Thirty thousand people protest against corruption

Paraná TV First Edition. Originally broadcasted on June 9th, 2010 (wednesday).

June 9th, 2010 | Paraná went out to streets to give an answer for Legislative Assembly scandals. At Boca Maldita, in Curitiba, thousands of people asked ethics, listened speeches from representatives from many entities and, in a emotional moment, sang the national hymn. In interior, protests moved 15 cities. For the politician scientist Ricardo Costa Oliveira, the manifestation remembers the “Diretas Já” campaign and became unviable the Assembly’s Directory resistance. The parliamentarians that came to the movement received a law project defended by the movement “The Paraná that we want”, leaded by OAB, and promised vote soon. But in the session of yesterday at Assembly, some congressman insisted in protect the president Nelson Justus.

The enough day
Thousands of Paraná’s people went out to Curitiba streets and 15 interior cities to protest against Assembly’s corruption and ask more transparency in the state public power.

“There isn’t one person from Paraná that is against the transparency. Unless the ones that benefit themselves”. The phrase, from president of Paraná’s Association of Federal Judges (Apajufe), Anderson Furlan, summarizes the spirit of thousands of manifestants the went out to streets yesterday night, in 16 cities of the state, to require ethics in politics. The manifestations, leaded by Paraná’s section from Brazilian Law Order (OAB-PR), were an answer from society to denunciations and irregularities at Legislative Assembly.

The huge manifestation happened in Curitiba. Thousands of people took place at “Boca Maldita”, at Osório square to Avenue Palace, since the evening when started shows from rock bands Terminal Guadalupe and Blindagem, until 8h30 p.m. when the national hymn was song a second time.

Families, workers, students, housewives, syndicalists, businessman, all song together the hymn and screamed order words. “Fora Justus” (Out Justus), said the manifestants, asking the removal of the Assembly’s president, Nelson Justus. “A united people, will never be defeated”, screamed.   

One of the more applauded speeches was from the national president of Brazilian Law order, Ophir Cavalcante. “All the power comes from people and in his name must be exercised. Will all those people that we elected here in Paraná exercising the power given by us in a correct way?”, asked Cavalcante. “No, and this is the answer”, affirmed.   

The event organization, that defends the Assembly’s Directory removal and other moral measurements (see board beside), gave for state congressman that came to manifestation a law project that intend assures transparency at Legislative.   

Received the project the state congressman Tadeu Veneri (PT), Marcelo Rangel (PPS) and Ney Leprevost (PP). According Veneri, the idea is make that the 54 members of Assembly sign the proposal, giving support to the project, and advance its burocracy. The intention is the project to be approved still this semester.   

The established rules by the project are extended for the three state powers, including Public Ministry, Accounts Court, public companies and foundations. All of them would have to publish their acts in a maximum of 30 days and in Official Diaries from state government. Who disobey will be taxed and will answer by administrative improbity.   

The non publishment of Legislative Assembly’s acts were one of the main denunciations raised by “Secret Diaries” series, from, from Gazeta do Povo and RPC TV, which revealed irregularities in the House. The reports revealed that acts as phantom employers hiring and money deviation were hidden by absence of the Assembly’s Diaries circulation, which were printed on wrong order, out of date and with a few copies, not available to citizens. This publicity missing of acts created difficulties for Assembly’s supervision by society. An this facilitates, according investigations from State Public Ministry (PM) the deviation of at least R$ 26 million (already comproved) by Legislative safe box. The own PM estimates that the prejudice can be more than R$ 100 million.   

Check which are the charges against the Assembly and its Direction:
- Publicity missing of Legislative acts by restrict circulation of official diaries, avoiding the people to have access to decisions and to be supervised.
- Divulgation missing about correct placement about its employers.
- Super salaries payment, above established by law.
- Missing of control of employers work, allowing phantoms existence.
- Familiar hiring. There were employers cases with leadership charges that hiring until 20 relatives.
- Public money deviation through salaries payment to persons who didn’t work for Assembly. The State Public Ministry already comproved that R$ 26 million were deviated from Legislative founds. But the PM estimates that the prejudice can be of R$100 million.
- Maintenance of Assembly’s chart of employers and suspicious to be participated of resources deviation scheme – some of them receiving salaries.   

See what the movement “Paraná that we want” defends:
- Legislative Assembly’s Directory removal.
- Implantation of the “Social Observation” model that can supervise and control in honest way the Legislative actions.
- Presentation, discussion and approval of a law project to assures transparency in all public areas of Paraná.
- Immediately hiring of an entity with national name to realize a administrative management raising (operational, patrimonial and personal costs) of Legislative Assembly. The objective is do a project administrative management professionally and implantation of functions and salaries plan for Assembly’s employers. Special attention to proportion between commissioned charges, of political indication, and employers hired by contest. The intention is to reduce the commissioned for minimum necessary.
- Determine the fulfillment of all functions of administrative routine to employers hired by contest (including offices).
- Establish a fixed warrant for charges of administrative direction of Assembly, with the possibility of only one reelection. The warrant can’t not coincide the beginning and finishing of respective legislatures.   

