e Paz)

Number 125, April 21, 1994

CHURCH:

-- Laity prepare election document.

At the 32nd Assembly of the National Conference of the

Bishops of Brazil (CNBB), being held from April 14-22, a document

prepared by some 20 lay persons entitled, " Elections 1994 -

Responsible Vote", was presented to the members of the

conference, for their comments, reactions and support. Some of

the key elements in this document for voters to reflect on are

the following: 1) to support parties and candidates that permit

the people to become protagonists for change in society; 2) the

ideal candidate sees the human person as the central value in

society and makes a preferential option for the poor; 3)

there are three main issues in this election, namely, neo-

liberalism, organized capitalism and grassroots democracy; 4)

grassroots democracy has as a priority the education of people

and the return to a production of goods for the basic needs of

the population; 5) organized capitalism has as a priority the

concentration of capital in order to promote rapid integration

of the Brazilian economy in the world market; 6) neo-liberalism

takes on the recommendations of the International Monetary Fund

(IMF) and World Bank which call for a drastic reduction in the

regulating power of the State in the economy and a substantial

increase in the role of the free market.

The document also calls for citizens not to vote for

candidates connected with corruption, those who try to buy votes

or who have very expensive campaigns. The document says that

honesty is essential, but is not enough.

In the preparation of their document, the laypersons

received the assistance of two bishops, Dom Candido Padin and Dom

Luiz Demetrio Valentini.

-- Reaction of some bishops

The press was quick to note the negative reaction of some of

the bishops to this document. Also there was a reluctance on the

part of the Bishops' Conference to give approval to this document

due to the negative reaction of some bishops. The auxiliary

bishop of Rio de Janeiro, Dom Jose Carlos de Lima Vaz, said that

"this material favors the parties of the left". He was referring to the Workers Party (PT) citing the phrase "grassroots democracy" in the document. The Bishop of Novo Hamburgo, Dom Boaventura Kloppenburg, criticized the text of the document that emphasized "the assuming of the preferential option for the poor" on the part of the candidates and catholics. His reasoning was, "This is typical of the defenders of the defeated Theology of Liberation. They are the widows of socialism". The well-known theologian, Carlos Alberto Libano Cristo, Frei Betto, mentioned that the Church should not fault itself if its ideas coincide with the proposals of the Workers Party (PT).

-- New name for the conservative element in the Church

During all the controversy over this document prepared by

the laity, the daily newspaper, "O Estado de Sao Paulo" would

refer to the bishops who opposed this document as bishops of the

orthodox wing. The newspaper no longer used the term conservative

wing as it has for many years in the past.

-- CNBB's suggestions for the Presidential Candidates.

A text is being prepared by the Assembly of the CNBB that

will be given to all candidates for the upcoming Presidential

election. It is a document on the present political moment of the

country containing recommendations concerning the basic needs of

the population. Dom Luciano Mendes de Almeida, president of the

CNBB, is very much concerned about the present economic order

which is producing a very high number of "excluded" from society.

He says, "There is a high concentration of land, income and

power". The document states that the Church will defend measures

that reduce poverty, that better the conditions of work, housing,

health and the participation of society in changes.

Another area that concerns the Church is the amount of

corruption in the government. All the different Congressional

Investigations of corruption are just a beginning and need more

follow-up and bring to a conclusion the punishment of all who are

involved.

RURAL ISSUES

- The Two Faces of Rural Brazil.

Brazil is often seen as the country of contradictions. In rural areas such contradictions become alarming. High profits and riches are found side by side with extreme misery. Recent figures show clearly both faces of rural Brazil.

The Rich Face.

Agro-industry in Brazil is one of the most dynamic sectors of the Brazilian economy. It expanded 2.1% in 1993 when compared to 1992. Areas of special growth here when both years are compared were Rio Grande do Sul with an increase of 6.6% and Sao Paulo with an increase of 6.5%.

Growth has been very noticeable in some sectors of agro- industry between 1992 and 1993. A few examples of derivatives will suffice to illustrate this - soya 4.9%; coffee 7.6%; orange 16.9%; grape 19.5%. It is interesting to note that the production of orange juice increased by 16.9% during 1993 while exportations dropped by 22% due to an over supply on the world market.

Some areas suffered a decline during the year. Derivatives of the cacao bean dropped by 6.6% and sugar cane and wheat by 2%. Meat production also suffered a set-back during the year with the exception of chicken production which increased by 7.8%. Exportation of chicken meat increased by 28.6% ; the export of this meat to the Argentine alone was 62% greater than in 1992.

The Brazilian food and drink industry earned US $44.9 billion during 1993. This industry is now in second place in the economy coming behind the petro-chemical industry.

The Second Face.

A document entitled "Dossie do Campo: Numero de Caos" (The Rural Dossier: Chaos in Numbers) prepared by the National Department of Rural Workers (DNTR - CUT), the National Confederation of Workers in Agriculture (CONTAG) and the Movement of the Rural Landless Workers (MST) shows that land in Brazil is concentrated in the hands of a small group of owners.

