[Marxism] Brazil Right Finally Topples Dirceu

["Walter Lippmann" <walterlx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

(Under the military dictatorship, Dirceu came to Cuba and had plastic
surgery to change his appearance to he could return to Brazil and be
active in the underground opposition. Though deprived of his rights,
as yet he hasn't been criminally charged. Stay tuned. Wall Street
Journal article follows thse Prensa Latina reports. The WSJ concludes:

("This was eminently a political process," said Lawrence Pih, chief
executive officer of Moinho Pacífico, the largest stand-alone flour
mill in the Americas, and a longtime Workers Party supporter. "There
was no concrete proof against Dirceu.")
====================================================================

Brazil Right Finally Topples Dirceu

Rio de Janeiro, Dec 1 (Prensa Latina) The Brazilian rightwing managed
to finally deprive Deputy Jose Dirceu from his parliamentary and
political rights early today, after having targeted its fierce
criticism against him since the current government was established
three years ago.

The sanctions against Dirceu were approved by the Chamber of Deputies
in a session opened last night and closed early today, with 293 votes
in favor, 192 against, 8 abstentions, 1 blank ballot and another
declared null.

The proposed sanction was approved by the Ethics Council, which
alleged a breakdown of his parliamentary values, despite Dirceu´s
legal protests of lacking evidence.

The over six-month campaign the Brazilian opposition and rightwing
have carried out against the government has been tainted by
blackmail, falsehoods, half truths, and groundless accusations.

They made Dirceu resign as minister in July, and now were able to do
what the deputy and his followers rated as a political lynching,
given that they had not a single piece of evidence corroborating he
was involved or aware of the PT´s (Workers Party) use of non-declared
funds in election campaigns.

In this case, like the one against Finance Minister Antonio Palocci,
the opposition and rightwing aim to weaken President Luiz Inacio Lula
da Silva to hinder his re-election next year or defeat him if he runs
for it.

In his defense last night, Dirceu recalled his career as student
leader and clandestine fighter against the dictatorship, rejected the
accusations against him, defended the government of Lula, and noted
he did not act like other deputies who declined their positions to
avoid sanctions and be re-elected in 2006.

ln/dig/as/mf
===================================================================

Lula: Dirceu Banned Sans Evidence

Brasilia, Dec 1 (Prensa Latina) Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula
da Silva asserted Thursday that ex chief of his campaign and former
minister, Jose Dirceu, was suspended for eight years from political
rights without evidence.

In a meeting of the Council of Economic and Social Development, Lula
said the sanction imposed on Dirceu early this morning by the House
and the 1.2 percent fall of the third quarter GDP were the bad news
this week.

In change, he contrasted two positive events: his meeting with
Argentine President Nestor Kirchner to boost integration and
bilateral cooperation and the data that inequality and poverty
decreased during his government.

He said, "the Congress has sovereignty to make decisions," but
lamented that Dirceu had been sanctioned without any evidence against
him, adding that history will show the truth and reiterated his
friendship and love for this politician.

Minister of Justice Marcio Thomaz Bastos also considered the sanction
against the deputy of the PT (Workers Party) unfair, believing it was
a purely political judgement lacking evidence.

Deputy Angela Guadagnin from PT said the Dirceu sentence is a trophy
for the rightwing to show the country it can discredit and remove the
PT.

Minister of Institutional Relations Jaques Wagner said, "it was a
trauma for democracy," highlighting that Brazil is the only country
where Congress has the legal authority to sanction its members,
whereas in other countries they are put on trial in courts of law.

Constitutional Rights Prof. Pedro Serrano said the Dirceu defense
should appeal to the Supreme Federal Court to overrule the House
decision.

hr/ccs/abo/as

Brazil's Lower House
Kicks Out Strategist
Of President da Silva
By GERALDO SAMOR
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
December 2, 2005; Page A8

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Brazil's lower house voted to expel and strip the
political rights of Jose Dirceu, the strategist behind the rise of
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, making him the highest-profile
casualty of the Workers Party's slush-fund scandal.

Despite its symbolism, analysts said Mr. Dirceu's expulsion is
unlikely to ease the politically charged atmosphere brought about by
the scandal and could make the 2006 elections one of the most bitter
in Brazil's history.

"This crisis is the government's," says Amaury de Souza, a political
consultant with MCM Consultores Associados. "It will end the day this
government is gone."

In a 293-192 vote, Brazil's lower house effectively ended the
political career of Mr. Dirceu, one of the shrewdest politicians of
the generation that fought against Brazil's 20-year military rule and
helped shape the country's return to democracy. The decision means
Mr. Dirceu will be allowed to run for office again in 2016, when he
will be 70 years old.

Lawmakers bowed to negative public opinion over evidence that Mr. da
Silva's Workers Party, which had long pushed for ethics in politics,
used a multimillion-dollar slush fund, transferred money to allied
parties and bought votes in Congress.

Mr. Dirceu was Mr. da Silva's chief of staff until June, when
Congressman Roberto Jefferson accused him of being the mastermind of
the Workers Party's slush-fund scheme. An investigation by the
congressional ethics panel concluded there was no way Mr. Dirceu,
being such a powerful member of both the party and the
administration, couldn't know of all the wrongdoing.

Mr. Dirceu denies any wrongdoing and claims he was denied the
presumption of innocence. He says no material evidence against him
existed, and he was the target of a political witch hunt because of
his role in bringing the left to power in Brazil.

"This was eminently a political process," said Lawrence Pih, chief
executive officer of Moinho Pacífico, the largest stand-alone flour
mill in the Americas, and a longtime Workers Party supporter. "There
was no concrete proof against Dirceu."




________________________________________________
YOU MUST clip all extraneous text before replying to a message.
Send list submissions to: Marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism