President Jair Bolsonaro (without a party) praised the five military presidents that Brazil had from 1964 to 1985 and called the military dictatorship, a period marked by violations of democracy and human rights, a regime “un little different from what we have today “.
The statements were made on Thursday (11) during a ceremony to hand over land titles to farmers in Alcântara, in Maranhão, a municipality that is home to the Alcântara launch center, the rocket launch base of the Brazilian Air Force.
In his speech, the president highlighted the Alcântara launch center, opened in 1983, as one of the main works carried out in the country during the military dictatorship.
“This was born in 1983 and was one of the greatest works of the five military presidents that we had in Brazil. Great work over 21 years where a regime of … lived a little differently from what we have today, but with a lot of responsibility for the future of the country, ”he said.
The slightly different regime cited by Bolsonaro had a structure dedicated to torture, death and disappearance.
The repression figures are not very precise, the dictatorship never having recognized these episodes. Military justice audits received 6,016 reports of torture. Estimates made later indicate 20,000 cases.
Prisoners said they were hanged from macaw sticks, subjected to electric shocks, strangulations, attempted drownings, beatings, punches, kicks and other assaults. In some cases, the torture session resulted in death.
In 2014, the National Truth Commission (CNV) recorded 191 deaths and the disappearance of 210 people. 33 other missing had their bodies found later, out of a total of 434 people.
In Thursday’s speech, Bolsonaro underlined the importance of the agreement between Brazil and the United States for the commercial use of the Alcântara base, promulgated in February 2020 under the government of Donald Trumpo, and a said he believed the partnership would be maintained with the president. Joe Biden.
“The American people, they focus on the best interests of the nation. It changes governments, but little changes. I believe that all the agreements that we have signed with the Trump administration will be maintained under the Biden administration,” he said. said the president, in a press interview after the ceremony.
The president also said that the thistle, which will allow Americans to use the base commercially, will boost the region’s economy. “It’s a business for billions and billions of dollars. And now we are entering this small group that deals with launches [de foguetes]. Everything we do in Brazil has a past, a means and an end. “
The president referred to the transfer of 13 billion reais from the federal government to the people of Maranhão via emergency aid in 2020. He reaffirmed that the federal government was considering extending the aid for another three or four months.
However, he again underlined the urgency of the service. “The name is urgency. It cannot be forever because it will represent a huge debt for our country. And no one wants Brazil to be broken.
You have to end this story to shut everything down. We have to take care of the old people now, the others have to work. Otherwise, Brazil risks losing credit and inflation happens
Bolsonaro also cited transfers made by the federal government in 2020 to Maranhão of R $ 18 billion, a value that includes the constitutionally obligatory funds, that is, the government must transfer to the state.
He pointed out that around 1.3 billion reais went to health, of which 190 million reais are intended for the opening of intensive care beds for the treatment of Covid-19.
Unlike previous public events, he did not clash with governors or criticize the Covid-19 vaccine. But, in an interview, he again criticized the adoption of restrictive measures.
“We have to end this story of shutting everything down. We have to take care of the elderly. Now the rest has to work. Otherwise Brazil risks losing its credit and inflation will come.”
The president also took advantage of the state visit to mention Guaraná Jesus as one of the tourist attractions in Maranhão. During his last visit to the state, the president sparked controversy by making a homophobic joke associated with soda, which is pink.
Finally, Bolsonaro stressed the importance of handing over land titles to the farmers of Alcântara and criticized the action of entities that fight for the land such as the MST (Landless Rural Workers’ Monitor).
“How to fight against the invasion of land? Grant title to those in possession [da terra]. There is no point in putting in place a land reform plan and not playing a role in the end, ”he said.