Panel SA: Contrary to what Bolsonaro says, manifesto is not a letter, it is a letter, says economist

One of the signatories of the “Letter to Brazilians and Brazilians in Defense of the Democratic Rule of Law” to be launched on August 11, economist Luiz Gonzaga Belluzzo, who witnessed the presentation of similar documents in the past, says that the battle for democracy it is “a long journey, which we imagine will take place quickly, and it doesn’t”.

For him, unlike what Bolsonaro said, the manifesto, which was signed by big business names, is a letter and not a letter.

“This document is important from the point of view not only of the number of signatories, which is very large and should still garner more signatures, but is, in another way, the reproduction of those attitudes, of the manifestos that were written at that period, which helped a lot . It is important in forming people’s conviction”, says Belluzzo.

What is the weight of this manifesto in your opinion? I had a life experience throughout the 1970s as an advisor to Doctor Ulysses [Guimarães] fighting for the restoration of democracy, for the end of the dictatorship. It’s a long journey, which we imagine will be carried out quickly and it doesn’t.

I remember the various demonstrations. This manifesto, in fact, is a reproduction, a revival of the manifesto of Goffredo da Silva Telles Junior, who was my professor at the Faculty of Law.

As of 1977, there was the “Documento dos Oito”, which was from the Gazeta Mercantil Forum. I think it’s a beautiful text, which was signed by the great Brazilian businessmen at the time. There were eight entrepreneurs.

Then there was “Esperança e Change”, which is the PMDB document, from 1982. As a professional duty, I participated. I was an advisor for the Gazeta Mercantil Forum and I was also for the PMDB, an advisor for Ulysses, with Luciano Coutinho.

These documents all included important businessmen. The “Document of the Eight”, above all, but also the “Hope and Change”, which was very well accepted.

And that was leading our way out of the dictatorship. Everything is a collective process, it requires the cooperation of many people. And that’s what we’re seeing today. It is a phenomenon that ends up reproducing itself in another way. It culminated in Direct Now.

We are observing a similar phenomenon in other circumstances. We are talking about a time when the president is the one with these authoritarian and dictatorial aspirations, but we are still in a democracy. At that time, the animal was uglier. It was harder.

This document is important from the point of view not only of the number of signatories, which is very large and should still garner more signatures, but it is, in another way, the reproduction of those attitudes, of the manifestos that were written in that period, which helped a lot. It is important in forming people’s conviction.

There have been previous manifestos in the Bolsonaro administration, and the attacks on the polls continued. What is expected differently?That’s a process. This means that civil society, in its various dimensions and social categories, is committed to defending democracy. That’s what makes the difference from others. It brought together all social categories.

There are entrepreneurs, people from the financial market, Febraban, Fiesp, artists, intellectuals. It is a commitment by Brazilian civil society, which will not allow an attempt to be made against the rules of democracy and against the results of the elections.

Mr. says that the list of signatories has names of people who voted for Bolsonaro in 2018. To which mr. assign?Yup. Social life is like that. People realize. Many people of my relations, who voted for Bolsonaro, are now willing not to vote anymore. There are not few. This is typical of democracy. You realize that you have made a choice mistake, a mistake.

At that moment, it seemed to them that Bolsonaro would be the most suitable for Brazil. But throughout the government, it seems that he did not demonstrate this ability to properly address the issues of Brazilian society, which are very complex. He is a person who has a tradition of intolerance.

The president called the manifesto a letter. How was this received?This manifesto is not a letter. I would call it a card. And he even said that the bankers signed because of Pix. I’ve never seen such bullshit. It’s silly, because Pix is ​​very good for banks. Facilitates transactions.

The names of bankers, businessmen, economists were much exalted. Why is this endorsement by the private sector and the economy so important?It is important because you are getting rid of a particular condition of banker, economist, personality, celebrity. They are undressing this to join a collective project to defend democracy.

That’s the great meaning of it. You get rid of your particularity and surrender to a collective manifestation that makes all Brazilian citizens. It’s not businessman A or B. It’s not economist A or B, the artist. It is the citizen who is speaking out. The vision and soul of the Brazilian citizen.

You, being a signatory who is close to ex-President Lula, feel that someone might not sign for fear of suffering retaliation from the government or because he thinks it can be interpreted as an endorsement of Lula, since the two candidates , Lula and Bolsonaro, are they shot at the front?Most of the people who signed are not close to Lula. They overcame this particularity. There may be other candidates. They overcame to reveal a commitment to democracy. They treated it like citizens. That’s what attracted most people.

There may be people who might, narrowly, think that this is an endorsement of Lula’s candidacy. It is not an endorsement of anyone’s candidacy. It is, in fact, an expression of appreciation for democratic institutions.

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Graduated in law from USP, the economist was secretary of Economic Policy at the Ministry of Finance during the José Sarney administration. In the state of São Paulo, he held the position of Secretary of Science and Technology (1988-1990). In addition to being a professor of economics at Unicamp, he was one of the founders of Facamp