FROM BRASIL, FATHER BET TO, A DOMENICAN FATHER DENOOUNES THE DEATH POLICY OF THE GOVERNMENT IN THE EMERGENCY  OF THE COVID.

FROM BRASIL, FATHER BET TO, A DOMENICAN FATHER DENOOUNES THE DEATH POLICY OF THE GOVERNMENT IN THE EMERGENCY OF THE COVID.

A LETTER TO THE FOREIGN FRIENDS

DEAR FRIENDS

In Brazil there is a genocide taking place. While I am writing to you, 16th July, the COVID 19, which appeared here in February of this year, has already killed 76 thousand people. There are already 2 million people who are affected. By next Sunday, 19th July, we will reach 80 million VICTIMS. It is true that at this moment you are reading this, my dramatic appeal, we would have reached 100,000 deaths.

When I think that during the Vietnam war, that went on for 20 long years, 58,000 AMERICAN soldiers , I realise the gravity of what is happening in my Country. This horror is the cause of indignation and rebellion. And we all know that the measures of precaution and restriction being followed by so many other countries , would have been able to avoid such a great number of deaths.

This genocide does not come about because of the indifference of the Bolsonaro government. It is intentional. Bolsonaro likes the death of others. When he was a federal deputy, during an interview of television, in1999, he had declared: “With your vote you will change nothing in this country,nothing, absolutely nothing! However, one thing will change, only if one day we start a civil war, doing the work that the military regime did not do: that is killing around 30000 persons.”

He dedicated his vote to the impeachment of the president Dilma , to the memory of the most famous torturer of the army, Colonel Brilhante Ustra.
He is so obsessed by death, that one of his principle policies of government is the freedom of the commerce of arms and ammunition. When asked in front of the Presidential Palace if he is sad at the death of the Victims of the pandemic he answered: “ I do not believe these numbers” (27/3, 92 deaths); “ one day we all will die” (29/3, 136 deaths); “So what? What do you want we to do?” (28/4, 5,017 deaths).

But why this policy of death? Since the beginning Bolsonaro had declared the important thing was not to save lives but the economy. From this comes his refusal to order a lockdown, to follow the guiding lines of the OMS, to import respirators and individual protection gear. The Supreme court had to intervene, giving the responsibility to the governors and mayors of the states.

Bolsonaro did not even respect the authorities of his health ministers. From February till now Brazil had two, both had to resign because they refused to adopt the same attitude of the president. At the of the ministry there is now general Pazuello, who does not know anything in about health matters.; who has tried to hide the information about the changing of the numbers of the Victims of the corona virus; who has introduced 38 army soldiers to fill roles at the ministry, without the necessary qualifications; and has cancelled a daily press conference, by which the people were informed and received instruction.

It is enough to number here the many measures destined resources to favour the families of poor families ( / 100 million of Brazilians) which have never been used.

The motives of the criminal intentions of the government of Bolsonaro are evident. Let the old die so that save resources of the Social Security, let those who have disabilities die to save on the public national sanitary system , the SUS. Let the poor die , to save on the resources destined for the programme Bolsa Familia and for the other social programmes due to the 52,5 million of Brazilians who live in poverty, and to the 13,5million who find themselves in poor extreme situations. ( estimates of the federal government).

I do not pay these disastrous supplies, the president has now removed, from the decree published on the 3rd July, the article that introduced the obligatory use of the masks in the commercial exercises, in religious places and the schools. He has also eliminated the obligation of paying a fine for lack of respect for the rules and the obligation of the government to distribute masks to the poor, the main victims of COVID 19, and prisoners (750,000). These amendments do not annul the local laws which had already issued the obligatory use of masks.

On the 8th July, Bolsonaro had removed some articles from the law, approved by the Senate, which obliged the government to provide mineral water and products for hygiene and cleaning, the installation of internet and the distribution of necessities, seeds and farming tools, to the Indigenous villages. He has also cancelled the funds for emergency destined for the Indigenous people, as well as to facilitate the access of indigenous people and (quilombola ) population, to the bonus of about 600 real ( about €100). He has also cancelled the duty of the government to offer beds in hospitals, ventilators and machines for the oxidation of the blood to the Indigenous people and ( quilombola).

Indigenous and (quilombola) have been decimated by the increase of socialhabitat devastation, particularly in Amazon.

I beg you to disclose to the utmost this crime against humanity. It is vital that this information reaches your local media, the Social networks, the council for human rights of the United Nations at Geneva, and the International Court of Justice of the A I A, as well as the banks and the firms that welcome investors, who are in line with the Bolsonaro government.

Very much before the The Economist, I usually call the president BolsoNero -while Rome burns he plays the Lyre doing propaganda to the “clorochina”, a remedy without any scientific proof against the corona virus. But the producers are political allies.

I thank you for your solidarity and beg you to publish this letter. Only a foreign pressure can manage to stop the genocide that is taking place in our beloved and marvellous Brazil.

Brotherly Fr. Betto

Frei Betto is a Dominican friar and writer, consultant to FAO and social movements.