CESE in defence of democratic legality
05 de April de 2016“The effect of righteousness will be peace; and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever”(Isaiah 32.17)
The Ecumenical Coordination of Service (Coordenadoria Ecumênica de Serviço: CESE) was founded in 1973 at the height of the military dictatorship, as an initiative of the Christian churches, to stand witness during that terrible period to the deprivation of rights and the restriction of liberties. Its mission is rooted in the defence of rights and the struggle for democracy. CESE’s commitment to these causes is, therefore, in its DNA. Over its 43 years of existence, the fulfilment of this mission has occurred through the strengthening of populist movements, churches and other civil society organizations for the defence of rights and the consolidation of democratic practices.
Our young and fragile democracy is strongly threatened at this moment in time. This is not to defend one candidate or political party, but to defend the result of a legitimate democratic process, which culminated in the election of President Dilma Rousseff. Even if we have a great many criticisms of this government, and we do, including criticisms of corruption, we understand that what is happening is a coordinated effort, that began even before her re-election, to bring her down at any cost, even if this means trampling over constitutional principles.
We are in favour of and support the investigation of any and every type of person or party, and we also support efforts to combat corruption, but this should be done legally, and without any of the selectivity that has occurred. The orchestration for prior condemnation between certain sections of the judiciary and the mass media through the publication of certain facts is an attack on the democratic state and the rights of the person, as laid down in our Constitution. This nefarious environment has created a climate that has darkened the mood in the country and could trigger processes culminating in decisions that lead to even greater political and social instability, weakening Brazilian democracy and reversing rights acquired thus far.
We believe that the discourse and actions that are being disseminated under the cloak of “ for morality and against corruption”, in fact, disguise other interests and issues in the power struggles that prevail in our society. For this reason, we defend democratic legality while, at the same time, calling for a wide-spread campaign for the profound reform of the Brazilian political system.
Salvador, 18 March, 2016.
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