CBN BRASIL

Monday, March 21, 2016

 Brazil’s scandal: no more heroes any more

Protesters take to the streets of São Paulo
Each passing day seems to bring Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, arguably Brazil’s most formidable political figure, closer and closer to the status of a fallen icon. Lula’s personal journey from being a poor farmer’s son, a dock worker and a trade unionist, to becoming the president of Latin America’s largest country (a position he held from 2003 to 2010), and now a figure battered in the context of an unprecedented, nationwide corruption scandal centred on the oil giant Petrobras, ranks as a resounding saga. The passions that surround it are no less profound. On Wednesday, street protests broke out in 30 cities across Brazil, with protesters calling for Lula’s imprisonment and for the impeachment of his protege, current president Dilma Rousseff.
It’s true that questions can be raised about the choices made by Sérgio Moro, the federal judge investigating Lula, just as there can be qualms about how and why the police released an ambiguous, explosive tape. Nor is there much doubt that parts of the right see an opportunity for political gain if Lula and his successor end up cornered by various investigations. Much of the outcome may be decided by the street protesters, as much as by judges. By bringing in Lula, Rousseff seems to have played a last card to save her presidency. But that card also carries risks. On Brazil’s social media, one trending comment recalled how Lula once said: “In Brazil, when a poor man steals, he goes to jail, but when a rich man steals, he becomes a minister.”

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