The tragedy of brazilian coronavirus/ covid-19: An analysis of the federal government’s misgovernment, 2020-2021. Document delivered Document prepared by: to the Congressional Ligia Bahia (public health doctor) Committee of Inquiry Jamil Chade (journalist) (CCI)* for Covid-19 Claudio S. Dedecca (economist) of The Federal Senate José Maurício Domingues (sociologist) (April 28, 2021) Guilherme Leite Gonçalves (law sociologist) Monica Herz (social scientist) *Comissão Parlamentar Lena Lavinas (economist) de Inquérito (CPI) Carlos Ocké-Reis (economist) María Elena Rodríguez Ortiz (lawyer and sociologist) Fabiano Santos (Political Scientist) Índice 1 12 Executive IV. The budget summary for fighting the health and 2 economic crisis Introduction 18 3 V. The Ministry I. The political of Health in response of the pandemic the Federal Executive to the 22 coronavirus crisis VI. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs 7 and the isolation II. The role of Brazil in of the STF and the pandemic the Judiciary 10 III. The CPI and the Legislative Branch: A Historic Oportunity for Brasilian democracy the Legislative Branch – in particular with the func- Executive tioning of the Remote Congress – as well as on the opportunity to rescue Brazilian democracy that the summary present CCI represents. The document goes into detail about the “War This document, presented as a subsidy to the Brazilian Budget” approved by the parliament, which provid- Congressional Committee of Inquiry (CCI) on the re- ed the Federal Government with resources to face sponses of the Federal Government of President Jair the pandemic, with regard to sanitary issues and Messias Bolsonaro to the coronavirus pandemic and the health of the population, as well as to the eco- the Covid-19 explosion, is divided into six parts, plus a nomic effects generated by the pandemic. Some of brief introduction. They deal with 1) the general polit- the measures adopted – such as the Emergency Aid ical response of the Executive Branch of the Federal – were not even of the Federal Government’s initia- Government to the crisis; 2) the actions of the STF (Su- tive, but the fact is that it did not use a good part preme Federal Court) and the Judiciary in its course; of the resources set aside for fighting the pandemic 3) the functioning of the Legislative Branch and its re- and supporting the economy. It failed to mobilize re- sponse to the misgovernment of the Executive Branch sources provided by the budget approved for 2020, of the Federal Government; 4) the budget for combat- with the 2021 budget now showing itself to be total- ing the health and economic crises; 5) the actions of ly insufficient to continue to adequately address the the Ministry of Health in the pandemic; 6) the role of crisis. Following this analysis, the document deals the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the consequent in- with the performance of the Ministry of Health. This ternational isolation of Brazil during the pandemic. can only be defined as disastrous from the moment it The document shows how, given a negationist was taken over by General Eduardo Pazuello. Tacitly perspective on the part of the Executive Branch, a maintaining the President’s denialism, which had led worldview rooted in biological and social Darwinism, to the resignation of the previous ministers, partial- the obsession of the President of the Republic with ly and poorly using budget resources, failing even to his project for re-election in 2022, and irresponsible forecast and provide basic inputs for the functioning behavior, whether in relation to health or the econo- of the SUS (Single Health System) – crucial in any my, Brazil was submerged in an unprecedented trag- case in confronting Covid-19, despite its chronic un- edy in our history. The health crisis – and its economic derfunding –, delaying the purchase of vaccines and ramifications – was obviously serious, but the political the immunization of the population, the minister con- choices of the President led us to one of the worst tributed decisively to the magnitude of the tragedy. situations in the world in terms of cases and deaths, The document concluded with an analysis of the no with the management of the crisis proving disastrous. less fateful performance of the Ministry of Foreign As if these crises were not enough, the President has Relations, which, from the conflict with the Chinese made an effort to produce a political crisis, due to his government to the international isolation of Brazil, authoritarian behavior and his search for confronta- also contributed to the many cases and deaths that tion with everyone who disagrees with him. The docu- have befallen the Brazilian people since March 2020. ment shows how the conflict with the other entities of This document cannot but reach the conclusion the federation – governors and mayors – further com- that the actions of the Federal Government