Brazilian Plebiscite: Life above debt!
Posted on September 27 2000 |
The Brazilian Jubilee 2000 Campaign for a Debt- Free Millennium released its results of a peoples plebiscite on the 13th September in the Nereu Ramos auditorium in the National Congress in Brasilia, the political capital of Brazil. The plebiscite took place from the 2 7 September throughout the country.
This was an historical moment, not only for the Brazilians but also for all the Peoples of the South. This great mobilisation culminated around the question debt cancellation. This was truly an express of People- based, People- centre and People- driven resistance against globalisation.
The moment was overwhelming, there was a dynamism and excitement in the auditorium as the public crowded into the meeting. Some 700 people came to witness this historical moment. There was a hive of press before and during the meeting interviewing some renown public figures of Brazil such as Bishop ..., the president of the Workers Party, Jose Dirceu, the president of the Landless Workers Movement, Joao Pedro Stedile, to mention but a few.
After the opening of the meeting by Pastor Ervino Schmisdt, general secretary of the National Council of Christian Churches, he invited more than 20 representatives from both the religious, labour and social movement sectors to join him at the table. After which Fr. Jose Alfredo Goncalves, secretary of the Brazilian Catholicsā Conference, announced the partial results of the plebiscite. The total number of voters in the country was five million ... he begun to say when the public stood up, started clapping, hailing and showing their delight in hearing the news. It was some 3 minutes before Fr. Alfredo could continue, the mood was victorious! He then continued to say that five million four hundred and seventy six thousand ... in more that 3000 municipalities of Brazil voted.
There were three question for the plebiscite of which +/- 95% of the voters unequivocally answered NO to; 1) Should the Brazilian government maintain the current agreement with the IMF? 2) Should Brazil continue to pay the foreign debt without having a public audit as prescribed by the 1988 Constitution? and 3) Should the Federal, State and Municipal governments continue to use a large part of the public budget to pay the internal debt to the speculators?
Representatives of the Workers Party were given the opportunity to present two projects they are involved within the house of congress. First, the demand for a national official Referendum in terms of the constitution of 1988, as well as the agreement with the IMF and a public audit of the debt. Second, proposing the unilateral cancellation of debts owed Brazil by countries which have a per capita income lower than Brazil s.
The president of the MST, Joao Pedro Stedile, made a brief input and stated that debt cancellation and breaking ties with the IMF is just part of what needs to happen, but this is an important step. The struggle must go on he said and that there are other forth coming events such as Cry of the excluded on the 12 October which we must support. He added that the vindication of the Landless Workers People cannot occur without debt cancellation and the breaking of ties with the world bank and IMF!
Numerous international messages of support read from Jubilee 2000 Angola, Committee to Cancel Third World Debt Eric Toussaint from Belgium, Dr. Walter Oswald from Germany, Dialogo 2000 Argentine, Latin American and Caribbean coalition of Jubilee 2000, Nobel Peace Laureate Aldofo and Jubilee 2000 South Africa. A message of support and solidarity from Jubilee South was brought by Beverly Keene and Donna Andrews from Argentine and South Africa respectively. Jubilee South is a Network of 35 countries from Africa, Asia, the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean calling for the cancellation of Third World Debt which Jubilee South regards as illegal, immoral and illegitimate.
One vote, represents one dialogue said one of the co-ordinators of the plebiscite and that this process which they were engaged in demonstrated the power of political expression. Process is everything in the resistance against globalisation! It is apparent that with the discipline, commitment and organisation of more than 130 000,00 volunteers and the results of the plebiscite, the Brazilian have set a wonderful example of what is possible in all the countries of the South. The Brazilians clearly owned the process and came willing to make their mark against the illegitimacy of the debt. And that, although the media, the apparatus of the state and capital, attempted to marginalise and criticise the plebiscite and its message, the strength of popular organisation was triumphant.
THE PLEBISCITE CONFIRMED: LIFE ABOVE DEBT
15th September 2000
By Jubilee South
Donna Andrews |
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