Solon Brochado: It was published right after the referendum’s official result, but I couldn’t get to translate it before. NoMínimo’s Villas-Bôas Corrêa has an interesting article on the general meaninglessness of this consultation, as is evident from the lack of actual legislative response to its result. He also makes some good points with regards to pork-spending with daily expenses for public servant’s trips abroad.
Plebiscite for nothing
When the flooded regions’ waters ebbed or the dust settled in those areas devastated by the drought, the millions of voters that guaranteed a crushing “no” victory, with straight 64%, started to suspect that, all things considered, nothing happened.
No serious measure is reclaimed by the opposition with the sugary taste of novelty; nor does the government, in its usual fashion, announces provisions out of the snaily beauroucratic routine and pierces the thick hull of obviousness.
On the despicable rascal’s game of tranfering responsibility to somebody else’s shoulders, the ministries on the select group that still bickers, after the emergency meeting of the self-titled political coordinators, blamed the state’s governments for the disarmament’s defeat.
A dribble of those with no intimacy with the ball and who didn’t fake the assist. Since the transparent innocuousness of the plebiscit is evident, the jeer’s emptiness stimulated the escapist outflow of interpretations, that drip from the taps of foolishness.
Not to discord from his usual monotone, president Lula tripped on the pebbles of errors: he broke the convenient and smart silence with which he protected himself during the campaign to embark on a ship with a hole in its hull, and not only did he announce his vote for the “yes” as he signed the article justifying his late definition.
Why, the government comes out badly from the episode, even if we don’t consider the exaggerations of those dissapointed who cruficy it as the big loser. That the government has no ability in dealing with complex situations every one knows, except Lula. And that he should shut his trap and quietly sail through the quick hangover, with no breath to feed the debate until the weekend.
But the restlesness of wanting to retaliate the opposition’s slaps stirred up a reprisal on the form of a mere exposition of indefensable official data. The Jornal do Brasil’s survey, on a consultation of the Sistema de Acompanhamento Financeiro do Governo Federal [Federal Government’s Financial Overseeing System], informs that, of the 2005 federal budget’s R$647,2 million reserved for public security, only 8,45%, exactly R$54,7 million, were released.
Our Panglossian president appeared in São Paulo, on top of the plebiscite’s results, to lunch with executives and, as usual, improvised over the speech prepared by his aides - printed in capital letters, to make it easier to read one paragraph in each page - to intone the official samba-enredo [the musical plot sung by samba schools during carnaval presentations] of optimism: “I think we have no reason to complain”.
He spoke for himself and the cronies who live in another world, which is not the moon, but that of the Widow’s [a pejorative term used to refer to the State] protégés. In an unexpected fit, the mellifluous Chamber president, congressman Aldo Rebelo (PCdoB-SP), went on a harsh critic on the extravagant millionary spending of the government, that dispersed some R$ 1 billion with public servants’ daily expenses [while traveling abroad]. The liberality doesn’t stop there. Add the daily expenses with those of airfares and the total sum rockets into over R$ 2 billion since 2003. This time, Lula beats FHC by a large margin, more than double.
Remembered by his days as an oppositionist, the former political articulator for the government warns he’ll discuss the public servant’s abuse of trips abroad with the Tribunal de Contas da União [the Union’s Accounts Court], the Controladoria Geral da União [the Union’s financial control comission] and the Chamber’s Comissão de Fiscalização e Controle [Fiscalization and Control Comission]. He stands his ground: “If the country spent R$ 1 billion with daily expenses abroad and only a third of that with the Culture budget, it is evident there’s an unbalance that the Chamber needs to foresee”.
Now we understand why minister Gilberto Gil travels so much and laughs for no reason.
Actually, the president is right. At least regarding the plebiscite, there’s no reason to complain. Complain about what, if nothing changed nor will? Actually, with any results. It is still theoretically forbbiden to carry your blunderbuss on the street or keep it at home without a license for gun-carrying. The outlaws must be receiving the advance orders made for precaution.
Both “no” and “yes” voters, after the chill of the jest and the euphoria of disappointment, mixed with the anonymous mass of colective insecurity, delivered to their own fate in the country of “in the hands of God”, can’t even complain with the bishop anymore, busy with more serious things as he is.
