• Indigenous from diverse regions strengthen the struggle for land in Mato Grosso do Sul
  
• Approximately 50% of funds designated for demarcation of lands was not spent in 2008

 

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INDIGENOUS FROM DIVERSE REGIONS STRENGTHEN THE STRUGGLE FOR LAND IN MATO GROSSO DO SUL

 

Indigenous Terena and Guarani Kaiowá met today, April 16 in the village Mãe Terra, of the Terena people, in the municipality of Miranda, Mato Grosso do Sul. In addition to peoples from the state, leaders from the northeast and south of Brazil were present to discuss the problem of the lack of land for the indigenous peoples in MS. This will be one of the central themes of the 6^th session of the Acampamento Terra Livre, which will be realized between May 4 and 8 in Brasilia.

 

In 2008, the Articulação dos Povos Indigenas do Brasil (Apib) decided to hold the Terra Livre in May to valorize the activities that occur in the local communities during Day of the Indian (April 19). In May, circa 600 indigenous representatives are due to meet in Brasilia for the mobilization that will have as central focus the struggle for indigenous lands. “The question of the lands in Mato Grosso do Sul is central to all of us”, affirms Romancil Cretã of the Kaingang people, from the Articulação dos Povos Indigenas do Sul (Arpinsul).

 

According to Cretã, the question of the lands is always central, but in 2009, it will be emphasized even more. “The pressures are increasing with the 19 conditions of the Supremo Tribunal Federal (Brazilian Supreme Court-STF) that can complicate the demarcations and with more projects in congress that attempt to change the procedure for demarcation”, states Cretã. He referred to the 19 conditions approved by the STF in the conclusion of the judgment on Raposa Serra do Sol and also the Proposal of Constitutional Amendment of senator Mozarildo Cavalcanti and the Draft Legislation (Projeto de Lei) of representatives Aldo Rebelo (PCdoB-SP) and Ibsen Pinheiro (PMDB-RS).

 

These two proposals transfer to the Senate and to the National Congress, respectively, the responsibility for confirming the demarcation of an indigenous land.

 

Besides this issue, during the acampamento, the indigenous peoples will approve the new text for the Statute of the Indigenous Peoples.

 

In addition to Arpinsul, there are at Mãe Terra representatives of the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Minas Gerais and of Espírito Santo (APOIME); Articulação dos Povos Indigenas do Pantanal (ARPINPAN) and of the Aty Guasu (Guarani Kaiowá). For Cretã, the indigenous of different regions need to articulate in order to combat the anti-indigenous activity by the state government and by the representatives of Mato Grosso do Sul, supported by ruralist associations and in large part by the local press.

 

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NEARLY 50% OF FUNDS DESTINED TO DEMARCATION OF LANDS WAS NOT SPENT IN 2008

 

In 2008, the National Foundation of the Indian (Funai) was left unspent R$  17 million that had been budgeted for demarcation and regularization actions for indigenous territories. Of the R$  30.456 million authorized for the past year, the Funai used only R$  4.854 million more of the R$ 8.644 million remaining to pay out in 2009. Analysis of the 2008 indigenous budget was released on April 9, by the Instituto de Estudos Socioeconômicos (Insec).

 

The study, made by anthropologist Ricardo Verdum, looks at the balance of budgetary execution by the different organs of the Federal Government involved in implementation of indigenist policy. The budget for indigenist policy approved for 2008 was R$ 736.014 million surpassing by nearly R$  60 million the budget proposed by the Executive in August of 2007. On the other hand, the analysis highlights the low budgetary disbursement in the demarcation and regularization actions for indigenous lands, and in those destined for environmental management, ethnodevelopment and to health.

 

In 2008, the budget for Funai activity was R$  287.453 million. Of this total, in the past year circa R$  239.422 million (83.29%) was discharged. The data gathered by Insec demonstrate that in the 12 activities under the responsibility of Funai within the Programa de Proteção e Promoção dos Povos Indigenas, and in which the lowest budgetary disbursement was to actions in demarcation and regularization of indigenous territories. Meanwhile, the Funai instituted only 31 Technical Groups for the study of identification of indigenous lands, in spite of there being nearly 500 petitions for this type of provision.

 

Health: precarious service and plenty of resources

Throughout the country, the indigenous denounced the precariousness in health care. Nonetheless, in 2008, the Fundação Nacional de Saúde (Funasa) failed to disburse approximately R$  11 million, there being R$  5.019 million designated for the structuring of health units and R$  3.095 million for advancement, vigilance, protection and recuperation in indigenous health. Also left to be disbursed circa R$  736 thousand with the actions for vigilance, and promotion of food and nutritional security among indigenous communities.

 

The activity in basic sanitation in indigenous villages also remains with high volume of unutilized funds: approximately R$  14.247 million, the equivalent of 23.17% authorized for the year. This is without account for what remains to be paid in 2009, or rather: R$  42.673 million.

 

In fact, this does not represent a large percentage index within the budget for health care activity for the indigenous peoples, the total of which was R$  342.549 million. Approximately R$  331.596 million (96.80%) was liquidated, there being of this total R$  69.890 remaining to be paid in 2009. On the other hand, the indigenous peoples and their organizations continue to question the effectiveness and inspection of the use of this resource.

 

The ministers of Culture (MinC) and of Meio Ambiente (MMA- Environment) also present low disbursement in budgetary execution of their programs. Of the R$  9.205 million authorized in 2008, the MMA executed little more than 16% including the approximately R$  469 thousand that remains to be paid in 2009. Already the MinC, of a total of R$  1.396 million authorized for 2008, there was executed little more than 53% or rather, R$  750 thousand, there being R$  652 thousand remaining to be paid in 2009.

 

Brasilia, April 16 of 2009
Cimi- Conselho Indigenista Missionário
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