Page 12 - aruba-today-20181208

A12 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 8 december 2018

Brazil future unclear amid opposing ideologies of ministers

By DIANE JEANTET judge oversaw the "Car
Associated Press Wash," one of the largest
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — corruption investigations in
With his inauguration just history, may also clash with
weeks away, Brazilian Pres- Bolsonaro despite the pres-
ident-elect Jair Bolsonaro ident-elect's promise not to
is assembling a Cabinet meddle with his decisions.
of ministers with starkly dif- With the backdrop of 63,880
ferent views on key issues homicides recorded in Bra-
like climate change, the zil in 2017, Bolsonaro was
economy and China that is largely elected on promises
raising questions about the to improve worsening secu-
direction the far-right lead- rity by confronting street
er will take Latin America's gangs. He has proposed
largest nation. loosening gun laws, bring-
Since being elected in Oc- ing back the death penalty
tober, Bolsonaro has ap- and lowering the age of
pointed a finance minis- penal responsibility from 18
ter schooled in neoliberal to 16 or 17.
economics, a foreign min- Moro is unlikely to agree
ister who describes global- with such proposals, and
ization as "an anti-human has already expressed res-
and anti-Christian system," ervations about loosening
supporters and critics of gun laws. Since being ap-
China's role in the region, pointed as a super minis-
several retired military gen- In this Nov. 6, 2018 file photo, Brazilian President-elect Jair Bolsonaro, right, and his Vice ter in charge of both the
erals and a justice minister President Gen. Hamilton Mourao attend a ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of Brazil's justice and public security,
who is arguably the world's constitution at Congress in Brasilia, Brazil. Moro has outlined plans to
most renowned corruption Associated Press tackle white collar crime
fighter. paigned on a nationalist is the son of Chinese immi- globalized world," said con- but been mum on security.
Analysts say the eclectic anti-crime, anti-socialism, grants. gressman Alceu Moreira, So far, the seven retired
choices made by the for- pro-"traditional Brazilian Another issue that could who leads the powerful members of the military ap-
mer army captain who values" ticket, Araujo sees spark clashes is Brazil's po- farming lobby that backed pointed by Bolsonaro are
takes office on Jan. 1 China and the billions of sition on climate change. Bolsonaro's campaign. positioning themselves as
portend clashes not only dollars it has invested in Bra- The world will be watching Moreira argued that pro- wild cards in the future gov-
within his Cabinet but pos- zil's energy, infrastructure how Brazil deals with the tectionism ended up hurt- ernment.
sibly with Bolsonaro himself, and oil and gas industry as topic since it is home to ing the efficiency and Vice President-elect Hamil-
since some of their views threats to the country's sov- much of the vital Amazon competitiveness of Brazil's ton Mourao, a retired gen-
are at odds with his cam- ereignty. rainforest. industry. eral, has made several po-
paign promises. But Latin America's largest Bolsonaro has threatened "We want the people who lemical statements, such as
"We are already seeing economy clearly needs to withdraw from the Paris represent us, at the foreign defending torture during
clear signals of tensions," China for more than in- Agreement, and vowed affairs ministry, to be more Brazil's dictatorship. How-
said Oliver Stuenkel, an in- vestment: the Asian giant to help large mining and qualified," he added in ever, many observers also
ternational relations profes- was Brazil's top destination agribusiness companies an apparent reference to see him as the adult in the
sor at the Fundacao Getu- for exports, amounting to expand their activities in Araujo. room.
lio Vargas university and US$47 billion, according to protected areas, including Jose Alfredo Graca Lima, On various occasions,
think tank. Brazilian government data. the Amazonian forests. His a former consul-general in Mourao has tempered Bol-
Numerous requests for Araujo's antagonism to- foreign minister has also ex- New York and Los Angeles, sonaro's most contentious
comment from Bolsonaro ward China will meet re- pressed skepticism toward says he believes Guedes positions, such as moving
and his incoming ministers sistance not only from climate change, calling it a will be the predominat- Brazil's embassy in Israel
were not answered. Brazilian companies but "dogma" used by the left to ing voice among Cabinet from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem,
Arguably the incoming from other powerful min- foster China's growth. members. following the footsteps
government's most antag- isters who see China very But an overhaul of envi- "But what I keep wondering of U.S. President Donald
onistic figure is the future differently, especially fu- ronmental policies and is who will conduct, who Trump.
foreign minister, Ernesto ture finance minister Paulo Araujo's protectionist views will play the leading role (in Brazil is one of the world's
Araujo, who has never Guedes. could come at a high cost. Brazil's diplomacy)?" said top halal meat exporters,
served as ambassador or Guedes, who holds a doc- Observers say that aban- Graca Lima. and Iran and Egypt are its
in a top position in the for- torate from the University doning the Paris Agree- And some of the ministers third and fourth biggest
eign ministry in his nearly 30 of Chicago, rallied much ment could lead foreign may even clash with their beef buyers, according to
years of public service. of the business community markets, such as the Eu- boss. data from the Brazilian Beef
On his blog, Araujo wrote behind Bolsonaro's cam- ropean Union, to boycott Guedes' free-market, pro- Exporters Association.
that he wanted to "help paign with promises to cut certain Brazilian products. privatization vision has at "Obviously, it's a question
Brazil and the world liber- government spending, Guedes and future Agricul- times appeared at odds that will have to be well
ate itself from the globalist privatize many industries tural Minister Tereza Cristina with that of Bolsonaro, who thought out," Mourao told
ideology," and globalism and increase foreign in- are likely to oppose any waxes nostalgic for Brazil's newspaper Folha de S.
was "an anti-human and vestment. measure that would imperil 1964-1985 military dictator- Paulo.
anti-Christian system" pilot- Early in the campaign, Brazil's relationship with key ship, a time when the state "We have an important
ed by "cultural Marxism" to Guedes was introduced to trade partners. played a significant role in commercial relationship
promote China. Bolsonaro by Brazilian busi- "An exacerbated national- the economy. with the Arab world."q
Like Bolsonaro, who cam- nessman Winston Ling, who ism cannot be justified in a Sergio Moro, who as a