Brazil president proposes referendum on reform

Yahoo – AFP, June 25, 2013

Brazil president proposes referendum on reform

BRASILIA (AFP) - President Dilma Rousseff proposed a referendum on political reform, scrambling to defuse unprecedented social unrest in Brazil that sparked two weeks of nationwide street protests.

She also offered to earmark $25 billion for public transport in response to protesters' exasperation with substandard public services and inadequate mass transit systems in the world's seventh largest economy.

The proposals from Rousseff come after demonstrations that have rattled her leftist government, bringing 1.2 million people into the streets on Thursday alone to demand a better quality of life.

Late Monday, street demonstrations persisted with about 10,000 taking to the streets of Porto Alegre in the south and another 2,000 protesting in Rio de Janeiro. Demonstrators in seven smaller cities like Teresina led to scuffles with authorities.

Following crisis talks with protest leaders, and then state governors and city mayors, Rousseff earlier suggested a referendum on the establishment of a constituent assembly tasked with crafting political reform.

"My government is hearing the democratic voices of the streets which are demanding change," she said.

The protests in Brazil initially focused on a hike in transport fares before mushrooming to encompass a variety of gripes including criticism of the huge cost of staging the 2014 World Cup and demands for an end to corruption.

The wave of demonstrations coincides with the Confederations Cup tournament being held in six Brazilian host cities as a dry run for next year's World Cup. Brazil has spent $15 billion to stage the two events.

Rousseff called for 50 billion reais ($25 billion) to be allocated in new investments "to improve public transport in our country," with the construction of metro systems the priority.

Buses are, however, the most common means of transport used by the country's 194 million people, while rising prosperity means an ever increasing number of private cars clog the streets of most major cities, creating traffic chaos.

Rousseff also stressed the need for fiscal responsibility and for boosting investments in health and education as demanded by the throngs who have taken to the streets over the past two weeks.

She has called for the use of oil royalties to boost education and proposing the recruitment of foreign doctors to bolster health services.

After the talks, representatives of the Free Pass Movement (MPL) -- which successfully forced authorities in several cities to cancel the fare hikes -- said they were open to dialogue but vowed to carry on with protests.

In a brief but noisy protest in Rio, Brazilian dentists were to the fore.

Bearing banners reading "public health should not be a business," a dozen members of the Dentists Take Action group explained their purchasing power was shrinking fast.

"Brazilian people don't like to march like this but power is now starting to come into the hands of the people," one of the group, Cristina Pinho, told AFP.

"It's like John Lennon said - 'power to the people'," she yelled, pointing to two Beatles badges on her coat.

A referendum in Brazil can only be called by Congress, where Rousseff's ruling Workers Party (PT) lacks an absolute majority and governs with a coalition of parties.

Education Minister Aloizio Mercadante told reporters that Congress would decide on a referendum date. Lawmakers are also to work out details of the proposed reform.

The last constituent assembly in Brazil was convened in 1986 in the wake of the 1964-1985 military dictatorship.

A poll by the Ibope institute released on Sunday showed that 46 percent of those who took to the streets had done so for the first time.

However, despite criticism of the high cost of the World Cup, 67 percent said they approved of Brazil hosting a tournament it has won five times, Ibope said.

FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke insisted Monday that football's world governing body had "never received any official offer" from any country to stand in as Cup hosts, amid the unrest and as Brazil races to get ready.

Meanwhile, two women who had taken part in a small protest in the central town of Cristalina died Monday after being run over by a motorist who ran through a blockade.

That brought to four the death toll in the protests, which began on June 11 in Sao Paulo. Unrest spread quickly and the vast country was engulfed in protest.

Since protests reached a high point on Thursday, they have generally been smaller and calmer. Calls for a general strike next Monday were circulating on social media networks.

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"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems  (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it),  Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse),  Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

“…  Government

Let us speak of government. We're not speaking of your government, but of any government - the way it works, how it survives, how it has survived, the way it campaigns, and how it elects leaders. It's going to change.

Years ago, I told you, "When everybody can talk to everybody, there can be no secrets." Up to this point on this planet, government has counted on one thing - that the people can't easily talk to each other on a global scale. They have to get their information through government or official channels. Even mass media isn't always free enough, for it reports that which the government reports. Even a free society tends to bias itself according to the bias of the times. However, when you can have Human Beings talking to each other all at once, all over the planet without government control, it all changes, for there is open revelation of truth.

Democracy itself will change and you're going to see it soon. The hold-outs, the few countries I have mentioned in the past, are doomed unless they recalibrate. They're doomed to be the same as they have been and won't be able to exist as they are now with everyone changing around them.

I mentioned North Korea in the past. Give it time. Right now, the young man is under the control of his father's advisors. But when they're gone, you will see something different, should he survive. Don't judge him yet, for he is being controlled.

In government, if you're entire voting base has the ability to talk to itself without restriction and comes up with opinions by itself without restriction, it behooves a politician to be aware and listen to them. This will change what politicians will do. It will change the way things work in government. Don't be surprised when some day a whole nation can vote all at once in a very unusual way. Gone will be the old systems where you used to count on horseback riders to report in from faraway places. Some of you know what I am talking about. Government will change. The systems around you, both dark and light, will change. You're going to start seeing something else, too, so let's change the subject and turn the page. …”