Society says “no” to corruption
Representatives of all social segments go to streets in Curitiba to charge the end of public power irregularities.   

The people went to streets yesterday and done of “Boca Maldita” a space for protests. In a pacific way, workers, traders, students, businessman and liberal professionals asked for answers for the pointed irregularities of Gazeta do Povo and RPCTV in the report series “Secret Diaries”.
 
Alone or in groups, with noise or silent, the manifestants get together to defend the exit of Executive group of Legislative Assembly (LA) that adoption of moral measurements at Paraná’s Legislative. “Is an absurd. The congressmen are there or don’t do anything and are incompetent or are parts of the scheme. They form a feudal elite that protect itself. Because of this we need to pressure” says the trader Ivan de Oliveira, 68 years old, that hold a poster written “Ali Bibinho and 40 thieves “in a reference to the ex general director from LA, Abib Miguel.   

The retired military Varner Nóbrega, 72, went with his wife, Angela Nóbrega, 54, to give his support to the movement and show his discontent. “We imagined this kind of stuff in many other places, in Brasília. Was a surprise, a big surprise when the reports showed this at Paraná’s Assembly, in Curitiba.”   

The manifest “The Paraná that we want” developed a civically feeling that seems to be sleepy. “I was here as a lawyer just graduated at “diretas já” movement and the sensation is similar. The civil society in its many various sectors is here charging answers and the congressmen removal”, affirms the lawyer Wilson Grube Filho, 51.   

The student Ana Paula Lorenzetti, 19, still studies to be a lawyer and wasn’t even born during “diretas já” movement. But even this, she says that the act of yesterday now is part of Paraná’s political history. “The students are in the streets. The student movement seemed sleepy and today is here, together with the society”, said. When define the denunciations against Assembly, Ana is technical, without being direct: “Was a huge offense to democratic state of Law.”   

The political conscious that is manifested in Ana started to appear in Franco Rovedo. Student from Paraná’s technological federal University, (UTFPR), he says that his interesting by politics started some time ago, and, following, came the Secret Diaries reports. “I stopped to think, how this could happens? How could them left the Assembly became this? I realized that I need to do my part. I’m not politician, but I try to understand what is happening and manifest myself.”   

With 17 years, Rovedo shows himself as a good political analyst, until because the speech of congressman has power today, at Assembly, is exactly of the “is not my fault” or “this is old practice”. Yesterday, at Boca Maldita, the society showed that doesn’t tolerate corruption, neither omission.   

“These are old practices that became from other presidents, but why nobody changed this? Why the House president didn’t act? The communication vehicles had to do the job, said the lawyer Dóris Maria Battistella, 57.   

Drum and Happiness   

The students from Unicuritiba were in many representatives at Boca Maldita’s manifestation. Encouraged by university’s direction and Students’ Central Directory (DCE), they protested in a drum rhythm. 15 drummers (all graduation students) were from the institution headquarters, at Água Verde Avenue, until Boca Maldita with bass drummers, boxes and riggings. To respect the speeches, saved the beats. Even this called the attention for the ones that were at boca Maldita. “A UniCuritiba has a tradition of political engagement and the Law students also have”, said the Law’s Graduation center president, Ludwig Cozer Von Staa.
 
All democratic   

Syndical centrals, students entities and political parties were represented yesterday at Boca Maldita. With flags, shirts, posters and pins they divide the space democratically. Beyond the militaries, the event counted with painted-faces, Ghostbusters and ghosts, all properly dressed.   

Alternative spaces   

The most part of the time, the public was in front of the stage at Boca Maldita and in the screen installed beside of Avenue Palace. Even as this many people follow the event from the coffees at Boca Maldita, from high buildings of XV Street, and even from bars in front of “Bondinho”. Even with the many people flow, the protest happened in a perfect tranquility. Until the end of the event, the Military Police didn’t record anu occurrence.   

Paraná’s interior asks punishment and respect   

End of impunity and more respect to the public. At least 6,9 thousands of people in 15 interior cities of the state sent a clearly message to Legislative Assembly of Paraná: the people follow with interest and indignation the recent scandals.   

