BOLSONARO DEMORALIZES BRAZIL
The president lacks the decency, courteousness and respect for the liturgy required by his post.
Days before Carnival in Brazil, an opinion poll published by CNT/MDA revealed that only 38.9 per cent of the population approves of the initial months of the Bolsonaro government. This is the worst percentage registered since 2003, when Lula was first elected president.
There has been little appreciation for the unpopular measures and loss of rights in the ultraliberal, fundamentalist, militarized government that set the tone in the first two months of this term. Brazilians left their message in Carnival groups across the country, in which there were massive demonstrations against the government.
The international press covered all the acts against the president. French Le Figaro had the following headline:
“Protests against Bolsonaro in the background of Carnival celebrations”.
Upset with the demonstrations, Bolsonaro posted a video with sexual content in his Twitter account, showing complete disregard for any norms of decency.
According to Brazilian newspaper Folha de São Paulo, Bolsonaro posted a video on his Twitter official account on Tuesday with a polemic episode of Carnival celebrations in São Paulo. Comments in the president’s posts show that not only opponents but also some supporters lamented the publication of such video.
The international press was shocked and British newspaper The Guardian did not spare the Brazilian president. According to the text, Bolsonaro
“has sparked outrage, disgust and ridicule after tweeting a pornographic video in an apparent attempt to hit back at criticism of his administration during this year’s carnival”.
AN END TO THE HONEYMOON WITH SUPPORTERS?
Unpopular measures such as the pension reform have shortened the president’s honeymoon with his supporters. Brazilians came to realize that the proposed reform deprives them of rights — particularly women — and complicates the access to a full pension.
The project represents a deep change to Social Security, limiting the access to retirement and benefits, and reducing payments. The proposal penalizes poor citizens, women and beneficiaries of the Continuous Cash Benefit (BPC).
Military officials were not included in the reform, but the Ministry of Economy says that a law bill to change the social security system of the Armed Forces is to be sent to the Congress by March 20.
Because it is a Proposal for Constitutional Amendment, the reform will not come into force unless it is approved by both the Lower House and the Senate, with three fifths of the votes in each House and two rounds of votes.
BBC News Brazil published an article with details on the 12 main items in the proposal:
The Intersyndicate Department of Statistics and Socio-Economic Studies (DIEESE) released an opinion about the proposed pension reform entitled “The Social Security for Civil Servants in Brazil — an Analysis”.
https://www.dieese.org.br/relatoriotecnico/2018/consultorLucianoFazio.html
The Articulation to Monitor Human Rights in Brazil has also issued a note on the social security reform proposed by the Bolsonaro government.
PROPOSAL EXTINGUISHES TERMINATION FINE OF 40 PERCENT OF THE GOVERNMENT SEVERANCE INDEMNITY FUND (FGTS)
According to an article by newspaper O Estado de São Paulo, retirees are to receive deposits in their FGTS account, but if they are dismissed, they will no longer be entitled to receive the termination fine, according to the proposal.
Leonardo Rolim, Social Security Secretary to the Ministry of Economy, informed that the acquired right regarding the FGTS contribution will not be affected. However, the fine is generated by the termination of the contract, and therefore redundancies made after the reform will not require employers to pay termination fines anymore.
THE POORER ARE THE MOST AFFECTED BY THE REFORM
The proposed reform worsens life for poor people who depend on the Continuous Cash Benefit (BPC). Currently, BPC can be requested by individuals above 65 years of age, but the reform restricts the access to a full pension to citizens above 70. They will receive R$ 400 (approximately US$ 100) after age 60, which is equivalent to 40 per cent of the Brazilian minimum wage.
Bolsonaro’s proposal for pensions is even more harmful for women. According to the transition rules presented by the government, they will have to work another seven years and contribute for another 10 to be eligible for a full pension. As for men, they will have to work and contribute for five more years.
A MILITARIZED GOVERNMENT
The military are in charge of eight Ministries, but their presence in the government is not restricted to those positions. Militarization has also affected lower positions and presently there are at least 103 military officials in several posts.
Newspaper O Estado de São Paulo has created an infographic to show where they are:
The promise of ministries led by specialists was not fulfilled. The ministries of the Brazilian government are occupied not only by the military but also by people who are neither qualified nor committed to the progress of the country.
Ernesto Araújo, Minister of Foreign Affairs, wrote an article before the presidential inauguration in which he affirmed he would “put an end to ideologies in foreign policies” and that the president trusted him with the mission to “free the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from cultural Marxism”. According to BBC News, the dubious messages sent by the government raise doubts about the future of Brazil in its international relations.
NO CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION
There has been little progress as far as promises like economic growth and anticorruption measures are concerned. Bolsonaro was elected amid promises to bring change and put an end to corruption, and yet his government is marked by old practices, patrimonialism and politics based on bargaining. There are few concrete consequences except for the rise in episodes of violence related to sexism, racism and LGBTphobia.
THE ANTI-CRIME PACKAGE OF MEASURES
On February 18, ministers Sérgio Moro and Onyx Lorenzoni submitted the government’s anti-crime package of measures to the Lower House. The projects contain measures against corruption, organized crime and violent crimes. The original intent was to present a single project, but topics were unfolded into three projects.
