Jair Bolsonaro at the UN: the discourse of parallel reality | Ahead of the General Assembly in New York, the Brazilian President issued a message riddled with omissions and lies

From Rio de Janeiro

We expect a president who, speaking at the meeting of the annual opening of the United Nations General Assembly, address all countries, dealing with issues of global concern. Brazilian far-right president Jair Bolsonaro chose the reverse route. He did not even speak to his own country or to his potential electorate: he preferred to speak specifically to the group of his most radical supporters, who make up around 15% of the 213 million Brazilians.

It was the third time that, following a tradition started in 1955, it was his turn, as Brazilian President, to open the Annual Assembly of the United Nations. In 2019, the year of its premiere, he devoted himself to whipping Cuba and Venezuela, the media and the UN itself. Last year denounced the Brazilian media for having “politicized the virus” sow panic in the population and almost triggering “social chaos”. Yesterday, and as he usually does on a daily basis in Brazil, he took the opportunity to categorically destroy the truth, loudly lying.

He began by announcing that he would show the world a country very different from the one that appears in newspapers and TV stations. It was his only truth: the country that exhibited at the UN is not seen by any media or by anyone.

Pandemic

He did not limit himself to defending – now in front of a global audience – the “early treatment” against the Covid-19 pandemic, trampling not only on science as all logic. The drugs recommended by Bolsonaro, in addition to being proven ineffective, can cause side effects that lead to the patient’s death. He took the opportunity to attack the preventive measures, by insisting on the “health passport” in force in New York, several countries in the world and various Brazilian cities.

Without blushing, assured that his arrival at the Brazilian presidency prevented Brazil from returning “to the brink of socialism” who threatened the country for the past 30 years, forgetting what happened to the right Michel Temer, who usurped the presidential chair after an institutional coup that overthrew the then president Dilma Rousseff.

Democracy

In another clear message to his most radical supporters, he praised the coup protests he led and which on September 7 called for, among other things, the closing of Congress, the Federal Supreme Court and they called for “military intervention with Bolsonaro”. He spoke of “the greatest patriotic celebration in our history”, which brought together “millions of Brazilians demonstrating in a peaceful and patriotic manner”.

Protesters added across the country did not reach 400 thousand. And now we know that, for Bolsonaro, the truckers’ attempts to blockade the Supreme Court building in Brasilia happened “in an orderly fashion”. He did not explain why the security forces did not act vigorously to prevent the protesters from reaching their target.

Corruption

Once again, like what he says daily to his most fanatic nucleus, he recalled that in nearly three years of his mandate there had not been “a single case of corruption”. He forgot all the complaints accumulated within the Senate Commission of Inquiry on Maneuvers at the Ministry of Health, when its leader was an active army general, and all the evidence and indications relating to his three sons who act in politics for the practice of hiring ghosts. advisers and keep their salaries.

He particularly harshly criticized rich countries for environmental issues, assuring that Brazilian legislation on the issue is one of the most “comprehensive and advanced” in the world. He forgot to point out that precisely this legislation is more and more violated thanks to the inertia – if not to the pure incitement – of his government. He forgot to mention the drastic reduction in both fiscal and budget to control invasions of protected areas, the illegal logging of thousands of trees and the smuggling of timber abroad. Its former Minister of the Environment, Ricardo Salles, has been denounced for smuggling by the United States.

By evoking in passing the deforestation of the country, presented data that no one knows where the author of the speech got it from. Officers are the exact opposite. He praised the agro-industry and said that Brazil, under his leadership, had regained “external credibility”. He forgot to mention that the country faces a historic investment leak.

Economy

In the first part of his speech, Bolsonaro tried to be optimistic about the economy. But he again harshly criticized the fight against the pandemic, saying it is responsible for the inflation.. He forgot the absolute lack of leadership of the economic team led by Paulo Guedes, a mediocre specimen of the so-called “Chicago Boys” whose career peak was to have been the servant of Augusto Pinochet before becoming a millionaire speculating in the Brazilian financial center.

Regarding the pandemic, he once again assured to have defended from the beginning “the autonomy of doctors in the search for early treatment”, following the recommendation of the Federal Council of Medicine. He forgot that the Council did indeed defend trust between patient and doctor, but was totally opposed to the so-called “early treatment” so ardently defended by the president and a handful of doctors who make up a “parallel cabinet” at the Ministry of Health. . Health.

He praised the government for providing “emergency aid” to millions of Brazilians to cope with the crisis and unemployment, citing the value of $ 800 to 68 million people. He forgot several things. First, very few have received this value. Second, that the aforementioned aid was provided for three months, for an average value of $ 120. And, finally, that it was established by Congress, going beyond the initial project of the executive power.

Vaccines

He affirmed that his government supported vaccination, forgetting that a few days ago, in one of the weekly broadcasts he does on the networks and addresses his most fanatic supporters, he reproached them again for ‘to be in an “experimental state”, doubting their effectiveness.. He also forgot that for more than six months in 2020 he ignored hundreds of vaccine offers, and only decided to acquire them when the right-wing governor of São Paulo, the former ally João Doria, announced to have received Chinese vaccines which were the first to be applied in the country.

The author of the speech, read a little clumsily by Bolsonaro, put, at the end, the information that “Brazil has a president who believes in God, respects the Constitution and his army”. The far right did not read the mention of the military. We do not know if this was due to an oversight or someone’s recommendation.