In Londrina, at least 1,5 thousand of manifestants attended the Local OAB call, from Trade and Industrial Association (Acil) and from CUT. One hour before the manifestation the first ones started to arrive to the sidewalk. When the speeches started, the participants react with claps in many moments. “It is my first manifestation. I came here to bring more people, because is participating that we encourage the others to do this too. Is an absurd what is happening and stay at home will not solve anything”, affirmed the student Gabriel Darcin Souza, 18 years old. He and the friend Felipe Salermo, 18 years old, defend that the directory group, specially the president Nelson Justus and 1.st secretary Alexandre Curi be removed. “Without this they will continuous with ways to escape from punishment”, says Felipe.   

Communtaries leaderships, students, housewives and workers formed a public of 1,3 thousand people in Ponta Grossa, with refined voice: “we want a new Paraná”. The act was supported by 30 units. The OAB left available two computers for the people add to the “indignity machine” from movement website. Until last night, Ponta Grossa was the first city from interior in add number, with 1.350 on-line signs. “What happened today in Ponta Grossa is a huge manifestation by democracy fight because involved people from all grades and ages”, said student and coordinator from Social forum in Public Politics Defense, Joel de Oliveira.   

A walk by streets of city center with participations of authorities and representatives of 22 entities in Maringá. According to organizers estimative, at least 500 manifestants were concentrated at Old Road Square, without count hundreds of people that passed by the local. “We passed the message for the citizen, that is necessary discuss the corruption, charge the warrant from the ones that we elected. Today we demonstrate our indignation and now we will send the manifest to Assembly and Public Ministry, said the OAB-PU vice president, César Moreno.   

In Paranaguá, according to the organizers, around one thousand people came to Fernando Amaro square, at city center. In this place, a screen remembered the scandal, showed by Gazeta do Povo and RPC TV. After the national hymn, the microphone was opened for OAB, religious leaderships and trade manifest them. “Acts as this have power to fall with the impunity robe. The king will be showed naked, an the people will understand the power that they have: the vote. The elector will know who is the hero and the bad guy” affirmed the under section chief from OAB Paranaguá, Dora Schuller.   

A parade by Brazil Avenue with whistle was the protest way of 800 people in Foz do Iguaçu. With banners and posters, people asked transparence and ethics in politics. The manifestants, with clown noses, called attention also for irregularities that spread for all spheres and powers of government. “There is dust for all sides. This is what we are seeing at Legislative Assembly are common since, local congressman chamber, until the National Congress “opinion from retired Vivaldino Alves de Oliveira.”Manifestations as this always should happen. The new in power need to know that the population are not happy. Enough corruption, politicians thinking only how take advantage and pretend that don’t know why they were elected, suggested the hotel receptionist and president from Tourism Workers Syndicate from Foz do Iguaçu (Sindetur), Wilson Martins.   

In Foz, flags and clown noses   

In Foz do Iguaçu, around of eight hundred people marched by city streets and carried flags. For all the places that the manifestants went, stores were closed and lights turned off, in a support demonstration. Many used clown noses. The Arabian community in the edge gave support to the movement   

40 km to protest   

With the Paraná’s flag in the back, the professor and dentist Giovatan de Souza Bueno travelled around 40 km, from Palmeira to Ponta Grossa, to participate of the public act. “As my city didn’t realize any manifestation, I came to Ponta Grossa, representing all my city, affirmed, He showed indignity with the denunciations of Assembly’s irregularities, with the edition of official diaries and the position omission from most parte of the state congressman in relation with the group removal.   

Paranavaí
The act count with distribution of one thousand buttons and 600 adhesives, that were placed in the vehicles that were close to the Souza Naves Street Sidewall. Manifestants: 400.   

Cascavel
Around 300 people participate of the public manifestation. The president of the bank syndicate, Gladir Basso, remembered that corruption was more lethal than guns and drugs when the many deviation should be used in health, education and habitation.   

Imbituva
Organized by Leocádio Vytkowski priesthood, knew as political engagement, the act congregate 300 people.   

Marechal Cândido Rondon
A computer was placed available to the population until 8h00 p.m. with an “indignity machine” of the city that counts with 259 accessions. There was exhibition of a movie with messages and movement and a history of scandals of Assembly. Manifestants: 200.   

Campo Mourão
In the city, the articulation started soon, by employers from city hall removed banners from the main avenues and city main square. One of the movement organizers read names of federal and state congressman that manifest themselves as favorable or against the directory group removal of Assembly. Manifestants: 200.   

Umuarama
Around 200 people participated of the manifestation. The local Justice prosecutor, Carlos Roberto Moreno, asked for more action of community against corruption. “Our people still is more peaceful, and because of this, the politician survive. We will go to the streets to protest and expel these ones of dirty file.”   

Guarapuava
The mobilization was marked by transparency exigency of transparence, in Legislative Assembly and in local politics. There was a parade and concentration of 150 people.   

Other cities
Manifestation happened also in Pato Branco, Toledo and Rio Branco.