In Brazil there exists a total of 5.834.779 agricultural holdings covering an area of 376.286. 575 hectares. 49 thousand large property owners have 164 million hectares, in other words, an average of 40.5 thousand hectares each or almost half of the agricultural land in the country. According to the document, 250 million hectares is public land belonging to the government. The document goes on to state that "without adequate work conditions, living standards of the rural population become drastic". 38.2 million people live in just under 7 million houses in rural areas. 92.5% of these houses do not have a septic tank; 23% do not have water in the houses and 66% do not have electricity. Such conditions are seen in the document as significantly helping to increase the rural exodus to the large urban centers. This exodus corresponded in the last 25 years to a total greater than the present day population of the Argentine.

Violence is also an integral part of the reality of rural Brazil. Between 1964 and 1993, 1744 rural assassinations were registered. In 1993, 51 such assassinations were registered including 10 trade - union leaders and a lawyer. This number compares with 46 in 1992. Between 1989 and 1992, 1953 serious land conflicts took place as well as 335 assassination attempts and 788 death threats against rural workers.

More than 90% of land owners - all of the small and middle size owners, lack an adequate infrastructure and government support. Some figures illustrate this: of the approximately 38 million rural dwellers in Brazil, 73% have a monthly income of less than a Brazilian minimum salary (US $64). Of the 2.6 million rural employees, 98% do not have access to the public health system. Until June of 1993, only 1057 settlements of rural landless families had been carried out in Brazil. Here only 122.599 families were benefited. Also in 1993, 23 cases of the use of slave labor were discovered involving 19.578 victims.

Foreign groups increasingly own more and more Brazilian land. At the moment such groups own 36 million hectares or 9.7% of the land of Brazil. Since INCRA (the government body dealing with land affairs) does not have up to date figures on foreign ownership of land it is thought that foreign ownership may be higher than this official figure.

INDIGENOUS ISSUES

- Violence Against Indigenous Peoples Increases During 1993.

The Indigenist Missionary Council (CIMI) recently completed its survey of violence committed against the indigenous peoples in Brazil during 1993. The results of the survey show that violence in this area increased significantly during 1993. According a statement from CIMI on April 14 last the invasion of indian territory was the chief factor responsible for the increase in the violence committed against the indigenous peoples.

During 1993, 43 indians were assassinated. This is almost double the 1992 figure when 24 indians were assassinated. One incident - the assassination of 16 Yanomami in July 1993 explains in part the sharp increase in such deaths. 85 indians were victims of homicide attempts during the year and more than 600 received death threats. Police brutality (military and civil) accounted for beatings suffered by at least 20 indians and the illegal imprisonment of a further 18.

For the first time since CIMI has presented such annual reports figures are available concerning the number of indians working in slave conditions. The 1993 number was 7470 and most of these are from the Kaiowa Guarani and the Nhandeva Guarani groups. They worked in sub-human conditions in the charcoal furnaces and the alcohol distilleries in the State of Mato Grosso do Sul. 39 indians committed suicide during the year; of these 33 were Guarani and 6 were Tikuna. The latter group lives in the State of Amazonas. Figures in the report dealing with attacks on property show that timber was stolen from 26 indigenous areas.

According to CIMI, the statement serves as a denouncement against the government which has failed in most of the cases of violence to act as the law requires. This is very clear for example when indigenous patrimony is attacked, in the lack of assistance to indigenous communities, in failing to demarcate indigenous areas and in not punishing those responsible for acts of violence against the indians.

- Indians Win Legal Decision Against Lumber - Merchants.

By unanimous vote, 11 Supreme Court judges decided in favor of the Arawete, Parakana and Xikrin indigenous groups against the Bannach and Sudoeste lumber companies. The latter group was contesting the demarcation of the Trincheira do Bacaja indigenous area in the State of Para. The area is approximately 1.6 million hectares and has valuable reserves of hardwoods especially mahogany.

The lumber - merchants presented documents issued by the Land Institute of Para (ITERPA) claiming they were the owners of the area in question. During the judgement it was shown that a number of the signatures on the documents had been falsified. Other indigenous groups had another Supreme Court victory over the former governor of the State of Para, Jader Barbalho, earlier this month. Barbalho had contested the legality of the demarcation of the Menkregnoti indigenous area (almost 5 million hectares belonging to the Kayapo indians) as well as the Alto Rio Guama indigenous area (just over 279 thousand hectares and belonging to the Tembe, Timbira, Urubu - Kaapor and Guajajara indians).

65% of the 1 million cubic meters of mahogany exported from Brazil within the last 5 years has come from the State of Para. Furthermore, it is estimated that as much as 80% of all mahogany exported from Brazil is illegally removed from indigenous areas, areas of conservation or from public lands.

