Captain Jair Bolsonaro, current Brazilian president, who admitted on April 5 that he was born to be a soldier and not a head of state, shared a WhatsApp text Friday by an "unknown author" which contends that Brazil is a corrupt and dysfunctional country.
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"Brazil is ungovernable without bribery," the shared message says and further states that the far-right president "has not done anything up to now, has not approved anything, for he has only tried and failed."
Once local media had learned of the unattributable text message, which also accuses Bolsonaro of being pressured by an advocacy group linked to all government branches, the Brazilian president issued a statement through his spokesman Otavio do Rego Barros.
- "I have been putting all my effort into governing Brazil. Unfortunately the challenges are numerous and changes in governing style does not please the groups that have benefited in the past ... I want to count on society to solve this situation together and put the country back on the path of a promising future. God help us!."
Since taking office on Jan. 1, however, the Bolsonaro administration has stood out for its poor performance and detiorating relations with workers, Indigenous people, women, environmentalists, students, teachers, scientists, senior citizens, and all Brazilians affected by policies that deny economic and political rights.
"Brazil is not 'ungovernable', Bolsonaro keeps it adrift, though."
Recently, Bolsonaro has been experiencing political challenges due to massive protests against social security reform and budget cuts. This without mentioning that one of his sons, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, is being questioned for alleged money laundering.
On Friday night, Estadao, a Sao Paulo-based media organization, reported that the text's author is the Securities Commission analyst, Paulo Portinho.
When forwarding Portinho's message to one of his WhatsApp groups, Bolsonaro appended the following annotation:
“A text which is at least interesting. It's a must read for those who worry about planning events ... on Sep. 6, 2018, I had a feeling and warned my security guards, 'this is the last time I will expose myself to the people. The system will kill me.' Each one of you can draw conclusions from the message below."
According to local media UOL, those half a dozen officers who initially received Bolsonaro's message say they do not know how many people got it in the end.