Brazilian President Bolsonaro has faced a serious backlash from some government officials who suggested that he needs to be charged for poor handling of covid. These officials did not have any kind words since Bolsonaro is accused of aiding the death of his citizens by his reaction to the global pandemic. Globally, the coronavirus pandemic brought out all the flaws of governments when reacting to a disaster upon their people and showed the unpreparedness of countries in dealing with world crises. Even developed nations such as the UK, the US, Germany, Russia, and China wept tears while feeling the sting of coronavirus.
A congressional investigation was carried in the country, and Brazilian senators involved in the investigation drafted a 1 180-pages report on their findings. On Tuesday, a Senate committee approved a report compiled by an opposition-led committee, and it took about six months to complete [Source]. According to the report, Bolsonaro must be brought before the court to answer on nine crimes “relating to his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, including crimes against humanity.” Initially, Bolsonaro was accused of genocide and murder, but a new report draft dropped these charges due to “technical reasons” and added 10 other people to be indicted.
For Brazil, the effects of covid-19 were quite devastating since it became a hotspot of the virus, and about 600 000 people died [Source]. This became the second-highest death toll after the US, and positive cases were skyrocketing daily while the president seemed clueless in solving the situation. His actions were likened to the former US President Donald Trump’s reaction in which he downplayed the virus, which caused the US to lead in the death tolls number.
According to the Guardian, “the report chronicles not just bad leadership but wilful, lethal acts of folly, carried out by a Donald Trump mini-me who scracified lives on the altar of his unfounded presumptions.” A leader ought to be aware of his people’s situation and consult various stakeholders before taking a decision that affects human life. Around 300 000 deaths could have been avoided if the president had implemented the appropriate measures, as noted in the report [Source].
Other atrocities against the Brazilian are related to how he deliberately sent out his citizens to fight the pandemic without any protection. When other countries’ leaders were rushing to purchase covid vaccines, Bolsonaro delayed doing so and eventually bought them half a year later. He publicized that he is not vaccinated and once told Brazilians to “stop whining” when they aired outcries due to increased death rates due to covid-19. The corona was a “little flu” that did not need people to practice social distance or wear masks, and he mocked the government’s efforts to introduce covid restrictions. Using the presidential decree, Bolsonaro was adamant in keeping gyms and spas open while emulating his role model Trump and posted a video in which he linked vaccines to the Aids virus, but YouTube and Facebook removed the video on their platforms.
Some argue that his reaction to covid-19 stemmed from his previous statement where he said, “All of us are going to die one day … There is no point in escaping from that, in escaping from reality. We have to stop being a country of sissies.”
Because of such a reaction, the senate committee made a call for the prosecution of Bolsonaro and described his reaction as “macabre.” “The consequences of this macabre strategy were measured by science. Had non-pharmaceutical interventions been systematically implemented, transmission rates could have been reduced by about 40%, which means 120 000 lives could have been saved by the end of March 2021,” as noted in the report. Bolsonaro’s plans are found wanting from this perspective.
Senator urged prosecutors to try the president on “misuse of public funds and charlatanism,” and the idea of impeachment was tossed around. The report also states that “[We must] never forget what happened in this country or the innocent people who lost their lives as a result of the government’s reckless handling of the pandemic.” The Senate Committee is unwilling to play the forgiving card and is going directly for Bolsonaro’s head.
Political analysts argued that president Bolsonaro still has a strong influence, so it will be hard for him to be prosecuted or convicted. But if facts are weighed, then the Brazilian president needs to be accountable for some of his actions that jeopardized his people’s lives.