“You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do” – C.G. Jung
Brazil elections are just around the corner in October/November and everyone start getting into the spirit. Candidates accelerate their campaigns, adjust their proposals, hit the road. Candidates and voters must remember that this is not a popularity contest, despite looking very much like one, with marketers packaging the candidates’ campaign, even if the “product” is contaminated. We must bear in mind that the representatives we are about to elect will manage all the country’s wealth and whose actions and inactions will strongly impact the lives of all man, women and children. We must remember that we are leaving a painful period of more than a decade of populism and of the most outrageous corruption and assault of public money. We cannot allow this to continue, we can’t stand it any longer. It is time to do our homework and decide what we want for our country – we must judiciously study the candidates with whom we identify and above all his/her profile, integrity and capacity, ensure that those with a bad record do not run for presidency, state offices or congress.
We have a gigantic challenge to deal with. What can we do to make sure that the representatives about to be elected fulfill their campaign commitments that we felt were aligned with our expectations? How to ensure that corruption and illicit transactions will not continue. Lula was elected based on his campaign promise to eradicate corruption, and gave start to a period of unprecedented and rampant corruption – the worst in Brazil’s history. Corruption under Lula and his successor Dilma Rousseff had the participation of government officials as well as representatives of several political parties – 12 years of dreadful corruption crimes and impunity; corruption which infected even the judiciary. Corruption is pandemic in Brazil – widespread through all levels of public administration and congress. For this reason, I regard this to be the most important election that Brazil has ever had. In the process of choosing what we consider to be the highest priority for the country, this is the moment of scrutinizing and questioning the candidates in the best way we can. Having contemplated about what I consider to be the most important issues for Brazil, I am sending them to those candidates whom I consider best to fight for these causes and to be most capable of implementing the respective policies aimed at eradicating corruption and poverty.
We all know the strong cause-effect that exists between corruption/frauds and poverty. Trillions of dollars are hidden Switzerland and other financial heavens. Brazil is among the 10 countries with highest levels of illicit transfers to offshore accounts. Corruption, frauds and theft are in the epicenter from where derive all problems of societies. Needless to say, this money originates from the abusive taxes we pay. In order, not only to avoid future illicit transfers, but also recover the bulk of stolen wealth, it is vital to implement the following policies:
1) Transparency – end the system of secret accounts in financial heavens
2) End impunity
3) Not only support, also encourage those citizens who have the moral courage to bring these crimes to light and not allow them to be persecuted as criminals by the State when in fact they are heroes. These righteous men and women should stop being discriminated against by the system; most are fearful of not only losing their jobs but also of never being hired again. The problem originates with the name “whistleblower” – no one likes to be called a whistleblower. The system should praise and protect these righteous men and women and not leave them to eaten by the “wolves”.
This mission is possible and is a duty of all people. Only in this way we can end poverty and all its deriving sequels – crime, poverty, poor child and elderly welfare, poor education, poor health, poor transportation, poor infrastructure, retirement, environment, all. Furthermore, we can reduce the high tax burden that we pay, mainly that borne by the poorer classes over which the weight of the taxes is much higher, thus increasing their net disposable income. All this money exist, it was stolen and is in secret accounts in money heavens. One key prerequisite is to have the participation of the civil society, since its governing representatives, those who detain the power conferred by society, have not shown determination – their lack of interest is crystalline since these representatives have title over all the hidden/stolen wealth of Brazil.
“Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime.” Aristotle
Jorge Queiroz 