RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – With a collection of 42,000 works and 3,000 presidents’ speeches, the Planalto Palace library is being halved by order of Jair Bolsonaro, who had a private office built on the premises for the first lady, Michelle Bolsonaro, to use.
The Presidency’s traditional library, located at Annex I of the Palace, will host the team from the Pátria Voluntária (“Volunteer Homeland”) program, headed by Bolsonaro’s wife Michelle.
The amount spent on the renovation was not reported by the Presidency’s press secretary. Last July R$328,800 (US$81,450) in public money had been spent to set up and decorate an office for the first lady in block A of the Ministries Esplanade.
However, Michelle decided to move her “office” to the Planalto Palace, to work in a room near her husband. As the first lady, Michelle is not entitled to a salary. Nor does she work on the premises every day, according to ministry officials.
Library
Once dismantled, the Planalto presidential library will have its study, living and reading spaces virtually eliminated. It will also no longer have enough area for increasing its collection, according to sources following the works.
“Our concern is the impact of this reform on the preservation of Brazil’s institutional memory. In all countries, presidential libraries are aimed at preserving the presidents’ legacy,” said Fábio Cordeiro, president of the 1st Regional Library Council.
The work begun last week is expected to end in early March.
Source: Forum