and, in plicated the management of the crisis, due to the di- particular, of the President of the republic must lead, rect responsibility of the President. Next, it details the on the part of this CPI and of the National Congress, decisive role of the Supreme Court and the Judiciary to their political and administrative accountability. The in general in ensuring that the subnational govern- President of the republic and his government have sys- ments could act during the pandemic with a certain tematically cultivated neglect and tragedy. The human autonomy and thus partially supply the country with and constitutional rights of Brazilians have been sys- the necessary measures to combat the disease that tematically disrespected in this crisis. It is imperative was spreading. Finally, we focus on the responses of that the appropriate measures be taken. 1 which would paralyze the National Congress and au- Introduction thorize various authoritarian measures, they defy the Federal Supreme Court (STF) and threaten and harass At the turn of 2019 to 2020, the world was faced with those who disagree with the way the crisis is being what, in the following months, would become a pandem- faced – or in fact is not being faced, certainly contrary ic of enormous proportions and the ensuing health, as to what should be done. Research produced by Con- well as economic, crisis. From China, the coronavirus ectas Brazil, a non-governmental human rights organi- and its related disease - SARS-2 Covid-19 – took the zation, in partnership with the School of Public Health world by storm, creating a terrible situation for all coun- at the University of São Paulo (USP), showed that the tries and the people of the planet. But the responses, Bolsonaro government has executed an institutional and their spirit, were not homogeneous: each country strategy aimed at spreading Covid-19.2 dealt with the crisis more effectively or less chaotically, As if this were not enough, Brazil has been involved with more concern for its citizens or contempt for life. in huge conflicts with China, which has made it difficult Under the government of President Jair Bolsonaro, Bra- to access the necessary inputs for the production of zil has unfortunately come to locate itself radically in the vaccines, which exist only because two important na- latter category. In fact, a great tragedy has descended tional scientific institutions – the Oswaldo Cruz Foun- upon us. Evidently, no country could go through the dation (Fiocruz) and the Butantan Institute – have em- current pandemic unscathed, but the management of barked on the endeavor to produce them as soon as the crisis in our country was done according to an ab- possible in Brazil. surd negationist credo, through unwillingness and de- This document, with the texts and references that liberate contradiction to science and rational measures compose it, seeks to present, in a succinct and sub- that could prevent the spread of the coronavirus and its stantiated way, the main steps of the misgovernment virulent impact, with radical disregard for the life of the that pushed us into this tragedy. It aims to show how population, as well as for their material welfare, despite Brazil became a threat to global health, beyond being a supposed defense of the economy. This shows itself shown in a ridiculous way by the insistence of Feder- to be fallacious if the pandemic is treated lightly and the al Government authorities on useless and dangerous recovery of the economy becomes more distant. treatments (specifically chloroquine and ivermectin). The resilience of the Brazilian society, demonstrat- It initially takes a snapshot of developments since ed in the crises we face, has been undermined by the March 2020, with a focus on the fight – or lack there- intentional action of the President and the Executive of – against coronavirus. It goes on to detail the role Branch in general. We have already more than 400,000 of parliament and the STF, as well as the Judiciary deaths, with an average daily death toll of more than in general, in the course of the pandemic. It discuss- 3,000, perhaps soon reaching 500,000! A research es the economic aspects of the state’s response to produced by the Lowy Institute (an Australian institute the crisis, focusing on the federal budget, and delves with a conservative profile) pointed to Brazil in the last into the chaos that poor government management place among 98 countries in terms of public policies has produced in the health system. Finally, it analyzes to fight the pandemic. This assessment is shared by Brazil’s insertion in the international sphere in the the reliable international organization Doctors Without fight against the pandemic, in particular the problems Borders, according to its Director General, and to re- generated by a bizarre view of China on the part of search published in the prestigious journal Science.1 the Brazilian government.