Bolsonaro’s former secretary says he is sorry for Yanomamis – 01/31/2023 – Mônica Bergamo

Former special secretary for Indigenous Health in the Jair Bolsonaro government, Robson Santos da Silva says he is moved by the images that expose the humanitarian crisis experienced by the Yanomami, but says he is calm about investigations involving his name due to alleged omission.

“No one is at peace with that. The images are disturbing for anyone. I went to territories, I went to all the districts. And we are sad because we know, we know that they are humble people. Be at peace? Never. You does not remain in peace”, he says to the column.

“Now, as a manager, yes [fico em paz]. For my part, I’m confident that the actions that were taken are enough to show that there was no omission on my part or my management”, he continues. “As a human being, of course we are worried. But my tranquility, in quotes, is in the belief in Justice”, he says.

On Monday (30), the Lula government published a list of 23 cases in which it accuses the management of former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) of failing to assist indigenous peoples.

The Yanomami territory suffers from an increase in malaria and chronic child malnutrition, which affects 80% of children up to five years old, according to a recent study funded by Unicef ​​and carried out in partnership with Fiocruz (Oswaldo Cruz Foundation) and the Ministry of Health .

The action of illegal mining in the Yanomami Indigenous Land is at the heart of the current crisis. According to Inpe (National Institute for Space Research), mining in the region led to the deforestation of 232 hectares of the Amazon forest in 2022 alone, an increase of 24.7% compared to the index registered in the previous year (186 hectares).

The target of an inquiry opened by the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) to determine whether the Brazilian State was omitted in the crisis, former secretary Robson Santos da Silva left the Special Secretariat for Indigenous Health (Sesai) at the end of March last year —and says who cannot answer for other actions.

“If you go ten months without eating or with dietary restrictions, I’m sure that you, anyone, will lose a lot of weight”, he says.

Asked, then, if he attributes the Yanomami crisis to Secretary Reginaldo Ramos, who succeeded him in the last months of the Bolsonaro government, he temporizes. “I don’t believe the situation got worse, I can’t say that. What I can say is: while I was there, all measures were taken,” he says.

The former holder of Sesai claims that critics of the previous government fell into a “selective forgetfulness” in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic and the extra difficulties generated by it.

“Covid-19 is no longer talked about, it seems that it never existed. The years 2020 and 2021 are treated in a way as if everything was fine, and it wasn’t. We face serious crises, lack of employees, servers. Many [ficaram] sick”, he says about Sesai.

Silva endorses thesis replicated by supporters of President Jair Bolsonaro that there are Venezuelans among the rescued Yanomami — although the assistance provided in recent days has been aimed at those who are established in national territory.

The version, without support among Brazilian authorities and specialists, has also been disseminated by opponents of the regime of dictator Nicolás Maduro.

“Is everyone you saw there Venezuelan? No, but excluding Venezuelans is a political action,” says Silva to the column, insisting on his defense.

The former secretary also suggests that local health authorities should also be investigated for the situation of the indigenous people. “In each of these districts, there is a health authority that is also an expense controller. Today, everything brings to Brasilia. ‘It was the president’, ‘it was the minister’, ‘it was the secretary’. [Espera] just a little. There [no distrito indígena] there’s a person,” he says.

“I think that when they show the documents, the meetings, the plans, the increase in resources, the sending of several teams to reinforce the district’s service… This is a case that has many parts. When you put all of this together, you will have a correct scenario of what is fair, of what happened”, he concludes.

CANDLES

Criminal lawyer Antonio Claudio Mariz de Oliveira attended the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Association of Lawyers of São Paulo (AASP), held in the city of São Paulo, on Monday night (30). The president of the OAB (Order of Lawyers of Brazil) of São Paulo, Patricia Vanzolini, attended. Lawyer Alberto Zacharias Toron was also there.

_{with BIANKA VIEIRA (interim)KARINA MATIAS and MANOELLA SMITH}

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