Jair Bolsonaro declared the other day that he was not cut out to be president. He must know what he's talking about. He is averse to work, ignores republican principles, disrespects the separation of powers, does not know the liturgy of office, and has no idea what empathy is.

His inability to identify himself with anyone else had already drawn attention, something illustrated in the comments about Covid. He called people's suffering a weakness.

There could be a hint of political farce in this behavior. Clinging to theories that minimized the coronavirus seriousness, and branded as an anti-vaccine president, he preferred to maintain his façade so as not to have to admit the truth.

In the case involving British journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian indigenous activist Bruno Pereira, by comparison, it is difficult to find an underlying rationale for cruelty.

Although Bolsonaro does not like indigenous activities, environmentalists, and journalists, he could express his regret and repudiate the criminals who, by all indications, committed a barbaric act.

Why did he choose to hold victims accountable? Does it not occur to him that it would inflict more pain on those who are already suffering?
The curious thing is that in doing so, he had to acknowledge his lack of control over the Amazon, something that indigenous activists, environmentalists, and journalists have constantly denounced.

Translated by Cassy Dias