program deals with education, job qualification, accessibility (with the transfer of resources from the Federation to the municipalities) and rehabilitation. “There are 45 million Brazilians, it’s the state of São Paulo, and unfortunately, 90% of them live in poverty – and we have to change it,” Gabriele said.