On August 15th Brazil's Congress passed the Oil Royalties Bill, a bill that designates all royalties from newly discovered oil fields to education and health care. Once signed by President Dilma Rousseff the bill will come into effect next year and designates 75 percent of drilling royalties to education and 25 percent to health.
The bill comes at a critical time for the country, which saw the largest protests in decades this June. The protests, which were initially sparked because of rising transportation costs, came to encompass poor healthcare, the cost of the 2014 World Cup, low standards of living, and large wealth inequalities. President Rousseff proposed the bill in the wake of the sometimes violent protests in hopes of easing the tension among Brazilian citizens.
June's protests received extensive media coverage, and although the protests have been receiving less and less attention in international media, they are yet to dissipate completely. In early August, protesters in Rio de Janeiro tried to reach Governor Sergio Cabral’s Palace, demanding his impeachment and political reform. Police were forced to use tear gas and rubber bullets after protesters tried to break through their lines. Similar protests were also staged in Sao Paulo the same day. Thousands of workers across the country went on strikes, called for by trade unions. Many of these protests also ended in clashes between protesters and law enforcement. Demonstrations may be getting smaller, but the protesters have not stopped demanding reform.
President Rousseff, who once had the highest approval rating of any leader in the Western hemisphere, responded quickly to the protests, working with Congress and governors to find a resolution. “I mainly want to repeat that my government is listening to democratic voices. We must learn to hear the voices of the street,” Rousseff told governors and mayors in late June. “We all must, without exception, understand these signals with humility and accuracy.” She further explained that her government would focus on five key issues: fiscal responsibility and controlling inflation, political reform, healthcare, public transport, and education.
The Oil Royalties Bill is just the tip of the iceberg--there is so much more that needs to be done to establish Brazil as a fully developed country.
Photo: Izaias Buson (cc).
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Photo Friday: Brazil Oil Royalties to Go to Education and Health
August 23, 2013
On August 15th Brazil's Congress passed the Oil Royalties Bill, a bill that designates all royalties from newly discovered oil fields to education and health care. Once signed by President Dilma Rousseff the bill will come into effect next year and designates 75 percent of drilling royalties to education and 25 percent to health.
The bill comes at a critical time for the country, which saw the largest protests in decades this June. The protests, which were initially sparked because of rising transportation costs, came to encompass poor healthcare, the cost of the 2014 World Cup, low standards of living, and large wealth inequalities. President Rousseff proposed the bill in the wake of the sometimes violent protests in hopes of easing the tension among Brazilian citizens.
June's protests received extensive media coverage, and although the protests have been receiving less and less attention in international media, they are yet to dissipate completely. In early August, protesters in Rio de Janeiro tried to reach Governor Sergio Cabral’s Palace, demanding his impeachment and political reform. Police were forced to use tear gas and rubber bullets after protesters tried to break through their lines. Similar protests were also staged in Sao Paulo the same day. Thousands of workers across the country went on strikes, called for by trade unions. Many of these protests also ended in clashes between protesters and law enforcement. Demonstrations may be getting smaller, but the protesters have not stopped demanding reform.
President Rousseff, who once had the highest approval rating of any leader in the Western hemisphere, responded quickly to the protests, working with Congress and governors to find a resolution. “I mainly want to repeat that my government is listening to democratic voices. We must learn to hear the voices of the street,” Rousseff told governors and mayors in late June. “We all must, without exception, understand these signals with humility and accuracy.” She further explained that her government would focus on five key issues: fiscal responsibility and controlling inflation, political reform, healthcare, public transport, and education.
The Oil Royalties Bill is just the tip of the iceberg--there is so much more that needs to be done to establish Brazil as a fully developed country.
Photo: Izaias Buson (cc).
