This post is a summary of two articles. The first published at http://world.time.com/2013/04/11/brazils-no-blame, on April 11th, 2013. With the title above. And written by Andrew Downie. The second published at http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/frontpage/anti-corruption-round-table-in-brazil-9-december.html, on December 9th, 2012.
Two shocking episodes of violence, yet another case of mismanagement by its sporting bodies, and several episodes of deadly traffic madness, all made worse by a sense of continuing impunity enjoyed by the alleged perpetrators of crime and mismanagement, have come as a reminder that all is not rosy in South America`s biggest nation. In São Paulo, eight police officers are being held in a city hall in connection with the investigation into the cold-blooded killing of two youths. In Rio de Janeiro, a american woman was brutally raped. Meanwhile, the city`s mayor was forced to close the new stadium that will host the track and field events for the 2016 Olympics Games, because the roof is in danger of collapse. And a bus that was allowed to continue running in spite of having 47 fines of traffic violations careened off a viaduct killing seven people onboard. The events are more than just graphic illustrations of how life is cheap in Brazil. The other common thread is impunity and a lack of accountability. The front page headlines have been a huge embarrassment for Rio. The root of the problem is two-fold, says Fabricia Ramos, a researcher, most glaringly, public services are insufficient or inefficient. They can function for the elite when they need them. But the poor, and the areas they live in, are treated with disdain, she said. There are few ways to complain and those responsible are rarely held accountable. Ramos cited as one example a new city hall line set up to help citizens to resolve everyday problems. The city hall says that 1 in 5 of the calls leads to direct action. But Ramos says a more common outcome is frustation. " You are at the mercy of the city hall. If they want to ignore you, they can and there is nothing you can do. Accountability is the big challenge." She said. The lack of accountability is even more evident in the sports world. Carlos Nuzman, the man who organized the 2007 Pan American Games and now in charge of organizing the 2016 Olympics, has not commented on the debacle of the stadium closure, much less called to account for it. He has always maintained the Pan American Games venue were built to olympics specifications and that quality was the reason the games went six times over budget. Now, however, two of those venues, for cycling and swimming, have been found to be substandard, they can not be used for olympics events and the athletics stadium was closed. The world will come to Brazil and no doubt be delighted by the climate and friendly hosts. But they are unlikely to be impressed by the infrastructure around them. Just do not expect anyone to be held accountable.
Ricardo Young, president of the Ethos Institute for Private Social Responsibility, stressed that " a number of corrupt officials have suffered no penal actions until today. Impunity of one of the worst problems in Brazil, no one could possibly talk about efficiency or effectiveness when there is so much impunity. Corruption is an assault to democracy." Miriam Leitao, one of Brazil most important journalists, believes that this is one of the most serious signs a state can give to the market. She stressed, " Corruption calls out for collusive players, corrupt enterprises. This is a lethal message. It undermines institutions and the market and deforms regular production techniques. What frightens me the most is to see the youth losing its confidence in democracy." MP Paulo Rubem Santiago, coordinator of the Parliamentary Front Against Corruption stated that, " corruption staggers the state, because it allows a parallel one to govern." He proposes structural changes. " The President should not nominate Judges of the Supreme Federal Court and Superior Justice Courts." He said. Professor of UnB, Ricardo Caldas, mentioned a survey that shows that only 10% of Brazilian citizens trust the National Congress. Furthermore, more than 50% had no idea of what the National Auditing Agencies did. In addition, only 7% had participated in local communal organizations at least once in thier lives. On the other side, most individuals, according to its research, believe that corruption can be fought, mainly with the support of the media and civil society.
Accountability - responsability for your actions and expected to explain them.
Debacle - collapse, breakdown.
Collusive - conspirational, combined.
Stagger - vacillate, stun, confuse.
Accountability - responsability for your actions and expected to explain them.
Debacle - collapse, breakdown.
Collusive - conspirational, combined.
Stagger - vacillate, stun, confuse.
