Newsletter no 782

 

– Plebiscite challenges validity of auction in which the Vale do Rio Doce company was sold

– Indigenous youth organization strengthens the struggle of their communities

 

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Plebiscite challenges validity of auction in which the Vale do Rio Doce company was sold

 

From September 1 to 7, social movements from all over the country held a Popular Plebiscite challenging the auction in which the Vale do Rio Doce Company was sold, in 1997.  There were many irregularities in the privatization process of the company, which was sold for 3.3 billion reals, but was evaluated at 40 billion dollars at that time.

 

The Plebiscite is being organized by various organizations and movements from all parts of Brazil since the beginning of 2007. This action is part of the National Campaign for Nullifying the Vale do Rio Doce Auction. Today, the courts are still analyzing 69 class actions against the sale of the company.

 

The under-evaluation of Vale do Rio Doce is one of the irregularities that gave rise to these actions. When establishing the sale value before the auction, the company’s railroad and port infrastructure and its reserves of titanium, uranium and other ores were not taken into account, for example. Having uranium reserves is unconstitutional, because it is a nuclear material which only the State can explore. Another illegality pointed out is that the Bradesco Bank, one of the institutions that evaluated Vale do Rio Doce, participated in the purchase of the company.

 

The company had public concessions in most mineral reserves of the country in large areas of the national territory. In the area around the Carajás’ mineral reserves alone, it had a concession of 700,000 hectares inside the Amazon forest. The company also held a concession for the three largest railroads in the country and for three large ports. The privatization of Vale do Rio Doce without consulting the Brazilian people jeopardized Brazil’s sovereignty, because the assets involved belonged to Brazilian society at large.

 

Paulo Maldos, Cimi’s political advisor, pointed out that the required mobilization to recover this public asset will only be possible by building a Grassroots Project for Brazil, in which state resources are controlled by the people to be used in public policies (health care, education…). “The proposal is not for Vale to resume the status of a state enterprise. The idea is that the people should be allowed to participate in the definition of its paths, so that it can benefit the whole nation without harming the environment and populations living in its surrounding areas, where various indigenous peoples and communities of descendants of runaway slaves live,” he explains.

 

Other issues

In addition to the issue of Vale’s sale, the Popular Plebiscite addressed three other topics:

– The payment of interest rates on the foreign and internal debt, to the detriment of using public funds for investments in the country (health care, education, land reform…);

– The exploitation of electricity by private corporations, which increased their prices by almost 300% after the privatization process;

– The proposal for reforming the social security system aimed at, among other goals, putting an end to the special social security regime for rural workers.

 

The organizers of the Plebiscite have already requested an audience with president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to deliver him the voting results. They also want to be received by the chief justice of the Supreme Federal Court, Ellen Gracie, and by the presidents of the Chamber of Representatives and of the Senate, Arlindo Chinaglia and Renan Calheiros (respectively). 

 

To see where you can vote in your city go to www.avaleenossa.org.br

To hear audio materials of the Campaign go to Campaign Audio

To watch the video of the Plebiscite go to Video Part 01 – Video Part 02 – Video Part 03

 

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indigenous youth organization strengthens their communities struggle

 

From August 31 to September 2, about 300 young people from the Tupinambá, Pataxó Hã-Hã-Hãe, Pataxó and Tuxá (state of Bahia), Tupinikim (state of Espírito Santo) and Xukuru (state of Pernambuco) peoples gathered at the 3^rd seminar of Tupinambá young people at Serra do Padeiro in the state of Bahia. The Tupinambá people have strengthened their struggle, encouraging its young people to organize themselves.

 

Based on the theme “Organized Youth, Strengthened Community,” the meeting discussed the following topics: organization of young people, demarcation of indigenous territories, public policies and challenges faced by the indigenous young people. “The seminar was successful. Young people participated in it actively and contributed to discussions on topics related to the daily reality faced in the villages,” evaluated Magno Santos, a young Tupinambá, one of the event organizers.

 

As a result of this articulation, a committee made up of nine young people from three villages located in the south region of the state of Bahia was created. The first activity of this committee will take place on September 21 at Monte Pascoal, when a “Letter of Young Indigenous People” will be drawn up to be sent to both state governments and to the federal government with proposals and claims from young people of the region.

 

One of the most discussed topics in the seminar and which will be included in the letter is the demarcation of the Tupinambá land. “We decided that if Funai doesn’t solve this problem, indigenous young people will demarcate the territory themselves,” declared Magno. Challenges faced by these  young people today, such as pregnancy during adolescence, sexually transmitted diseases, and drug and alcohol abuse also drew the attention of the participants. “We want the government to take a policy position in relation to these issues,” said the Tupinambá youth.

 

An important victory of the youth organization was a proposal to set up a committee of young indigenous people to join the Apoinme (Cooperation of Indigenous Peoples from the Northeast region, the state of Minas Gerais and the state of Espírito Santos.) Representatives from Apoinme who were present at the seminar said that, from next year on, this committee will become part of the entity. 

 

Brasília, September 6, 2007

www.cimi.org.br

Indianist Missionary Council