Brazil: Lula arrives to fight hunger, deforestation and restrict weapons

One of the first measures adopted by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, after taking office on Sunday, was to revoke a dozen controversial decrees issued by former president Jair Bolsonaro, including those that facilitated access to firearms or the expansion of agribusiness in the Amazon.

Lula suspended new gun registrations by hunters, shooters and collectors, as well as the creation of shooting clubs; he reduced the limits for the purchase of arms and ammunition, and ordered the launching of a working group to propose new regulations on disarmament policy.

Likewise, he established that, in the next 60 days, all weapons purchased since May 2019 be registered again by the owners, reports RT.

«There will be a general census of existing weapons in Brazil, with a view to separating the wheat from the chaff», said Justice Minister Flávio Dino on Monday.

During the four years of his government, Bolsonaro signed more than 30 resolutions aimed at facilitating the acquisition or the carrying of weapons. Many of them were later blocked by the Justice system. According to data from the Brazilian Public Safety Yearbook, the number of people with a firearms registration certificate grew by 474% during the government of the far-right.Lula wants to uncover 100-year-old secrets

On the other hand, and as promised during the electoral campaign, the leader of the Workers’ Party (PT) ordered that, within 30 days, the Comptroller General of the Union analyze various decrees that established a 100-year secret about documents of the public administration and personal affairs of the former president.

«On the first day of the Government, we are going to sign a decree to end the 100-year secret. The people must see what they [the Bolsonaro government] are hiding”, asserted the leftist leader in the campaign.

Regarding the environment, Lula signed a decree to restore the fight against deforestation in the Amazon, and reactivate the homonymous Fund, made up of donations from Germany and Norway. These two countries froze their contributions in 2019 due to Bolsonaro’s refusal to stop deforestation, which in its first three years advanced 73%.

The President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, announced on Sunday that his country will release 35 million euros for the Amazon Fund, as a sign of cooperation and support for the new Executive.

Lula, who has insisted that the fight against the climate crisis «will have the highest profile in the structure» of his government, also revoked a controversial decree issued by Bolsonaro two weeks before the end of his term, which gave the green light to the logging activity in indigenous territories.State companies

On the economic level, Lula signed a decree that allows his ministers to take measures to remove State companies – such as Petrobras, Correos or Empresa Brasil de Comunicación – from the privatization program prepared by the Bolsonaro administration.

The ultra-right government had among its guidelines to implement an ambitious privatization plan under the guidelines of former Economy Minister Paulo Guedes, an ultra-liberal defender of fiscal austerity, which with the onslaught of the pandemic, he was unable to carry it out.

The patriarch of the left also signed a decree that extends the federal tax exemption for fuel for 60 days, with the aim of reducing the high cost, and another that guarantees the payment of 600 reais (about 116 dollars) from Bolsa Familia , a program to help the most vulnerable population.

Likewise, Lula also revoked a Bolsonaro decree that encouraged the creation of special schools for students with disabilities and separate classes, so they would not socialize  with other children.

Lula, 77, took office on Sunday for his third term, an unprecedented event in recent Brazilian history. He also became the first president to receive the presidential sash from the people after Bolsonaro decided to travel to the United States days before. Aline Sousa, 33 years old and who works collecting recycled material, was the one who placed the symbolic band on the president.

The leftist leader is going to govern a very different country from the one he received in 2003, during his first presidency: economically weakened by inflation and debt, extremely polarized and with a right-wing Congress, heavily influenced by Bolsonarism.

“The great edifice of rights, sovereignty and development that this nation has built has been systematically demolished in recent years. We will direct all our efforts to rebuild this building», assured Lula on Sunday in his speech in the National Congress.