President Jair Bolsonaro’s opposition to the containment of the population in the face of the spread of the coronavirus was greeted in Brazil by a concert of saucepans and critics of political figures and health circles who shouted at its “irresponsibility”.
On Tuesday evening, in a solemn television address, he defied all the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), criticizing the “scorched earth” policy of certain states and municipalities urging people to stay at home .
Jair Bolsonaro, 65, even pushed the provocation to claim that because of his “athletic past”, he would feel “almost nothing” if he was infected, “no more than a small flu”.
An attitude described Wednesday as “intolerable and irresponsible” by a collective of eight associations of health professionals.
In a press release entitled “Bolsonaro, enemy of the health of the people”, this group vehemently criticized the “speech of incoherent and criminal death” of the head of state, which “denies all scientific evidence”.
The president of the Senate, Davi Alcolumbre, did not mince his words either, considering that it was “serious” that the president “attacked the measures aimed at stemming the Covid-19”, by going “against measures taken in other countries, following WHO recommendations “.
“Our country needs a serious leader, responsible and concerned about the health of the population,” he insisted on Tuesday evening.
“This is a real institutional crisis, with a president who breaks with the heads of the legislative, the judiciary and the governors of the states”, estimates Michael Mohallem, a professor of law of the Getulio Vargas Foundation, also stressing “a lack of harmony in government. “
– “Chaos” and “looting” –
By speaking out against containment measures which, according to him, have the effect of “exterminating jobs”, the far-right president is following in the footsteps of his American counterpart, of whom he is a fervent admirer.
“We must return to work, much sooner than people think,” said Donald Trump on Fox News on Tuesday.
A formula taken up Wednesday morning by Jair Bolsonaro, with an apocalyptic vision of the possible economic consequences of confinement.
“If we end up having problems like looting of supermarkets, the virus will still be among us. We will not only have the virus, but also chaos. What should we do? Get people back to work” , he said at the exit of the presidential palace of Planalto.
“Can Brazil get out of the democratic normality that you defend so much? No one knows what can happen in Brazil,” he added, adding that some governors “commit a crime”.
An allusion to the containment measures taken by the leaders of the states of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, Wilson Witzel and Joao Doria, who notably ordered the closure of schools and all businesses deemed “non-essential”.
They are both considered to be Jair Bolsonaro’s likely rivals for the 2022 presidential election.
– “His fate linked to the crisis” –
“He points the finger at the governors, trying to clear himself of an economic crisis, however inevitable, because it is global. It is as if he said: ‘It is not my fault, I tried to save Brazil, “says Michael Mohallem.
In many cities in Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro’s speech was greeted with casserole concerts.
The word “dismissal” is now regularly spoken by parliamentarians from the opposition and even from the center.
“He is not likely to be dismissed now, in the middle of this crisis, especially since Parliament has no more public meetings because of the pandemic. But it is a real threat for the rest of his mandate “, thinks Mr. Mohallem.
In an editorial published on Wednesday, the weekly Veja accuses Jair Bolsonaro of “playing dice and linking his fate to that of the health crisis”.
“If this crisis, which has already killed 46 people in Brazil and kills thousands of people around the world every day is controlled, it will emerge stronger against those who advocate caution. But if it does not, it will be made responsible” , can we read in this text.
With AFP
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