<amarc-1> Brazil and Puerto Rico

["Carlos A. Afonso" <cafonso@ax.apc.org> (by way of Bram Dov Abramson <bram@tao.ca>)]

[I'd been hoping to solicit comments on the popular movements for
democratic communication -- well, sort of -- in Brazil and Puerto Rico.
Here's one from Carlos Afonso.  --bda]

Dear Bram & all:

This issue is indeed quite relevant. I would like to write something about
it, but am tied into some consultancy projects which make it impossible
even to read the amarc-l debate. I do include some of my comments anyway.

I am attaching below a report (unfortunately in Portuguese) from Rio's
INDECS which raises some of the most important issues of what has been one
of the worst deals so far for its true owners (the Brazilian people) in the
privatization frenzy of Brazilian state-owned companies & services. To make
things worse, government plans to spend the money obtained with the sale of
Telebras to cover a few months of interest on its debt, while 30 million
people go hungry, public transportation, health, education, security and
other essential services are in shambles, the agrarian reform continues to
be a joke, etc, etc. It is hard not to relate this move to desperate
efforts to hold the currency stable at least during these few months before
the October reelection of Fernando Henrique Cardoso (yes, he is mostly
certainly going to be reelected), particularly given the bad signals coming
from Japan's deepening crisis. And in this way Telebras is nearly given as
a present to the first bidders.

Recently, this same government rescued misdeeds of the big Brazilian
bankers to the tune of more than 10 billion dollars-- more than enough
money to conclude a decent and long-lasting agrarian reform and end the
hunger problem in the Northeast-- but the option is always in favor of the
ones who already have. Now, the government gives public money (25% of the
money to purchase Telemar, one of the Telebras companies, is from the
national development bank, BNDES, with all typical facilites granted to
development projects) to help "poor" Brazilian investors to purchase chunks
of Telebras-- that is, a double present to the rich.

In this way, government after government in Brazil strives to perpetuate
our shameful title as one of the richest countries with one of the poorest
records of social justice. What is new?

Anyway, here go the INDECS report and comments.

[]s

--c.a. 

[The INDECS report (Instituto de Estudos e Projetos em Comunicação e
Cultura) is quite lengthy.  I've omitted it, but would be pleased to pass
it along to anyone who'd like a copy.  E-mail me at bram@tao.ca, or head
directly to the INDECS site at <http://www.indecs.org.br>.  --bda]
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