Vice President Geraldo Alckmin (PSB) defended this Tuesday (10) the punishment of the coup demonstrators who destroyed and financed the acts of vandalism practiced at the headquarters of the Three Powers, in Brasília, last Sunday (8).
“Not just punishing those who plundered, but also those who inspired, funded and were behind these acts,” he said.
Alckmin, who also heads the Mdic (Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services), said that the response of the Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) government to the acts carried out by extremist Bolsonarists was quick and that democracy is strengthened by the episode.
“By consolidating democracy, the economic environment will improve and strengthen. This is transitory, transient, now it is firm work for the benefit of the population and punishment of those who commit terrorist acts,” stated Alckmin.
Questioned by a journalist about how his experience with the attacks by the PCC (First Command of the Capital) in the state of São Paulo, in 2006, when he was governor, Alckmin said that “what you cannot have is impunity”. “It’s one thing to disagree, it’s one thing to disagree, it’s another thing to want to strike a blow. This is a crime, it cannot be tolerated under any circumstances,” he added.
For the deputy, the instability generated by the coup acts is temporary, especially among investors.
“As in the United States, there was the invasion of the Capitol, the American economy did not change because of that. Economy is competitiveness, we have to work, there are many opportunities for Brazil.”
Among the opportunities in foreign trade, the minister highlights the sustainable agenda. “Brazil will change its image in the world, from a devastator, a deforester of the Amazon to a country where the issue of climate change is central, the energy transition is central, the commitment to decarbonization is central. This will attract a lot of investment for Brazil”.
The statements were given after the inauguration ceremony of the new board of Apex-Brasil, the Brazilian agency for promoting exports, which will be led by the former governor of Acre, Jorge Viana (PT-AC).
The new head of the Apex criticized Jair Bolsonaro’s (PL) foreign trade policy and said he will meet with the 27 governors in the coming weeks to draw up a sales promotion plan.
“It’s no use starting abroad. We need to put our house in order, list four or five products per state,” he said after the inauguration ceremony.
According to Viana, the current problem is the lack of credit for exports. Priority is given to large producers, especially agribusiness —which explains the low growth in our foreign sales when compared to other countries.
“There is a neighboring country selling more black pepper than we do, which has been producing in Bahia for 150 years, more coffee. And we need to make these products more processed in here. We only sell commodities. If these products are processed [industrializados com algum tipo de processamento] already generates more value and more jobs here.”
For this, it intends to work together with public banks, mainly BNDES (National Bank for Economic and Social Development).
“It is absurd that the Banco da Amazônia has not been exploited to stimulate exports from the North.”
Viana assesses that it was a mistake for the country to have turned its back on the North and Northeast, which only participated with around US$ 50 billion in the total of US$ 335 billion in exports last year.
“It is obvious that we have to keep encouraging agribusiness, but we need to expand our sales, look to the North and Northeast. We are going to include the Amazon, without fear, because we are not going to do what the last government did, which was to deforest.”
Viana criticized the Jair Bolsonaro (PL) government for having done very little for exports, which, according to him, advanced only US$ 80 billion during the former president’s term.
“China increased its exports 47 times during the pandemic,” he said. “The US exports more corn than all agribusiness. In four years, we have made very little progress.”
Viana said that he intends to change the structure of exports to help small and medium-sized companies that, today, face barriers when it comes to sending their products abroad.
“In addition to credit, the customs system also needs to be improved, making life easier for companies that want to export,” he said.
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