The Dilma affair will push Brazil further into ruinous chaos

It’s been an incredibly interesting month of April. First, the Panama Papers brought to the fore the wrongdoings of the high and mighty among us and caused an instant downfall in the fortunes of the Iceland prime minister at the hands of his own countrymen who flocked to the streets to protest and did not give up until Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson’s ouster was a done deal – a grand display of how a true democracy works.

Not too long after, thousands of miles away, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, on account of some unholy business engagements and amidst mounting criticism and public outrage, ended up facing impeachment proceedings in the Chamber of Deputies – the lower house of National Congress of Brazil.

Brazilian politics is littered with corruption like no other country on God’s green earth. It is near impossible to analyse the Dilma debacle without considering the peripheral aspects of the Brazilian socio-economic ecological setup. The country is poor to the core and the system is rigged. With the economy stagnating, food, shelter and clothing are hard to come by. While the public suffers, politicians go about their cushy lives and suck on whatever the system is left to offer in terms of monetary gains, power and grandeur.

Being the fifth largest country in the world both in terms of geography and population is no joke but the Brazilian political situation has turned it into one. From the Amazon Basin in the north to vineyards and massive Iguaçu Falls in the south, corruption is a way of life, a social issue without which there’s no existence. In the backdrop of all this, Dilma Rouseff’s impeachment is a farce; a cover-up that can potentially mask the corruption-laden practices of the other leeches in the contaminated political pond.

It comes as no surprise that those who are behind the campaign to give the president the boot are involved in horrendous activities themselves. Take for instance Eduardo Cunha, the head of the Chamber of Deputies. The guy is a compulsive liar, money launderer and loves to buy and sell people’s loyalties to get things done. Metaphorically speaking, he’s what Asif Zardari is in Pakistan.

While talking to Brazilian diplomats in Washington DC, one gets a feeling that Ms Rouseff was impeached because she was at the wrong place at the wrong time, ie her involvement in the Petrobras scandal. Without condoning her murderously vicious ham-fisted financial dealings, it’s just like the Catholic higher ups turning a blind eye to the sexual predatory ways of archbishops all over the world.

To be fair, even the rather shady economic practices of the Rouseff administration were nothing new to the Brazilian system since previous presidents had utilised those procedural loopholes with utmost ease and liberty. It seems that the opposition pounced on the opportunity once the public sentiment was ripe enough to take a swing at the 68-year-old president.

Where do we go from here is a billion dollar question.

The safest answer to this could be that the impeachment process initiated by the Chamber of Deputies is just the start of a long winding process, a soap opera of sorts that’ll make Brazil the centre of South/Latin American attention. The country is already at the cusp of becoming a laughing stock and the next few months will only compound the misery.

If the upper house of parliament – the Federal Senate – goes ahead with the proceedings, Rouseff will be suspended/forced to step aside for up to 180 days paving the way for current vice-president Michel Temer – a clown in his own right – to assume duties. If the impeachment attempt is successfully carried out, Rouseff will be pushed out of office completely thereby heralding an end to her political career. This may facilitate her current advisor, mentor and former president, Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva, to make a comeback and fight for presidency in 2018.

As for the people of Brazil, it’ll be a continuation of challenging times. With the country in utter political turmoil, it remains to be seen if the anti-Rouseff protesters will carry on in the same vociferous manner and fight for a reformed and friendlier system or will they just disappear in thin air once their target leaves the scene? Will this be a teaching moment for a relatively young democracy or will this episode turn out to be just a flash in the pan?

I’ve followed and observed the Brazilian culture for some time now. It first captured my attention when Michael Jackson produced his epic ‘They Don’t Care About Us’ in the slums of Pelourinho and Dona Marta, both in Brazil. In my subsequent travels to the country, each time I’m in Rio, while Cristo Redentor fascinates me, the abject poverty and helplessness of millions under the grand structure makes one sad and depressed. The sight of kids walking around without shoes, scantily clothed or elderly folks malnourished siting on broken sidewalks waiting for providence to help only demeans human existence. This is a society where the government simply doesn’t care and if it hadn’t been for the missionaries to run the churches, provide food and shelter to the needy, things would have been much worse than they already are.

We all know that it is intrinsically unimaginable to change a nation’s inherently corrupt character. In countries that are blessed with the Lulas and Rouseffs, the Sharifs and Zardaris, the structural fragility and wickedness shows in every facet of life. There’s no making peace or a détente that such nations can ever hope for in terms of transforming themselves into more civil, well-governed polities.

The IOC president’s April 21 message at the ceremonial lighting of the Olympic Games to be held in Brazil this year was extremely timely:

“In these difficult days that Brazil is facing, the flame is a timeless reminder that we are all part of the same humanity”.

Bach went on to say,

“The torch relay will spread the message of our shared humanity to all people of the beautiful country of Brazil, a nation that is built on the idea that its strength comes from uniting all of its cultural richness. Brazil is unique in its diversity. Let the celebration of the XXXI Olympiad give reason to all the people of this vast and wonderful country to show the world the true meaning of unity in diversity.”

It is hoped that this message will resonate loud and clear in Brazil’s corridors of power and that ultimately better sense will prevail. Until then, it ain’t over till it’s over!