"During the presidency of Lula Da Silva, billions of dollars in bribes
were taken to allow construction companies to overcharge the
government-owned oil company, Petrobras. Now, Brazil has corruption, but
it's actually pretty good for a developing country. But the people of
Brazil have come to expect more, and they have been left down.
Current
president, Dilma Rousseff, was chairwoman of Petrobras during the
period of corruption, but no one knows whether Lula or Dilma were
involved or aware. But Lula was under investigation before Rousseff
appointed him to be her chief of staff, a move that means he can no
longer be prosecuted by a normal court.
I think this whole thing
speaks very highly of Brazil. A reckoning had to come, and I'm pleased
the citizens are holding the government accountable. However, I can't
stop seeing parallels between the awful partisan situation here in the
U.S. and the lack of skepticism people in this story have when it comes
to believing awful things about their political opponents.
Using
this scandal to clean up Brazil must be done, but using it to score
political points or gain power is going to rip the country apart.
This
is an epic story, and no one knows where it ends. Whether Rousseff
retains power and who gets elected once the house is fully cleaned out
will say a lot about how this very young democracy handles its economic
and cultural growth when people's perceptions are controlled largely by
social media.
I think there are many good things in Brazil's
future, but leaders will have to do more than fight for power. They will
have to actually lead."
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