05/2017
By Ricardo Amorim
Translation: EIC
Everyone wants corruption to end…except for the corrupt.
Everyone knows that the right to a “privileged Court” and the appointment of STF (Federal Supreme Court) judges by politicians cannot continue…everyone but the ones protected by the current system.
Everyone thinks that the pension rights enjoyed by politicians, judges and the military are absurd…except for politicians, judges and the military.
Everyone considers unacceptable that public servants should benefit from a social security policy far more generous than for all other citizens…everyone except public servants and their families.
Everyone wants to reform Social Security for politicians, judges, the military and public servants – but find unthinkable to reform the INSS (national health and pensions system) which needed, just last year, R$ 150 billion – which could have been used on education, health or security – to complement the benefits not covered by contributions.
Everyone agrees that the debts large companies have with the INSS have to be collected, but many are overdue in the payment of their own debts.
Everyone is unhappy about the education system, yet no-one is chocked by the fact that the Brazilian government spends nine times more funds per capita on social security than on the education of our children.
Everyone wants less taxes, cheaper products and higher salaries, but no-one wants the government to reduce its expenses so taxes are lower for that to happen.
Everyone agrees that something radical needs to be done to curb the growth of informal labour and unemployment which made millions of Brazilians incapable of keeping their families. Something radical, except to reform the CLT (consolidated labour legislation) to allow companies to hire more so less people work informally without proper labour rights.
Amid billionaire scandals that keep cropping up, it is understandable that the population is revolted and under the impression that if corruption were eliminated all other Brazilian problems would disappear.
Unfortunately, corruption will not be eliminated, not even substantially reduced, unless we mobilize for the corrupt to be exemplarily punished. The corrupt will always be organized for that not to happen. Besides, if corruption is eliminated, all other Brazilian problems shall be reduced, but none of them eliminated. We must work on solving each one of them as well.
Knowing that changes will not happen unless we change too, the question is: you want changes, but are you willing to change?
Ricardo Amorim is the author of the best-seller After the Storm, a host of Manhattan Connection at Globonews, the most influential economist in Brazil according to Forbes Magazine, the most influential Brazilian on LinkedIn, the only Brazilian among the best world lecturers at Speakers Corner and the winner of the “Most Admired in the Economy, Business and Finance Press”.
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