The Land of the Future

There is a sad expression in Brazil that roughly translates: “Brazil is the land of the future but the future never arrives.” Brazil’s destiny torments academics and everyday Brazilians, who are eager to begin the future. What does Brazil need to begin now?

Some people believe the World Cup and Olympics are going to jump-start Brazil’s future. Brazil is building beautiful new soccer stadiums, and there are infrastructure improvements in progress to roads, tunnels, ocean ports, and airports to coincide with these two major events coming in 2014 and 2016 that will provide Brazil with a world stage.

For short-term challenges of logistics, the infrastructure upgrades will be a valuable improvement. Brazil needs greater airport, shipping, and port capacity. Many cargo ships arriving in Brazil face delays to unload their goods, particularly at smaller ports like Paranaguá in the state of Paraná. However, it remains to be seen whether these infrastructure improvements will have any lasting effect on the country’s long-term problems like healthcare, crime, and public education. These complex issues will not be solved by the influx of additional money.

One theory on how to address Brazil’s deeply-rooted problems is to recognize the central role that political corruption plays in creating problems as well as preventing solutions. There have been public protests against corruption recently. On September 7, 2011, ( Independence Day) 25,000 people assembled in Brasília, the nation's capital, for a “March Against Corruption.” Student protesters stood alongside the Independence Day Parade after organizing on Facebook and Orkut.

A month later in October for the Catholic and federal holiday Nossa Senhora Aparecida, 20,000 again marched in Brasília, while 2,000 marched in Rio on the same theme, waving green and yellow brooms, Brazil's national colors, to ask for a sweeping out of corrupt politicians. In Curitiba, there was a small protest against political corruption with marchers wearing white Guy Fawkes masks.

Unfortunately, student power is limited. It’s only through the efforts of people within the government who have the courage to stand up against corruption that the endemic atmosphere of political corruption and indemnity can be changed. One such man is Joaquim Barbosa, current head of the Supreme Court. (The lead justice serves in that role for two years.)

Another bright prospect for Brazil’s fight against corruption is the growing power of the media. Veja magazine, with the largest weekly circulation in the country, played a prominent role in exposing the Mensalão scandal, whose prosecution was handled by Barbosa. (Sitting politicians are not allowed to be tried in any court other than the Supreme Court.) Additionally, for the first time there will be an online version of The New York Times in Portuguese. The new version of the newspaper will be specifically geared for Brazilian readers with half of the articles being written by Brazilian journalists.

The potential of the media – whether it’s traditional media like newspapers and magazines or social media like Facebook – to mobilize public opinion and stimulate protest may be the most powerful tool democracy has ever seen. Every issue of social responsibility from prison overcrowding to ranchers' destruction of the Amazon rainforest benefits from media attention, which explains why journalists are harassed when they publish information detrimental to the wealthy and powerful. According to the journalism organization Reporters Without Borders, five Brazilian journalists and bloggers were murdered in 2012 alone, making Brazil the world’s fifth deadliest country for media personnel.

The media has the power to motivate and mobilize social protest, but protest alone cannot change a country. Corrupt politicians cannot be defeated if their supporters continue to vote for them. Sometimes brave journalists are willing to expose corrupt politicians only to have the politicians re-elected. Some observers blame errors in public judgment on Brazil's mandatory voting law. With everyone voting, political issues can take a backseat to public notoriety. Politicians with name recognition are supported by the public against all logic, even when the name recognition comes from a family member, not the candidate himself.

Besides the power of the media, the other critical tool to defeating political corruption is the end of impunity for the rich and powerful. As of today, even with several people convicted, including a 40-year sentence being handed out by Barbosa at the Mensalão trial, not one politician in that scandal has gone to jail. Some politicians are honest and hardworking, particularly when they are first elected. But the atmosphere of corruption and temptations of power and money are so pervasive in Brazil that it’s difficult even for the best politicians to resist.

Sadly, political corruption isn't the only roadblock to Brazil's future. The entire legal system needs to be re-structured. It’s antiquated with too many loopholes and a lack of precedence for judicial decisions. There are backlogs in the courts going back decades. Workers have stronger rights in Brazil than the US, but the laws are useless if they aren’t being enforced.

To stop people from drinking and driving or parking their cars illegally, there must be greater enforcement and stiffer penalties. Brazil needs more police, more detectives, more forensic technology. It also needs more government lawyers – there are people languishing in prisons for years waiting for their first court appearance who have never met with a lawyer even though it is their legal right. Brazil needs to invest in more courts and judges. There are plenty of qualified candidates to serve as competent judges.

Not all problems are solvable with money but some are. The problem of police corruption has been greatly reduced in the last few decades by raising the salaries of the police, particularly the Federal Police, making them less vulnerable to bribes. A massive influx of government money would greatly improve public education in Brazil; for example, by doubling the number of schools and teachers and keeping children in school all day instead of the current half day schedule, Brazil would make a huge leap forward.

Brazil’s future has promise. With a powerful media supporting greater scrutiny from the population, perhaps Brazilians will finally solve the horror of political corruption. Furthermore, if people believed their tax money was being spent on worthwhile issues instead of new mansions for politicians, less money would be lost in the underground economy, and thus there would be more funds available for improving the education and legal systems. Honest politicians could jumpstart Brazil’s future and set an example for the rest of the country.

This essay appeared originally under a different title and in slightly different form on Brazzil.com.