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 It took some time, but the big player entered the field for the second half. This after having stayed on the bench during all the first half. I'm talking about Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, in general, based on his two main speeches the day of his renewed inauguration, January 1st. And also in particular because even being late he has announced strong action by the government against banditry. something he calls terrorism.
You need to wait till the ball starts rolling and Lula can demonstrate his knowledge of the game, lining up the middle field and even going all the way to the goal. Preferably, with an overhead kick, with the help of the Justice minister to be summoned this week. For now, it's believed that Márcio Thomaz Bastos will be the one, in spite of him being in vacation and having asked for his walking papers. There are also chances that Tarso Genro will the chosen one. Whoever it is he is expected to prepare a roster of changes in the Penal Code and in the Code of Penal Procedure. The goal is to quash the action of animals who, inside and outside the jail, become responsible for one of the most deleterious terror practices found out in the country, now in the Rio de Janeiro, earlier in São Paulo. The president's indignation is justified in view of indiscriminate slaughters against common citizens. What we cannot allow is that the great player keep on straightening up his socks and boots while the opponent gets ready for another free shot. This government response has to be given now, maybe even through a temporary measure, in order to isolate the crime and terror honchos. Nothing can be worse than a second Lula administration that is only rhetoric without giving society the answer that everyone is waiting for. And only to confirm how urgent it is to use the State's strong arm, a survey institute decided not to release the result of a consultation with the Rio population: 90% of those interviewed would have expressed their favorable opinion on the action of paramilitary groups that have started to operate in the favelas (slums) and periphery, battling narcotraffic. If the state doesn't take action, society devises their own alternatives... Shame It weren't only the main opposition leaders who missed president Lula's second swearing-in ceremony, January 1st. The government's allies had a similar or even more shameful behavior. Of the 513 House representatives only 107 were present in the Congress. Of the 81 senators, a mere 23. If we analyze by parties the ignominy is even worse. With 89 representatives, the ruling PT was represented by 35 deputies. From the PMDB, ready to be awarded several ministerial cabinets, only one third of the representatives showed up. The Congress's protocol division sweated cold to fill up the Lower House floor chairs, summoning employees and just the curious. As for the galleries it's better to keep quiet: numerically speaking the most expressive group was the Navy's music band, which was in charge of playing the national anthem. Their departure left an immense void in the room. In his speech in Praça dos Três Poderes (Three Powers Square), addressing the soaked-by-rain masses, Lula criticized the date for presidential inaugurations, in other words, he rose against the Constitution. By the way, with much reason, because the first day of January should be devoted to hangover, or to families confraternization and getting together. If not even those who had the obligation to show up did attend, what to expect from special guests or the simple citizen? There was time since the Constitution's promulgation, in 1988, for the representatives and senators to correct this aberration. Everyone is against this date and still, oddly enough, nothing is done to change it. It is just nonsense to argue that if the inauguration ceremonies were postponed to January 10 or 15, the elected president would be usurped from their mandates. As if they wouldn't compensate this time at the end of their term in office. There is so much talk about reforms, in the last few years, that it would be easy to include this change to the roll of adjustments such as party loyalty, public financing of electoral campaigns, regional vote and other innovations. What else do we need to prevent four years from now a new festival of absences? The First Shot The first shot was given by São Paulo new governor, José Serra. His inauguration speech sounded out of tune when compared to the address by other governors, including the always unpredictable Paraná's reelected governor, Roberto Requião. Serra didn't spare any words, he diagnosed an endemic and permanent crisis in the country's economy, criticized the stagnation and, without flourishes, held president Lula responsible for the economic growth's failure. By that, the new São Paulo governor assumed the national oppositions' leadership. Now, really odd was the governor's informal change of command. Former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso tried to avoid the gavel passing, by getting late to the ceremony in the Bandeirantes Palace in São Paulo and then crossing impavid the auditorium's central aisle when the speakers were already talking. He didn't miss the chance to once again give interviews and mow down president Lula and his team. It didn't help that much. Nobody paid attention to his diatribes, which the press minimized the following day. Serra's leadership is being cemented to the horror of many people's vanity. Empty Brasília The court is on vacation. Even the rare guests who came for the inauguration party have sneaked out. There is no sign of representatives or senators. Ministers of higher courts have also disappeared. It's hard to find even government ministers. The few who stayed in Brasília ride around the federal capital's avenues as suffering souls lost in a ghost town. Even president Lula went away on vacation. An odd situation for someone who has just been once again inaugurated, but no one can deny him the right to leisure. Hotels are empty, the same as the restaurants. Colleges are in recess, high schools as well. As for public agencies it goes without mentioning. Feeling the void, beggars disappeared from around traffic lights. Good time for meditation. What about using the time to once again arrive at the conclusion that the maladies ascribed to Brasília come all from outside? And that, once a year, they go on a trip? Carlos Chagas writes for the Rio's daily Tribuna da Imprensa and is a representative of the Brazilian Press Association, in Brasília. He welcomes your comments at carloschagas@hotmail.com. Translated from the Portuguese by Arlindo Silva.
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NOME ÚNICO NA REDE NÉ MEDEIROS...HEHEHE FIII
How could he swear that day in Brasilia...while being away ???
Do you have 2 Lula : one cheating and the other lying ?