Brazil: Bolsonaro appoints black minister to silence accusations of racism
Criticized for the lack of
diversity in the executive and accused of racism during the protests after the
death of George Floyd in the United States, the Brazilian president appointed
Carlos Alberto Decotelli to Education.
He is the black Prime Minister of
the government since the coming to power of the far-right leader.
Jair Bolsonaro tries to
restore his coat of arms. As his government faces an ever-increasing
coronavirus pandemic and a deep economic crisis, the Brazilian
president is stepping up initiatives to save his mandate.
To silence accusations of
lack of diversity in the executive, the far-right leader on Thursday appointed
the black prime minister of his team, Carlos Alberto Decotelli, who will be in
charge of Education.
This economist and university professor is the third
to hold the position since the start of the Bolsonaro presidency. He
replaces Abraham Weintraub, who resigned on June 18 and fled to the
United States after a series of controversies, triggered in particular after
racist statements.
Carlos Alberto Decotelli,
70, seems to have a much more consensual profile. In an interview with CNN
Brazil, shortly after his appointment, he promised
"more dialogue with universities and research centers".
The new minister also said he was
"surprised" to have been chosen by Jair
Bolsonaro.
"Yesterday I was still giving lessons and today I was invited to a meeting" with the president."
he revealed.
Reserve officer in the
Navy, he had already held a high-ranking position in the Bolsonaro
administration, presiding over the National Fund for the Development of
Education, from February to August 2019.
The government of Jair
Bolsonaro has known, since he took office, a dozen resignations or dismissals
of ministers, because of controversy or for incompatibility with the president. In
the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, two successive ministers of health
were landed. And a fifth Culture Secretary has recently been appointed.
In Brazil, 54% of the
population is black, but racial inequalities persist in this country which was
the last in America to abolish slavery in 1888. Before his election, Jair
Bolsonaro had uttered racist remarks.
In recent weeks, protests against
him have also gathered anti-racist activists, in the wake of the mobilizations
after the death of the African-American George Floyd.
The appointment of Carlos
Alberto Decotelli is a direct response to these criticisms. But Jair
Bolsonaro had already started his operation to win back opinion. On June
11, he announced the creation of a Ministry of Communications and appointed
Fabio Faria, 42, son of the boss of SBT, one of the country's largest
terrestrial channels, to head it.
Young, dashing and charismatic, he
appears to be the opposite of the president, who stands out more readily with
his martial, impulsive and bellicose tone.
Fabio Faria will have the
heavy burden of giving a more respectable image of the government. But the
creation of his ministry has already drawn criticism.
"The Ministry of Propaganda has been recreated."
quipped on Twitter Sergio Moro, former
Minister of Justice, who had slammed the door of the government two months
ago.
"The information war is very important, which is why I decided to recreate the Ministry of Communications."
said the president.
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