Rousseff salutes Brazil protests, cities cut bus fares

[ocpagu]

(Reuters) - President Dilma Rousseff on Tuesday sought to defuse a massive protest movement sweeping Brazil, acknowledging the need for better public services and more responsive governance as demonstrations continued in some cities around the country.

Speaking the morning after more than 200,000 Brazilians marched in over a half-dozen cities, Rousseff said her government remains committed to social change and is listening attentively to the many grievances expressed at the demonstrations.

"Brazil woke up stronger today," Rousseff said in a televised speech in Brasilia. "The size of yesterday's demonstrations shows the energy of our democracy, the strength of the voice of the streets and the civility of our population."

Monday's demonstrations were the latest in a flurry of protests over the past two weeks that have fed on widespread frustration with poor public services, police violence and government corruption.

Read more:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/18/us-brazil-protests-rousseff-idUSBRE95H10B20130618

[Judi Lynn]

1. Thank you for posting this. We need a little light on the subject, ocpagu.

So glad to see this today.

Tremendous, President Rousseff.

[ocpagu]

5. I can imagine, Judi.

A lot of people in Brazil are still trying to understand it. It's a bit confusing, indeed.

In order to understand this we have to understand some facts: first of all, the protesters are not in the streets because of media manipulation or any kind of conspiracy enacted by the right-wing. It's a mistake to attribute to the right-wing this capacity of mobilization. They don't have the ability of generating popular disatisfaction and protests against the Federal Government, everytime they tried, they failed miserably. So, they are not in the origin of this movement and their demands are not conducting the protests. There are probably right-wingers infiltrators, some probably being responsible for sporadic and minoritarian acts of vandalism and also trying to change the agenda, or cooperating with media speech. But they are far from being the majority there.

What media is trying to do, here in Brazil, is to portray the protests as acts against "unberable corruption" of the Workers' Party - to make them fit their agenda of eroding Dilma's approval (which is still very high, according to the latest polls, over 55%, and less than 15% of disapproval) electing a neoliberal clown next year. This manipulation attempt has enraged the protesters. So much they are expelling and impeding mainstream media of covering the acts. In fact, media has become one of the main targets of the protests. International media will follow the same steps, saying that inflation is out of control (when in fact, inflation rate has dropped last month) and the economy is in shambles (though we have a situation of almost full employment and wages an income are still rising, inspite the global crisis).

[Peace Patriot]

2. See my analysis of Rotters' analysis of these protests...

"Analysis: Brazil's protests: Not quite a 'Tropical Spring'," by Rotters, posted by Judi Lynn here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/110819390

Comment no. 1: "Snotty Rotters."

--------------------

Here, they manage to slam Rousseff despite her praise of the protestors and despite the protestors' peacefulness and civility. Peacefulness and civility means that the protestors are aware that they have a government that LISTENS--an obvious fact that Rotters not only ignores but turns on its head, in its so-called analysis, implying that because the protestors are peaceful and civil and don't want to overthrow the government, they are useless and will get ignored, like the Occupy movement!

They can't, they won't, they will NEVER acknowledge that Brazil is better governed than any country in Europe and certainly than the U.S. and the U.K. The Workers' Party DOES represent these protestors in ways that our Democratic Party has not done for some decades now; nor is there any party in power in Europe that is properly representing the poor majority. The rich are inflicting "austerity" there, even as they further enrich themselves to an unconscionable degree--as here--while the students in Brazil are getting their bus fares lowered and other reforms!

Rotters hates this! They dis it. They demean it. They desperately don't want it to spread.

The difference between Brazil and other countries with leftist governments in Latin America, and OUR country and European countries, is like night and day, as to the responsiveness of government to the outcries of the poor. Rousseff openly, gladly welcomes the protests! They give her a mandate to do things she WANTS TO DO, and that the rightwing/corporate forces in Brazil have stymied. This is all the difference the world, compared to ours and Europe's stone-deaf government leaders.

[Bacchus4.0]

3. So why are the security forces reacting violently to the protests?

She is the head of state, can't she do anything? This also appears to be a middle class protest.

[ocpagu]

4. She just did.

She recognized the legitimacy of the protests, welcomed them, and probably had a hand in reversing the increase in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. She criticized abuses from the police and also acts of vandalism comitted by thugs tooking advantage of the protests to loot and vandalize.

The military police are under the control of the state governments. The Federal Police and the National Security Force, which are the security forces under the control of the Federal Government, did not interfere in any of the protests.

Yes, this is a middle class protest. So what? The middle class represents the majority of the population of Brazil.

[Bacchus4.0]

6. maybe she can do something then? Show some leadership

to both the protesters and the police forces She is the president for God's sake.

PP implied this is a protest from the poor.

[ocpagu]

8. Thanks for your analysis. Great as usual.

It looks like this movement wants a rupture with oligarchies and advancing with social change. Better health care, better education, more prepared police forces. More income distribution. The right wing will try to redirect the conflict, of course.

The Worker's Party has a huge opportunity here. If there's a rupture with conservative oligarchies, a new era of prosperity will rise and probably extend to other countries in South America. Maybe I'm dreaming too much, but... there's the potential for big changes in Brazil.

[Benton D Struckcheon]

7. I must be watching different news...

I watch the financial news and read financial stuff regularly. The general feeling is that the protests will strengthen Brazil, as Rousseff said. I don't see anyone expressing any sort of lack of confidence in the Brazilian gov't, Reuters notwithstanding.
Turkey, OTOH, is another story entirely, ironically enough, as he is in fact a right wing nutcase. Reminds me of Nixon, that Erdogan. General feeling is one of a loss of confidence in Turkey. Investors are more rational about these things than you would stereotypically think.