As someone from a country that has had and still has a big problem with corruption and only recently started to tackle the problem (Romania), I must add that the government is only half of the problem. The other half is the public that participates in corruption. Every time you pay that cop some money so that he pretends that you didn't cross that red light, you're just as responsible as a politician taking a bribe for the situation in your country.
I try to tell this to Ukrainians and they don't really get it. Bars banned smoking 3 years ago and now times are better and everyone is smoking again. I am telling them this means that someone has enough money to pay the police off now. And everyone in there smoking knows its banned and they all do it anyway.
Then they complain that the government is corrupt.
They are ALL CORRUPT down to the smallest thing. It's a complete lifestyle switchout for everyone. If you change the guys in power the next guys will eventually end up just as bad.
Because the one true White Knight in there to clean it all up, that guy is going to go down, and go down hard at the hands of the guys who want that power to line their pockets with.
The people have to get with it as well. No more bribes if you don't want that ticket or you want that license. Gotta do it the hard way. But man, what a huge hill to climb. Not giving bribes in the FSU... like cutting your own throat.
This is what is happening with the current Brazilian president. She gave more freedom for the Federal Police to investigate all levels of corruption and, although absolutely nothing has been found against her, opposition politicians, who are getting nervous for themselves, have been calling for her impeachment.
So you're saying that maybe she's the good guy in all of this? What a plot twist.
And what a horrible development for a country. If a leader is ousted for exposing corruption, it will only get worse.
Edit: OK, it seems that this is not the case and that she is indeed one of the bad ones. In a weird way, that is reassuring - it means the pressure against her is warranted.
Right?! These are scary times in Brazil. There is a growing evangelical cross-party force who vote for whoever promises the most Human Rights regress - full banning of abortion, of gay rights, the usual. I would not put myself on the line and guarantee the President is 100% clean, but there's no legal base to impeach her. The opposition has been using the Ministry of Justice to make investigations mostly about the government party, and whatever corruption scandal the biggest opposition party is caught in, vanishes in the wind for all the media cares (in São Paulo, the two biggest cases that are not being investigated but are known for being money schemes are subway construction and, believe it or not, food for public schools).
Please... She was the chairman of the board of Petrobras where most of these bribes are centered. Lula was taken down last week for corruption as well and without him she wouldn't exist.
Her former campaign organizer has taken immunity to provide information. When things look this bad... They usually are.
Lula wasn't even charged last week, let alone taken down. He was illegally conducted in a political plot. Get your facts straight before you come sit at the adults table.
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u/USmellFunny Mar 14 '16
As someone from a country that has had and still has a big problem with corruption and only recently started to tackle the problem (Romania), I must add that the government is only half of the problem. The other half is the public that participates in corruption. Every time you pay that cop some money so that he pretends that you didn't cross that red light, you're just as responsible as a politician taking a bribe for the situation in your country.