ECOLOGY

The following is a summary of the news items carried by the principal Brazilian newspapers during the last week dealing with ecology. The date is given for each summary and the newspapers are identified as follows:

FSP = Folha de Sao Paulo.

GL = O Globo.

GM = Gazeta Mercantil.

JB = Jornal do Brasil.

OESP = O Estado de Sao Paulo.

April 09, 1994.

- The Secretariat of Agriculture of the State of Sao Paulo and the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation have set up a system of fines and confiscation of vegetables and fruit which are show to have a residue of agro-toxics present in them. (OESP).

- In the city of Sao Vicente which is situated on the coastal area of Sao Paulo a two year old child died from cholera. In Campina Grande, State of Paraiba, 30 people are hospitalized with cholera which recently was the cause of death of 3 more people. (FSP).

April 10.

- A group of NGOs purchased the biological reserve of Una in the south of the State of Bahia in order to ensure the preservation of the golden faced micro lion. (FSP).

April 11.

- Even though the number of deaths provoked by agro-toxics in the State of Rio de Janeiro is small surveys show that there is little control of these products in the state and consequently agricultural products are frequently contaminated by agro-toxics. (JB).

- Brazil along with India, Indonesia, China and Mexico have become the major producers of pesticides which have been condemned internationally and are prohibited in many countries. (GL).

- The Federal Court in the State of Para prohibited the lumber merchants Banach and Perachi from illegally cutting timber in the Xicrin indigenous area in the south of the state. (GM).

- In Campina Grande, Paraiba five more people have died from cholera. (GL).

April 12.

- The desertification of the north east of Brazil provoked by the incorrect use of the soil has already affected an area equivalent in size to the State of Paraiba. Approximately 15 million people live in this region. (FSP).

- A Federal court condemned IBAMA (the government environmental agency) to carry out a plan of management in the Aparados da Serra Park in the State of Rio Grande do Sul within 12 months. The question has already been four years in the courts and IBAMA has now lost the right to appeal. (GM).

- Scientists are trying to classify a newly discovered large leaf which measures 2.40 mts by 1.44 mts and is found in the region of the river Madeira. (FSP).

April 13.

- The Angra 2 nuclear station which is expected to start functioning in December 1998 will have an estimated cost of generation of electricity of US $162 per megawatt/hour. This is almost 5 times the average cost in similar new projects. (GM).

- The 29th. victim of cholera this year - a child was registered in Paraiba. (FSP).

- The increase of the cattle herd in the area crossed by the Transamazonian highway is attracting jaguars to the ranches. This animal is practically extinct in other Amazonian regions. The Rural Workers' Trade -Union in Apui claims that recently jaguars have attacked animals on almost fifty occasions. The trade-union recognizes that this is a consequence of environmental imbalance. "we invaded the jaguar's area and now we have to wait until they find a new habit in the forest" commented the trade-union president. (JB).

- A recent survey shows that there are 3223 shanty towns (favelas) in Brazil. More shanty towns are concentrated in Sao Paulo than in Rio de Janeiro and the two states together have more than half of the shanty towns in the country. A further 20% are concentrated in the States of Rio Grande do Sul, Pernambuco, Parana and Ceara. (OESP).

April 15.

- Party leaders in Congress now admit that the constitutional revision has failed and parties have begun a discussion regarding mechanisms which would permit periodic changes in the Constitution. (OESP).

- 113 entities have launched the Billings Charter which contains 21 demands for the protection of the reservoir which covers 127 square kms and has a capacity to store 1.3 trillion liters. At the moment it is seriously threatened by pollution. (JB).

- During the last seven days, 152 new cases of cholera were registered in the State of Pernambuco. In Brazil, 27 thousand cases have already been confirmed. More than half of this number have been registered in the State of Ceara. (FSP).

April 16.

- The municipal authorities of Redencao da Serra in the State of Sao Paulo have invited three indians from Xingu to hunt two jaguars which have been killing cattle. The mayor insists that he does not wish to kill the jaguars; he only wants to frighten them away from the municipality. (FSP).

- The return of sales tax by the state exchequer to municipalities with areas of environmental protection has increased significantly the income of such municipalities in the Valley of the River Ribeira, State of Sao Paulo. In the small municipality of Barra do Turvo, for example, the income has increased by 522% and is being used in the construction of bridges, roads and schools. (OESP).

April 17.

- The Brazilian army is expected to participate in the removal of 136 gold - prospectors already surrounded by the Venezuelan army in the border region between the State of Roraima and Venezuela. (OESP).

- Fossils of pre-historic animals are being taken out of Brazil in large amounts even though this activity is prohibited and are now found in various museums in Europe and North America. (FSP).

April 18.

- Environmentalists and fishermen have joined in protest against the lack of attention given by the authorities to the Sepetiba Bay in Rio de Janeiro. They claim that the bay is being destroyed by predatory fishing and by raw sewerage entering its waters. (GL).

The reproduction of this material is permitted as long as the source is cited.