MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Rousseff reveals picture of infant Dilma and wishes to drive her own Harley Davidson

Sweet Dilma as a child

Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff is speeding up her re-election campaign trying to drop the ‘technocrat-no nonsense’ and ‘people distant’ attitudes which have been some of the main complaints about a nevertheless loveable leader.

Precisely to counter this image, the president published in Facebook a picture of her as a 4-5 year old child and media has revealed that after her motorbike ‘incognito’ incursion in Brasilia she would like to learn to drive her own Harley-Davidson.

Rousseff was back on her twitter in late September following an absence of almost three years (the last time was 13 December 2010) when she then informed followers of her return in late 2011, which did not happen.

“Good day brothers and sisters, marvellous brothers and sisters; I’m back to stay because here is my place” twitted Rousseff on her return. To this now she has added a picture of infant Dilma, a sweet child sitting in an ‘enormous’ chair.

Why a few years later the sweet child turned into an active guerrilla support and decades later president of Brazil is anybody’s guess.

Likewise Folha de Sao Paulo published that the president longs “to escape” on a Harley Davidson motorbike to drive through the streets of Brasilia, as she recently did with the executive secretary of the Social Security ministry Carlos Gabas

“I want to learn to drive a motorbike, have a licence and zoom anonymously through the streets of Brasilia and with a tuned helmet, listening to AC/DC, Black Sabbath, U2 and Coldplay” Rousseff was quoted.

“The feeling of freedom is unmatchable as is the feeling for an anonymous rider”, said Rousseff. However the head of Presidential security would later have to downplay the magnitude of the ‘adventure’.

In effect General Marcos Antonio dos Santo revealed that the ‘president’s escape’ on a motorbike did not go undetected and his men followed her from a prudent distance.

However such is the presidential vertigo enthusiasm that not only does she want to learn to drive a motorbike and obtain her licence, but also instructed Gabas to scout for one that would comply with her wishes.

In effect Gabas, according to Folha de Sao Paulo came back with a list of options and suggested the Brazilian president to purchase a red Harley Davidson, 883 cubic centimetres and weighing 263 kilos, with a selling price of approximately 14.000 dollars.

The newspaper also revealed that the August ‘escape’ has not been the only experience: apparently the Brazilian president had on repeated occasions with a ‘camouflaged’ car and with the excuse to visit relatives, has driven on her own through the city. Furthermore when overseas she likes to walk on her own; and likewise to attend theatre or cinema but arriving a few minutes after the show has started.

For a country where the majority of the population is below 35, active Facebook, a red motorbike and the experience of that ‘freedom feeling’ certainly are humanizing assets for the work-alcoholic president.