247 - President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva defended the Mais Médicos program, countered attacks from Donald Trump — President of the United States —, called for the impeachment of Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL-SP) and announced that the government will send Congress a bill to regulate digital platforms. The statements were made this Thursday (14) at the inauguration ceremony of the Hemobrás blood products factory, in Goiana (PE).

More Doctors and the lack of professionals in the interior

In defending the program, Lula criticized what he called an elitist view of healthcare and described the difficulty of bringing professionals to peripheral regions and small towns. According to him,"When we created Mais Médicos, what was the doctors' problem? It's that there's an elitist segment of the healthcare system in this country that thinks there's no shortage of doctors. Now, mayors know there's a shortage of doctors. To bring doctors to the most violent outskirts, it's difficult to find doctors willing to go. Some mayors can't even afford to pay doctors' salaries. No one wants to be confined to a small town in the countryside when they can be in the capital, having a beer every night on the beach. Why would they go to the countryside to listen to crickets sing? So we need to understand which part of Brazil doesn't need them and which does, and it's the government that has to make that decision."

For Lula, ensuring doctors, food, and education are the foundation of sovereignty:"A sovereign country must take care of three things: education, ensuring food for everyone—because food security is paramount—and ensuring health care. This is called national sovereignty."

Lula stated that Trump was "foolish" in announcing a tariff increase against Brazil and disputed the trade deficit justification."We have been partners with the Americans for 201 years. (...) when he warned, in a letter he didn't send to me—he published it on his website—he said the tariff increase was necessary because the US had a deficit. (...) Brazil-US trade last year was US$87 billion, of which they sold US$47 billion and we sold US$40 billion. They had a surplus of US$7 billion."

The president also mentioned Brazil's spending on American data companies and an accumulated US surplus over Brazil: "If you look at the issue of information storage, data companies, Brazil spent US$23 billion on American companies last year. And if you look at the last 15 years, the Americans have had a US$410 billion surplus over Brazil. So there's no explanation."

Human rights and Bolsonaro's trial

In another passage, Lula countered Trump's accusation that Brazil is persecuting former President Jair Bolsonaro."The second thing he said is that we're persecuting the former president. That there are no human rights here in Brazil, that we're persecuting the former president. He was such a nice guy... It's important to be clear: there are no accusations from any opponent of the former president. He's on trial for the evils he committed, for the attempted coup, for preparing the assassination of President Lula, Vice President Alckmin, Alexandre de Moraes, for the attempted car bombing at the airport. He invaded the Federal Police on the day I was sworn in, on December 12th... In other words, they can't forget. He's on trial because his cronies ratted him out."

Lula linked his handling of the pandemic to what he called irresponsibility: "People, he should be tried in an international court for the number of Covid deaths here, for which he is responsible. At least 300,000 deaths are his irresponsibility, for prescribing useless medicine, for saying that anyone who got vaccinated would turn gay, an alligator. If he had gotten vaccinated, he wouldn't have become the bad person he became. If his mother had vaccinated him, he would certainly have a heart as good as mine."

“Request the impeachment” of Eduardo Bolsonaro

The president also criticized Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro's actions abroad: "He sent his son to the US. His son, who is a federal deputy. You [deputies] have to demand his impeachment because he is betraying the country. This is a true betrayal of the nation. He went there to incite the Americans against us. We can't just stand by and do nothing."

Regulation of digital platforms

Lula stated that the government has completed a bill to regulate digital platforms and will send it to Congress: "And the last thing he [Trump] said is that we can't regulate companies, their digital platforms. He won't accept us regulating them. We're drafting a regulatory bill. Yesterday we finished the bill and will send it [to Congress]. Here in Brazil, there's a law. The law applies to us and to foreign companies operating here."

In defending the proposal, he emphasized child protection and combating hate:"We will not allow the madness perpetrated against children and adolescents—pedophilia, the incitement to hatred, the sheer volume of lies being spread—to jeopardize democracy and the rule of law. That's why we will regulate. And we want to hold accountable those who use children to commit pedophilia. That won't happen here."

Lula concluded with a message about sovereignty: "And he needs to know that the Brazilian people are in charge of this country. He has to know. There are some mutts who keep saying, 'Wow, this Lula always talks so loudly.' No. I speak to Bolivia exactly the same way I do to Americans. I'm not one of those people who speak softly to Americans and harshly to Bolivia. I treat everyone equally."