Learn more about the proposals:
- Anti-Corruption and Organized Crime Bill
- Bill with changes to the Electoral Code
- Bill with amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure
To avoid conflicts with the Congress, president Jair Bolsonaro decided to remove the criminalization of slush funds from the main project, which was drafted by Sérgio Moro, minister of Justice and Public Security.
The proposal to toughen the punishment for slush funds in campaigns was perceived as a sensitive issue among deputies, and will be sent to the Congress in a separate law bill. It is worth remembering that Sérgio Moro was emphatic in his condemnation of slush funds when lecturing abroad, but the former judge yielded to pressure and removed the matter from the main law bill.
Black movement denounces “license to kill” proposed by Moro
According to an article published by A Ponte, a report was sent to the Interamerican Commission of Human Rights to denounce the anti-crime package proposed by the minister of Public Security, as it does not solve the crisis in the sector and worsens the genocide of the black and poor population of Brazil.
According to the document drafted by the group, the changes proposed by Sergio Moro will have an effect that is opposite to the one intended by the minister. It is understood that such changes reinforce social inequality in the country, and aggravate the incarceration and genocide of the black peripheral youth.
Read the article:
DECREES AND PROVISIONAL MEASURES
Dozens of decrees and provisional measures have already been edited by the government. For the civil society, the most polemic of them was Provisional Measure 870, 2019.
Its fifth article provided for a new competence for the Government Secretariat: “to oversee, coordinate, monitor and follow activities and actions of international organs and non-governmental organizations in the national territory”, regardless of their relation with public authorities — an unprecedented provision since the creation of the Secretariat in 2015.
The new attribution is however limited by the Federal Constitution, which ensures freedom of assembly for legitimate purposes (art.5, XVII) and forbids state interference in the operations of associations (art.5, XVII). That conflict may lead to increased judicialization and insecurity for civil society organizations that face challenges to access to the judiciary power as well as to ensure their constitutional right.
On a public note, Abong (Brazilian Association of Non Governmental Organizations) declared that:
“it is not for the Federal Government, state or city governments to supervise, coordinate or even monitor the actions of civil society organizations, whose freedom to act and represent their causes and interests is protected by the 5th article of the Federal Constitution. Governments are supposed to control public funds that may be employed in partnerships with civil society organizations, and there is proper legislation to establish rights and duties, including annual accountability”.
Read the note published by Abong:
FRAGILITY IN THE CONGRESS
The pension reform will not be voted unless a reform for the military pensions is sent to the Congress, says the leader of PSL (Social Liberal Party).
Police Chief Waldir (GO), leader of the PSL in the Lower House, affirmed to Reuters that the proposal for constitutional amendment to reform social security in Brazil will not be voted until the project that changes pension funds for the military is sent to the Congress. Jhonatan de Jesus, leader of the Brazilian Republican Party, took a more drastic position: he defends that the project for the military is attached to the amendment proposal as soon as it reaches the Congress.
Read more:
In the backstage, government assistants acknowledge that the pension reform has barely 100 votes in its favor and it will take a lot of negotiation to pass it, but their target is to obtain 360 favorable votes before the project is submitted to voting. That advantage would secure the approval of the amendment — 308 votes are required in each voting session — but it is but a distant dream as they can only count on 19 supporters among parties that are not in the opposition.
SETBACKS IN EDUCATION
Education has been marked so far by setbacks to the National Education Plan and by the support to the School Without Parties project. The minister of Education even asked schools to film children during the performance of the Brazilian National Anthem.
The Ministry later informed that it was “an optional task” related to an activity to “appreciate national symbols”. In his text, the minister quoted the slogan ‘Brazil above everything, God above everyone’, which was used by Bolsonaro’s campaign.
Read more:
The Brazilian Movement for Human Rights issued a note to repudiate the ideological indoctrination and control promoted by the Ministry of Education.
SETBACKS IN HEALTH
Psychiatry in Brazil faces major setback as the Ministry of Health allows the use of electroconvulsive therapy
Document published by the Ministry of Health in February gives go-ahead for the acquisition of electroconvulsive therapy equipment for the National Health System (SUS) and reinforces the possible admission of children in psychiatric hospitals. The text also preaches abstinence as treatment for drug addicts.
Over its 32 pages, the text on the changes to Mental Health Policies, Alcohol and Drug Abuse also attacks harm reduction practices, which have been in use in the last 30 years in Brazil.
Read more:
HOW ABOUT THE MARKET?
Despite the financial market still believes the competence of Paulo Guedes and his team are indisputable, the government will have to make great efforts in the political area. Only those raptured by fanaticism or involved with contrasting interests with the country would deny the proven incapacity of this new administration to play such role.
The confusing narrative of the president and his untimely posts in social media have put the government in a delicate situation. While participating of an event organized by the Navy in Rio de Janeiro on March 7, president Jair Bolsonaro affirmed that:
democracy and freedom only exist “as long as the Armed Forces wish”.
The Supreme Court minister Marco Aurélio Mello reacted to the presidential statement:
“Democracy is ensured by people and by the satisfactory conduct of institutions. That is how democracy works. The armed forces exist to operate in case of an extraordinary episode such as international aggression. They are the ultimate resource”, observed the minister. He added that “if we depend on the armed forces to experience democracy, we are not doing well”. The armed forces exists to support the country in face of an unlikely event”.
By Kátia Visentainer
Pad — Process of Articulation and International Dialogue
