DAVOS, Switzerland: Brazil’s new president, Jair Bolsonaro, threw out the welcome mat for big business and major investors on Tuesday, telling a summit of CEOs at the World Economic Forum in Davos that his government would make the country one of the top 50 in which to do business.
Bolsonaro said he would work to open up Brazil’s relatively closed economy, reduce and simplify taxes, privatise assets and give his new justice minister the tools to tackle corruption and organized crime.
The newly-elected Brazilian president told the audience that he was “moved and honored” to be addressing the good and the great at Davos, calling the forum an opportunity to show the world a revamped Brazil that he was building.
“I want to introduce to all of you the new Brazil we are building,” he said. “We are committed to changing our history.”
He reassured political and business leaders in attendance that his government has the credibility and the tools required to reform his country.
Big investment to turn Brazil into a global tourist destination was the main thrust of Bolsonaro’s speech. But given the importance placed on climate change and protecting the natural world, he was keen to point out that he would strive to preserve the environment while developing the economy — saying policies on the two “should go hand-in-hand.”
Bolsonaro surfed a populist wave last year to ride to power, vowing an end to rampant corruption and a restoration of law and order in Brazil.
But staging his first foreign trip as president, Bolsonaro has left behind a scandal about suspicious payments involving his politician son Flavio Bolsonaro, who denies any wrongdoing.
Focusing instead on a pro-business message at the WEF, Bolsonaro told his well-heeled audience that he was determined to open up Brazil’s economy.