Bolsonaro and Entrepreneurs Turn to Supreme Court to Push for End to Isolation

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – In a move to pressure the return of economic activity, President Jair Bolsonaro led a group of entrepreneurs to the Federal Supreme Court (STF) to report to the head of the Court, Presiding Justice Dias Toffoli, the impacts that social isolation has had on private initiative.

In turn, Justice Toffoli demanded coordination by the federal government with the other powers and bodies of the federation and said that planning is required for a return to the operation of industry.

On Thursday’s meeting, which had not been included in his agenda, the President reiterated that the impact of the restriction of movement cannot be greater than the problems caused by the disease itself. The Minister of Economy, Paulo Guedes, stressed that Brazil can face the same situation of neighboring countries unless it changes its strategy in tackling the disease.

Guedes said he has been holding talks with various industrial sectors and that on Thursday entrepreneurs made an appeal.

“They had been saying that they were managing to preserve their vital signs, and now the message they passed along is that it is difficult, the economy is starting to collapse. We don’t want to run the risk of turning into a Venezuela, we don’t want to run the risk of turning into an Argentina, which fell into disorganization, inflation rising, all that nightmare back,” he said.

Bolsonaro said the group of entrepreneurs represents over 40 percent of GDP and 30 million jobs. According to the President, everyone can be “crushed” by the economic crisis unless industrial activity is restored.

“Entrepreneurs have personally conveyed this distress, the issue of unemployment, the issue of the economy no longer operating. The consequences, the side effect of fighting the virus, cannot be more harmful than the disease itself. And the entrepreneurs want the STF to hear from them what is happening too,” he said.

Justice Dias Toffoli demanded, more than once, greater coordination by the executive with the other federal branches and the states and municipalities. In addition, he said that planning is required for a return to the operation of industry.

“For such coordination, I believe that the Executive, the President of the Republic, together with his Ministers, by summoning the other powers, summoning the states, representatives of municipalities, is crucial. Perhaps a crisis committee involving the federation and the powers, together with the business community and workers. We need to turn this wish into reality, which is the wish to work, to produce, to maintain a structured society,” he said.

The coordinator of the Industry Coalition, Marco Polo de Mello Lopes, said that the industry situation requires urgent measures.

“In our view, this flexibility could already have occurred, of course with all the required regulation, so that we could resume activity. Our great concern is that the Covid crisis causes a social crisis because of the unemployment issue, and this is a crisis that we consider extremely important and needs to be addressed,” he said.

The representative of the toy sector, Synésio Batista, also said that the situation is troubling. “I would only add one detail, which is the sense of urgency. I would say that the industry is in the ICU and it needs to be discharged because otherwise, the consequences will be very dire,” said Lopes.

Source: Folhapress