"Brazil has once again a prosperous future" says Temer (Folha de S. Paulo – 16/05/2018)

Translated by BrazilGovNews

"I would like to ask you for your attention to mention a number from January 2016. On the Stock Exchange, Petrobras was worth R$ 67 billion. A little over two years have gone by. This past week, Petrobras regained the title of Brazil's most valuable company, surpassing R$ 350 billion in value.

In 24 months, we have recovered Petrobras, Banco do Brasil, the Postal Services, and Caixa Econômica Federal; we have raised GDP to a positive level, improved public management, and helped states and municipalities; we have reformed laws and institutions. We have worked non-stop.

We have recovered Brazil. On the second anniversary of my government, those who are unbiased will realise that we have achieved what we promised in the "Bridge for the Future” document. We have transformed the most serious recession in our history into consistent growth. We have replaced the so-called 'fiscal dribbling' with fiscal responsibility. We have integrated Brazil into the world, attracting investment and recovering credibility. Social programmes, which were under threat, today have their best indicators in history.

The result is there: what used to be discouragement now is work. When we took over, 150 thousand formal jobs were being dilapidated a month. This year, we have registered a positive balance of 204 thousand formal employment vacancies. And over the past 12 months, more than 1.5 million jobs have been created.

Bolsa Família is wider-reaching – it currently serves 160 thousand families more than the 14 million of its previous record in 2014. Today, it is more accessible to those who need it, as we have zeroed the waiting list, which had almost 2 million families in May 2015.

We have improved the management of the programme, and grants have reached their highest purchasing power, as we increased their value in more than 100% above the inflation in the period. We provided timely funding to the two biggest harvests in history, making food cheaper and favouring the needier.

We secured contracts for the Minha Casa Minha Vida (affordable housing programme), paying the arrears that we found at the start of my government in May 2016. We secured the programme's increase, delivering on average 38 thousand housing units a month. We have done more and better.

We have implemented the Happy Child programme to protect and provide shelter to expecting mothers and infants. We created the Progredir programme, which, for the first time, trains and employs people from families who are Bolsa Família beneficiaries.

In three months, almost 70 thousand of them have managed to find a position in the job market. Life improving training is what should be permanent. Moved by this spirit, we have revolutionised education. With the secondary school reform, new 500 thousand full-time education vacancies, and teacher training, Brazil is only starting to reap the results from the change. Results are indisputable in all areas: the lowest inflation rate in the history of the Real Plan, the lowest interest rates in our history, the two largest trade surpluses, two record agricultural harvests, the largest number of rural or urban property titles [over 200 thousand] given out.

The automotive industry has also responded, with a 40% increase in the production of light vehicles in April, when compared with the same month in 2017. The pacey production and trade-related demands (over 4% in civil construction in 2018) elevated lorry sales in 77% in April this year, in comparison to last year. We have done our bit to ensure this recovery: by releasing funds in dormant accounts of the Worker's Severance Indemnity Fund (FGTS), we have injected R$ 44 billion into the economy and benefitted 25.9 million workers.

Since my first days in office, I have looked for more investment, more trade and more jobs for Brazilians. I visited Asia, Europe and our neighbours in America. We brought billions in business. We rose from the eighth to the second best place for investment in the world.

The highest ever number of conservation units (a type of protected area under Brazilian legislation) per km² was created in my administration, surpassing all other governments put together. The largest marine reserve in the world was created in Brazil by my Presidency. We have reduced deforestation in the Amazon, after seeing it increase for two years in a row.
For the first time, we had the courage to face the issue of public security, a priority social demand, which the Constitution has allocated under the responsibility of the states. I created the Ministry of Public Security and decreed a federal security intervention in Rio de Janeiro.

The results are encouraging: the month of April has already recorded a drop in violent crimes and thefts in relation to the previous month. In the region of Bangu, Gericinó, Padre Miguel, Senador Camará and Vila Kennedy, where the intervention concentrated some of its actions, we have recorded the lowest number of victims by violent death for the month of March since the beginning of the time series. Lives have been saved. Each of them means a victory over militias and organised crime.

None of this has come about spontaneously, as some people want to believe when trying to unlink our work from all economic, social, environmental and security success achieved. Sizeable results reward the efforts of a very competent team, highly dedicated to the public interest. In order to reach these advances, we had to talk to Congress and build a set of standards that meant the end of easy-result populism.

Brazil’s economic upturn and the results seen in state-owned enterprises are fruit of this recipe. We have travelled on a path of courage and change. It has been hard, difficult, to the extent of costing us popularity, in a country eager for easy solutions. The results are there, the numbers speak loud and clear. What we did in two years, others did not do in 20.

Brazil and Brazilians have a critical choice to make this year: staying on the right path with real results, or looking for alternatives that can generate insecurity, crisis, debt, inflation, recession, unemployment, pessimism and hopelessness.

Our project accelerates development, expands investments, creates jobs, increases wages, qualifies our youth, offers more security. By fulfilling what we have written, Brazil has once again a prosperous future”.