In recent years, conservative political forces in Brazil have run a determined campaign to resume power at any price. They did everything possible to destabilize President Dilma Rousseff’s first mandate, in an attempt to bring her down in the 2014 elections.
Frustrated in their intent, they allied themselves to mass media groups, under the banner of combatting corruption, feeding an industry of almost daily corruption denunciations sensationally presented in the news. Many of these denunciations obtained evidence through means that were far from transparent.
These forces took power upon President Dilma’s impeachment, when Vice-President Michel Temer’s took office. This has gone down in history as a parliamentary coup perpetrated in the name of the moralization of Brazilian politics and creating a democratic rupture.
Since then, the Legislative Powers have been closed to society. Access to the galleries – arenas previously reserved for the manifestation of organized movements around agendas for debate – has been replaced by the closure of the population’s access and siege by heavily armed police.
In Brasilia, workers, students, the indigenous and other sectors of the social movements are treated as criminals and prevented from even approaching Três Poderes Square. This restriction occurs daily, but is more intense on days in which propositions that affect these sectors are discussed and voted on in plenary sessions. Discussions are held behind closed doors, without civil society participation.
The sponsors of the coup have taken regressive proposals to the Executive and to Congress. This agenda is clearly defended by the financial markets. It includes cuts to social programmes, the scrapping of public services, the sale of land to foreigners, and labour and social security reform. Furthermore, the criminalization of social movements and organizations, in particular those who work for the demarcation of the lands of indigenous peoples, such as the Pro-Indian Commission (CPI), the National Indian Foundation (FUNAI) and the National Institute of Colonization and Agrarian Reform (INCRA), suggest an explicit interest in clearing territory in order to guarantee the interests of the rural caucus. These proposals represent severe cuts to the rights of workers, both active and retired, and jeopardize the country’s sovereignty. These reforms also constitute a return to pre-1929 capitalism and are not, therefore, measures to modernize the economy.
The new government took power supposedly to combat corruption, but has itself been dominated by corruption. On 17 May, revelations were published in which the acting president and leaders of his government were recorded endorsing and practicing acts of corruption in the exercise of their duties. This is proof that this government lacks the legitimacy to steer the nation to its destiny, particularly when discussing proposals that will affect the lives of the entire population over the next fifty years.
Given this complex situation, the National Council of Christian Churches of Brazil (Conselho Nacional de Igrejas Cristãs do Brasil: CONIC) publically demands:
1. an end to the repression of the social movements and grass-roots demonstrations;
2. the immediate suspension of voting on reforms passing through Congress;
3. the holding of direct elections for the President of the Republic and the two Federal Legislative houses, aimed at restoring the legitimacy of popular representation.
We call on all CONIC’s member churches and all Christian peoples to pray for intercession for Brazil, and, to demonstrate an attitude of prophetic resistance in favour of a democracy that guarantees universal access to health, education, social security and employment. We want a democracy that guarantees the distribution of wealth, guarantees rights to indigenous peoples, the taxation of large fortunes and allows us to dream of a new heaven and a new earth.
No fewer rights!
“It is the love of Christ that moves us”
National Council of Christian Churches of Brazil (Conselho Nacional de Igrejas Cristãs do Brasil: CONIC)