‘We live a period of regression in the fight against corruption’, says prosecutor of SP in Manaus

Marcela Leiros – Cenarium Magazine

MANAUS – The Movement of Democratic Public Ministry and the Institute I Do Not Accept Corruption promoted on Friday, 25, in Manaus, a panel discussion in allusion to the book “200 years of Independence of Brazil: from the margins of Ipiranga to the margins of society”, coordinated by the Prosecutor of Justice of São Paulo, Roberto Livianu. The meeting dealt with issues such as combating corruption, indigenous peoples’ rights and diversity.

The work is a collection of critical articles on the political system that has governed Brazil since its historic discovery and the impacts on various areas of society. Besides the magistrate, the event, which took place at the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the State of Amazonas (MP-AM), had the prosecutor of the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Roraima, professor and one of the co-authors of the book, Márcio Rosa da Silva, also participated in the debate, mediated by journalist and CEO of CENARIUM MAGAZINE, Paula Litaiff.

Roberto Livianu pointed out that the country is experiencing a “setback” in the fight against corruption, and cited the dismantling practiced by the government of President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) in the various oversight and control bodies, but did not exclude the governments of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), Dilma Rousseff (PT) and Michel Temer (MDB) of these practices.

“[The Bolsonaro government] sponsored the dismantling of the Improvity Law, sponsored the dismantling of the Ficha Limpa Law, several secrecy decrees, and that will certainly be reviewed, sponsored the weakening of institutions. So, we live in a period of regression in the fight against corruption”, Livianu explained.

The book is an initiative of the Movement for a Democratic Public Prosecutor’s Office and the I Do Not Accept Corruption Institute, of which Roberto Livianu is president. Its purpose is to lead society to reflect on the importance of overseeing the acts of public administration, as well as to raise awareness about respect for the democratic institutions of Brazil.

Livianu also cited a modernisation of corruption practices, referring to the procedures in the National Congress to approve Bill (PL) 1202/2007, which regulates lobbying in the country. For him, there is an attempt to “naturalize corruption”.

“There was a bill presented by the CGU, which had many positive points, but other bills were attached with negative points, and in the good style of Arthur Lira, they want to take advantage of the bill that is a monster and legitimizes horrendous practices”, he added.

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Indigenous peoples

The prosecutor of the Public Ministry of Roraima, Márcio Rosa da Silva highlighted, who contributed the article “Indigenous peoples: from catechization to land demarcation”, summarized how, constitutionally, the original peoples have been treated during the 200 years of Independence.

“The first Constitution said that they had to be catechised and civilised, until the Constitution of 88, which recognises all indigenous diversity, social organisation, language, recognises possession of the lands that they traditionally occupy. So there was an enormous advance in the letter of the Constitution”, he reiterated.

The magistrate also added what are the next steps necessary for the development and conquest of the rights of indigenous peoples. “Now, what we need is to transform this constitutional advance into something real, practical, that the indigenous peoples are really respected, that we learn from their diversity, that they have their legal, legal organizations recognized. And that they have their rights guaranteed”, he expressed.

Journalism and democracy

The importance of journalism in the fight for the respect of democratic institutions was also highlighted at the event, mediated by Paula Litaiff, CEO of CENARIUM MAGAZINE. For the journalist, the book brings “to light” contemporary issues such as the fight against racism and homophobia.

“It is interesting to note that within this book, which is a collection of at least 28 articles written by jurists from all over Brazil, the importance of diversity was also addressed, as well as the importance of combating prejudice against indigenous peoples, native peoples, and also the importance of combating racism and homophobia. So, it is a very current issue and the interesting thing is that it covers everything from Brazilian colonization to the Bolsonaro government”, she concluded.

Awarding

In addition to the panel discussion, the event “New Paths Against Corruption” also included the awarding of 12 works from the 3rd Award I Do Not Accept Corruption, an initiative of the Instituto Não Aceito Corrupção, which seeks to stimulate undergraduate and graduate students, such as journalists and business managers, to further the discussion on concepts and practical solutions related to corruption and its fight in Brazil.

The names of all the awardees can be seen at this link: premionaoaceitocorrupcao.com.br/blog/conheca- os-vencedores/.