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C. Zambelli Salgado: Address to Peace Summit 2023, Session III-B
Written by Hon. Carla Zambelli Salgado, Congresswoman, Brazil
Wednesday, May 3, 2023
Address to Peace Summit 2023
May 2-5, 2023
INTRODUCTION
A few days ago, I was fortunate to be surprised by an invitation from the Universal Peace Federation to be here—in South Korea, a country that prioritizes education and civic engagement.
Actually, I didn’t consider it an invitation, but rather a gift. I deeply thank the organizers, and especially Hak Ja Han Moon, the Mother of Peace among all nations. Thank you!
CONTEXT
This year Brazil and South Korea celebrate 60 years of a sunny intercultural partnership that started with Koreans immigrating to Brazil in 1963. In the chronicle The Cureless Disease, Brazilian writer Rubem Alves says:
...Thanks to the human heart that makes us live, thanks to its tenderness, joys and fears. The simplest flower that the wind blows makes me think thoughts too deep, even for tears. This is the price one pays for having, inside such a small body, a heart that embraces such a big universe...!
I come from a city that embraces immigrants like no other. Not by chance, São Paulo is known as a hospitable city, which hosts Italian communities, from which I descend, Portuguese, Arab, Lebanese, and so on. But I point out that São Paulo has become home to the largest Korean community in Latin America, with an estimated 50,000 people. Through this fraternal bond, I feel honored to be here, in search of a common good among the countries represented here.
BRAZIL / KOREA
The growing presence of Korean companies in Brazil has generated a series of benefits for both. Besides investments, South Korean companies also bring advanced technology and know-how, contributing to the modernization of Brazilian industry and to the creation of jobs. On the other hand, Brazil also offers advantages for Korean companies, such as a strategic geographical location, a growing consumer market, and a strong labor force.
Brazil is undergoing an awakening in its infrastructure: New regulatory frameworks, expansion of the coverage of high-data-flow communications, incorporation of technologies with artificial intelligence and digitalization, and governance of public services—many things that are already a reality for the Korean people that we are currently focused on.
COMMUNISM
It is true that alongside this enthusiasm, coming especially from the private sector, we have our challenges, among which I highlight the consolidation of an effective democracy. As a representative of the Brazilian parliament, I disclose to you, ladies and gentlemen, that we are seriously dealing with attempts to suppress rights. It is a growing movement in Latin America.
This advance resembles the French Revolution, which started with a legitimate search for individual rights and guarantees, but which was distorted, generating regimes that, despite their progressive banners, proclaim the suppression of rights and liberties.
There are plenty of examples of the destruction caused by these regimes. Countries with incredible potential and stunning natural beauty have become deoxygenated islands, fed by misinformation, corruption, uncontrolled public spending, and hypertrophy of tyrannical egos—always to the detriment of the local population.
Totalitarian regimes are expensive and wasteful. They need huge resources to buy their prestige and decimate their opponents. In addition, to achieve their goals, they don’t mind spurious alliances: drug trafficking, separatist forces, private armies, ideological militias, criminal organizations, etc. The menu of these regimes is plentiful and indigestible.
The red trail left by these regimes victimizes entire populations. Insecurity, hunger, aggression, injustice and persecution are examples of the tools used by these people. If we are here celebrating initiatives that promote peace, we need to warn about the danger that totalitarian regimes pose, first of all to the population of their countries, but undoubtedly to security and stability worldwide. The escalation of these regimes does not spare life, culture or territory. Their goal is expansion, and this does not happen peacefully.
Brazil, because of its size and importance, has been a bastion of freedom in Latin America. As I said before, we have a tradition of welcoming immigrants and promoting peace. But we are not far from being recognized for a selective, predatory semitism and a distorted lust for power, which costs the country and its relationships dearly.
The globalist pressure, brought about by rulers who opt for authoritarianism, brings with it big banks and big media outlets. After all, who will finance their political regime, since they produce nothing?
We are in a sensitive moment in Brazil, when we publicly discuss the will of the nation, in the face of the commands issued by leaders in the executive, legislative and judicial branches. A lot of things that seemed dystopian, today we need to face as a set reality.
As a brief example, members of Congress—including myself—had their social networks suspended. Journalists like Rodrigo Constantino, Guilherme Fiuza and Paulo Figueiredo had to migrate to other countries, as a way to keep their voices active.
The ability, the correctness, and the quality of an analysis or dialogue depend a lot on one factor: the Freedom of Speech.
CLOSING
In Proverbs 6:16-19, the Holy Book states:
There are six things that the Lord hates, or rather, seven things that he considers detestable: arrogant eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots wickedness, feet that hasten to do evil, a false witness who tells lies, and he who sows discord among brothers.
I have the privilege of coming from so far away and getting to know a beautiful country like South Korea. My eyes are being used to focus on innovative ideas. I have already written down several of them and I intend to turn them into legislative proposals as soon as I get to Brazil.
Besides taking lots of notes, my hands are being used to greet and sign agreements and legislative proposals with South Korean authorities. These are important supports that bring true progress to both countries.
And most importantly, my voice is being used to speak the truth and denounce abuses in search of peace. Right now, there are hundreds of people unjustly imprisoned who are distressed and anguished. To denounce injustices is to seek peace.
Words are like seeds, which when sown, fall into the soil of people’s hearts: they sprout, grow, and produce much fruit. I believe that sowing is free, but the harvest is inherent to the seeds we plant. If we plant goodness and peace, it is these fruits that we will harvest. With FREEDOM, I believe we can build the peace we dream of.
To go to the Peace Summit 2023 Schedule page, click here.