Amar Ujala, a prestigious Indian newspaper has published this piece on the recent events in Brazil, by Latindia founder, Ambassador Deepak Bhojwani. The full text in English is given below... THE PRICE OF PRESTIGE Revolution is in the air. Or so it seems if we look around the Mediterranean Sea. On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, Brazil, a prosperous giant and undisputed leader in Latin America, faces a crisis that appears similar in its impact, if not its dimension. The immediate trigger for the protests that commenced in early June was an increase by a mere 20 Centavos (7%) over the minimum bus fare of 3 Brazilian Real, approximately US$1.5. A popular movement, spearheaded by individuals connected through social networks, without political affiliation, inundated the streets of dozens of Brazilian cities demanding a rollback. The Movimento Passe Livre (MPL - Movement for Free Fares) had been demanding for years that local transport be free. The Government was caught completely unawares. Initial police reaction led to fatalities and injuries, and provoked violent reaction from the protestors. The highly inflammable issue took little time to spring into flames after the initial spark. Of greater importance, however, is the combustible mass of indignation over inflation, inefficient public services in transport, health and education, and the omnipresent spectre of political corruption. President Dilma Rousseff of the Workers Party (Partido dos Trabalhadores - PT) took over the reins of a vibrant economy from her highly popular predecessor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in January 2011. She is expected to fight for re-election next year. The PT government continued President Lula’s policies of social inclusion through programmes such as Zero Hunger, Bolsa Familia, a cash transfer programme conditioned on school attendance, vaccination, etc. of the recipients. To these, President Rousseff added her campaign of Brasil Sem Miseria – Brazil without Misery – a catch-all that would address the needs of the least fortunate sections of the population. Brazil has ascended the ladder of prosperity in this century, adding over 40 million of its 195 million citizens to a growing middle class. Its international stature was enhanced after it was awarded the FIFA Football World Cup for 2014, and thereafter the even more prestigious Olympic Games, to be held in 2016. Even as it struggles to vindicate the international community’s confidence, there are allegations that the infrastructure required for these events has gone over budget, with the inevitable overtones of corruption. The protestors have started questioning the rationale for such massive expenditure on prestige projects that do not redound to the benefit of the less fortunate sections of society in a country known for high levels of disparity. Pressure has been growing on a middle class that faces the prospect of unemployment, perhaps diminishing salaries, with growth having decelerated to less than one percent in 2012, without commensurate relief in social security and public services. The PT in recent years has come under a cloud on account of corruption scandals dating back to the days of President Lula, under whose reign PT functionaries were condemned for criminal activity. To make matters worse, the offenders are still to serve sentences to the satisfaction of the public. Even President Rousseff has had to let go of senior officials facing allegations. After initially adopting a disciplinarian approach, President Rousseff had to back down. The rollback of the fare increases was too little, too late. After a meeting with representatives of the MPL, in an attempt to seize the political initiative, she announced that the Government would call a referendum to set up a Constituent Assembly, which could consider a thorough overhaul of the basic structure of the Brazilian polity. Since elections are due in 2014, this step was considered unviable and now a plebiscite is proposed on issues of fundamental concern. She has also committed her government to spend tens of billions of dollars on transport infrastructure, health and education. Meanwhile an alarmed Brazilian establishment is rallying to douse the flames. On 26 June, days after the rollback of the transport fare hike, Brazil’s Supreme Court upheld a corruption conviction against a former congressman, Natan Donadon, and sentenced him to thirteen years in prison—the first time a member of Brazil´s powerful Parliament has been imprisoned since the 1988 constitution was put in place. A day earlier, Brazil´s Chamber of Deputies (Lower House of Parliament) voted 403-9 to halt a bill - PEC 37 - that would have diminished the authority of the Pubic Affairs Ministry to investigate corruption cases. This authority was critical in exposing the 2005 "mensalão" scandal, which involved buying votes from congressman for certain pieces of legislation. It resulted in resignations and sentencing of high officials and aides of former President Lula. Although the dust has still to settle, protests will reportedly continue, since a cynical Brazilian population feels it cannot trust its politicians to stick to their promises. It is also unclear how the issues will be framed for the eventual plebiscite. Whatever the outcome, it is clear that the international prestige deservedly acquired by this dynamic country has come at a price. The Brazilian Government has realised that it must address issues of concern to its people, whose prosperity and well-being are more important to them than Brazil’s global stature.
Posted on: Tue, 02 Jul 2013 07:04:51 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015