DATE=8/26/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=BRAZIL-PROTEST UPDATE (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-253162
BYLINE=BILL RODGERS
DATELINE=BRASILIA
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
/// New info in intro and penultimate graph ///
INTRO: In Brazil, at least 60-thousand people held a
massive demonstration in the Brazilian capital Thursday
to protest against the government of President Fernando
Henrique Cardoso. V-O-A's Bill Rodgers is in Brasilia
with this report.
TEXT:
/// Ambient Sound ///
Chanting slogans and carrying banners, tens of
thousands of people marched down Brasilia's broad
avenues flanked by government ministry buildings to
gather on the wide, open mall in front of the Congress.
There, the massive crowd listened to speakers denounce
the government of President Fernando Henrique Cardoso
and his policies. One of the most popular slogans -
worn on T-shirts and displayed in a huge red banner
above the crowd -- was: "Out with F.H.C. and the F.M.I"
- which are the initials of the President and the
International Monetary Fund.
The protestors came from all over Brazil, some having
ridden buses for several days to reach the Brazilian
capital - a stark city of modernistic buildings that
was built in the 1950's.
Protestor Jose Rocha, from the northeastern state of
Ceara, was among the crowd of demonstrators. Like
many, he blames the hardships he and his neighbors have
suffered on President Cardoso and the I-M-F.
/// ROCHA PORTUGUESE ACT ///
The policies of the bankers and the I-M-F have hurt us,
he said, and brought us nothing good. There is
unemployment and hunger in the country - he said.
But Finance Minister Pedro Malan said Thursday the
protest will not change government policies - and he
rejected the criticism by the protestors as being vague
and inconsistent.
However, the demonstration was the largest ever against
Mr. Cardoso, who was re-elected to a second term last
year. In his first term, the Brazilian leader enjoyed
broad-based support for creating a new, stable currency
and curbing rampant inflation.
But, in January, a run on the currency forced the
government to devalue the Brazilian "real" by more than
40 percent. To stabilize the currency, Mr. Cardoso
negotiated a loan agreement with the I-M-F, that calls
for further spending cutbacks and other austerity
measures.
All this has led to a plunge in his popularity.
Opinion polls show he has a 59-percent disapproval
rating - one of the highest for any recent Brazilian
President.
The opposition parties, labor unions, and grassroots
organizations that organized Thursday's protest have
called it the March of 100-thousand.
/// OPT ///
The name comes from a famous protest held in Rio de
Janeiro 31 years ago, which gathered 100-thousand
people to demonstrate against the then existing
military dictatorship. David Fleischer, who teaches
political science at the University of Brasilia, says
aside from the name there are few similarities between
Thursday's protest and the one in 1968.
/// FLEISCHER ACT ///
At that point the march was against a deepening
authoritian regime, and had a flash point of the
death of a student in a protest march a few days
before...1968 was of course was a very heady
year, and movements and protest had already been
ongoing in France, the U-S, in Japan, in Mexico,
at the same time so it was a very heady year.
1999 does not have that worldwide movement
connotation, but the magic number of 100-thousand
is the throwback to 1968.
/// END ACT ///
/// END OPT ///
Protest organizers say they did surpassed their goal,
and gathered more than 100-thousand people. But the
police put the figure lower, at just under 60-thousand.
/// MUSIC ACT ///
The march was peaceful, with no major incidents
reported. People seemed content to listen to the music
and the speeches, before boarding buses late in the day
to begin their long journeys home. (Signed)
NEB/WFR/TVM/gm
26-Aug-1999 16:19 PM EDT (26-Aug-1999 2019 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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