This is the online version of Jamil Chad’s newsletter sent yesterday (on the 24th). In the full newsletter, for subscribers only, the columnist also talks about the UN repercussions of the Russian government’s decision to escalate global tensions due to the war in Ukraine. Would you like to receive the full package with the main column and more information in your email next week? Click here.
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Dear UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres,
It is said that you have the hardest job in the world. Ultimately, the task of seeking world peace, protecting the environment, eradicating poverty and the health of the planet falls on your shoulders. All this without the power of a head of state.
But I’m sure when you read the description of the job you applied for a few years ago, you never thought that one of the aspects would be related to Jair Bolsonaro. Yep, the same person who made you wait in New York this week and didn’t show up for your date. The person who showed chloroquine to Emus, denies the climate crisis, used the funerals for campaigning, mocked the suffering of his citizens, armed the people, attacked the press and tried to blow up democracy every day.
I am writing this letter to explain that fraud is not just on your agenda. For the fourth year in a row, Bolsonaro used the institution’s tribune, which represents the dream of better days, as the special election platform. A kind of globalized playground.
Worse, he used the world stage to lie, cheat, and falsify. But Bolsonaro does not do this by accident. This is a power strategy. It lies institutionally with a complex operation and public resources to spread disinformation.
Speaking in front of the world, Bolsonaro even burst into laughter from Brazilian diplomats when he lied that he was “erasing corruption.”
Sleeping in Brazil kills.
It ignored about 700,000 deaths from Covid-19 in my country, stating that it “spared no effort to combat the epidemic”. The record neglected deforestation and simply said it was “part of the solution for the environment.” He said the economy is doing well, let alone the 33 million hungry people in the country.
He aimed to present himself as a visionary before a privileged lectern. But as Friedrich Nietzsche said, a dreamer lies to himself. A liar lies to others. And Bolsonaro lied in front of all of you. Without blushing and with simultaneous translation into Arabic, English, Russian, Spanish, Chinese and French.
Dear Secretary General,
In a few days we will hold the most important election in our short democratic history. We will not just vote to elect the president. But to define who we are.
But in this process, our fear is that the institutionalized lie will turn into a coup. Let the fraud open a long night for the country.
You know very well what’s going on in the USA. Donald Trump impressed millions of people by lying about the outcome of the election. More than a month after its completion, the process still sparked wide debate. As of mid-December 2020, 82% of Trump supporters said they did not see Biden as the legitimate president.
Lying kills, even democracy.
We are aware of the restrictions and diplomacy protocols of your position. But allowing Bolsonaro to swindle the world and Brazilians with no answers is also not a solution.
Miguel de Unamuno was clear on this. “Sometimes silence is lying.” That’s why I ask you and other leaders not to choose this silence in the coming days when the country goes to the polls.
Our future is at stake. And yours too.
Democratic greetings
jamil
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source: Noticias
