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A proposal from the National Council for the Legal Amazon, chaired by the Vice President of the Republic, Hamilton Mourão, was harshly criticized by President Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday (12). The proposal involves the expropriation of areas with deforestation and illegal fires. Bolsonaro said that “if someone raises this, I will simply resign from the government, unless that person is indemissible.”
The study is in a Council document and was sent to various government ministers, with the aim of informing about the organ’s programming.
The document deals with priority strategic actions for the Amazon, such as fire fighting and the strengthening of organs for the repression of environmental crimes.
One of the suggested measures is “to expropriate rural and urban properties affected by environmental crimes or resulting from the illegal occupation or exploitation of public lands.”
Another document provides more details. The idea is to produce four proposals:
- toughen legislation allowing expropriation of land by those who commit environmental and land crimes (land grabbing);
- Allow the confiscation of each and every one of the assets of economic value seized as a consequence of the environmental exploitation and public lands in an irregular manner, contemplating the best destination of the expropriated lands and confiscated assets, with the presentation of proposals at the end of July of 2021.
- confiscate the assets of illegal buyers of public land
- confiscate assets used for the land grabbing process
The studies also propose to reverse the collection of fines for environmental infractions for the municipalities where the crimes occurred and to increase the penalties for crimes against the environment.
The document was published by the newspaper “O Estado de S. Paulo”. TV Globo also had access.
Elsewhere, the text provides an “action plan” to insert indigenous communities into formal markets.
This is one of the areas where the performance of the Bolsonaro government is criticized the most. The president defends the exploitation of natural resources on demarcated lands.
The Council’s plan is to send a proposed amendment to the constitution to Congress with these measures in May 2021.
On social media, Bolsonaro called the idea of seizing land from those who commit environmental crimes “delusional.” He also said that private property is sacred and that Brazil is not a “socialist / communist” country.
Shortly after, Bolsonaro spoke with supporters in front of the Palácio da Alvorada and took up criticism of the measures of the council headed by Mourão.
“I saw this story in today’s ‘Estadão’. Either it is more a lie, or someone dazzled by the government decided to plant this news. Private property is sacred, there is no possibility in that sense. If someone raises it, I simply discard the government. Unless that person is indemissible, “said the president.
Also for the sympathizers, Bolsonaro again said that expropriating land is a measure of “socialist and communist” countries.
“It is like that all the time. I have to live all the time with the press acting like this, or someone who is dazzled by the government, without responsibility or democratic sense, saying they have a proposal to expropriate land. There is no such thing”, said. President. “The expropriation is in the socialist and communist countries. Not in my government,” he added.
The Vice President of the Republic, Hamilton Mourão, commented on Bolsonaro’s criticism during an interview in the early afternoon.
Mourão commented in an interview on Bolsonaro’s criticism of the proposal of the Amazon Council – Photo: Guilherme Mazui / G1
Mourão said he did not discuss the matter with the president after the criticism. The deputy explained that the proposal to expropriate land was a “study” that would still be analyzed by ministries, such as Agriculture, before Bolsonaro’s final evaluation.
Mourão complained about the publication of the idea in the press, which, according to him, created “a bummer” with Bolsonaro. According to the deputy, the proposal was released “out of context.”
“It is something that is totally out of context. If I were the president, I would also be very angry, because this is a study, this is a job that needs to be completed and that only afterwards can you submit to your decision, “he declared.
Asked if the idea was discarded, Mourão repeated that it was a study.
“It is not a decision. So it is already published as if it were a decision. So, what does it generate? It causes annoyance to the president,” he said.
Currently, the expropriation of land is foreseen by law, but not in cases of environmental crimes. Expropriation is allowed when illicit cultivation of psychotropic plants or exploitation of slave labor is found on the properties.
This is not the first friction between Bolsonaro and his deputy in recent days.
On Monday (9), Bolsonaro said in an interview with CNN Brazil that he has not spoken with Mourão.
The statement was in response to a comment by Mourão about the president’s silence on Joe Biden’s victory in the US elections.
This Wednesday (11), Mourão said that he has an “ethical and loyal” relationship with the president of the Executive and denied that he is not speaking with Bolsonaro.
