Public Rage Catching Up With Brazil’s Congress
Paulo Whitaker/Reuters
A protester faced off against the police before a soccer match in Fortaleza, Brazil, on Thursday.
By SIMON ROMERO
RIO DE JANEIRO — One politician was elected to Brazil’s Congress while
under investigation for murder after having an adversary killed with a
chain saw. Another is wanted by Interpol after being found guilty of
diverting more than $10 million from a public road project to offshore
bank accounts.
And Brazil’s highest court, the Supreme Federal Tribunal, convicted
another congressman of having poor female constituents, who could not
afford more children, surgically sterilized in exchange for their votes.
Across the nation, protesters keep taking to the streets by the
thousands, venting their anger at a broad range of politicians and
problems, including high taxes and deplorable public services. But a
special ire has been reserved for Congress and its penchant for
sheltering dozens of generously paid legislators who have been charged —
and sometimes even convicted — of crimes like money laundering,
bribery, drug trafficking, kidnapping and murder.
“Congress is without a doubt the most despised institution in Brazil,”
said Maurício Santoro, a political scientist. “A good deal of this
hatred is related to the fact that Congress has a tradition of
preventing its own members convicted of crimes from ever going to jail.”
The other day we suggested that the people of Brazil had it right by taking to the streets to show their utter contempt for their congress. Granted. some of the actions cited above are a bit more egregious then the idiocy that our representatives are engaged in (although the chain saw does have some appeal). However, the fact of the matter is that unless and until we send a clear message to Congress that they have got to put and end to this mindless partisan bickering and get something constructive done, they will continue the mindless partisan bickering. We have the power, it's just a matter of deciding to use it.
