In another part of the globe, scandal after scandal is occurring in the government. The country is Brazil where a spate of scandals in government has been uncovered, yet it is also a Catholic country. The patterns are the same: family and relatives benefitting from seating officials; 15-30 employees who do not report for work get their salaries; and foreign official travels including relatives of the officials. So we are not alone? But we have to stay vigilant that the next set of officials in 2010 will not be in the same "happy state" anymore.
Brazilian Senate hit by scandals
By Gary Duffy
BBC News, Sao Paulo
The reported scandals have been headline news in Brazil
Politicians as a class are hardly the most admired group of people in Brazilian society, but even using a fairly low benchmark the last few months have done little to enhance their standing.
The focus of recent attention and scandals has been the upper house of the Brazilian Congress, the Senate, home to just 81 politicians representing all parts of this vast country.
At the heart of what is only the latest of many controversies has been the revelation of more than 600 "secret acts" which were signed over recent years and which were not officially approved by the Senate.
These previously undisclosed measures included providing jobs for family members and friends of senators, as well as paying extra hours and giving pay rises to members of staff.
Some of those hired never turned up to do the work for which they were employed. The federal police have now been asked to carry out an investigation, and the "secret acts" have been annulled.
Election impact
There has also been an outcry over some senators using their foreign travel allowance to let relatives make trips overseas, and the improper use of housing allowances.
"It lowers the image that the Brazilian population has of the Congress, even lower than it already was," said David Fleischer, political science professor at the University of Brasilia.
"So the people have lost faith in their legislative institutions."
The scandal also has a wider significance because of its implications for next year's presidential election when President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, despite his personal popularity, is not eligible to run for a third consecutive term.
No comments:
Post a Comment