May 21, 2022
07:05
Priscilla Peixoto – Cenarium Magazine
MANAUS – Before the visit of businessman Elon Musk to Brazil, this Friday, 20, to discuss connectivity projects for the Amazon, with President Jair Bolsonaro (PL), the governor of Amazonas, Wilson Lima (União Brasil), had already made an invitation to the owner of the space transportation company, SpaceX, for a business visit to the state. The invitation was made in a post on the governor’s own Twitter account at least 20 days ago.
In the publication, Wilson Lima, addresses the issue of the Manaus Free Trade Zone (MFTZ), claiming not to give up the jobs generated by the economic format that, in the same month of the post, was the target of successive attacks by the federal government with measures aimed at reducing the Tax on Industrialized Products (IPI) and the withdrawal of aliquots to the Concentrates Pole, directly affecting the comparative advantages of companies installed in the Free Trade Zone.
“(…) We move on to attract new investments. @elonmusk has shown interest in bringing SpaceX here and we will consolidate this business. Come and see the Amazon. The Amazon is calling you,” wrote the state governor on Twitter.
Knowing to invest
It is not the first time that the state governor takes action and calls big names in business to invest in the Amazon region. In March, during the opening of the GCF Task Force Annual Meeting, in Manaus, Wilson Lima made a statement to the businessman and owner of the Amazon company, Jeff Bezzos.
At the occasion, the governor invited Bezzos (considered one of the richest men in the world) to join the initiatives to preserve the Amazon Rainforest with investments in the region. The request, inclusive, is part of the government’s campaign, entitled “Real Amazon”, aiming to make the world aware of the Amazon, going beyond the vast biodiversity.
“If your company stopped, Jeff, a lot of things would slow down. And if I stopped, the climate would heat up. If your company is the most valuable of all, my value is incalculable. And since you’re using my name and I’ve never earned anything from it, come and get to know me up close, Jeff,” said an excerpt from the publicity video.
According to the head of state, businessmen like Bezzos, make a mistake in relation to the almost stereotypical look towards the Amazon. “Each and every effort to support this cause should be celebrated (…) The world looks at the forest today and doesn’t see that, amidst the trees, there are real people living here. It is as if only here in Brazil 38 million citizens simply did not exist. In the eyes of the world, today, we are 38 million invisible people,” declared the governor.
Visit to Brazil
On the afternoon of Friday the 20th, an event held by the Ministry of Communications in São Paulo was attended by businessman Elon Musk, owner of SpaceX and Tesla, and the President of the Republic, Jair Bolsonaro (PL), to discuss connectivity projects for the Amazon, however, the absence of indigenous leaders or representatives of traditional communities in the Amazon Region drew attention.
Surrounded by “Pariwat”, how the Munduruku indigenous people from Pará call “those who don’t belong here”, Elon answered questions from the audience, composed of students and businessmen, about investments and the use of SpaceX’s technology to monitor the Amazon.
In Brazil, the work is currently done by the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe), linked to the federal government. The institute, which monitors deforestation and issues real-time alerts of the devastation of the biomes using satellites, has already been criticized by Bolsonaro.
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