The Brazilian acting
minister of justice Milton
Seligman denied the allegation that the former minister
Nelson Jobim had given
the instruction that the
Raposa/Serra do Sol indigenous area be reduced in
exchange for votes in favour
of the presidential reelection
bill. This denial was seen as an
attempt to retrieve the crumbling image of the government accused of several corruption charges. The information which was confirmed
in the O Globo newspaper in
mid May, had alleged that the
deputies wanted the mining
villages to be left out of the
original demarcation project,
thus reducing the area by 10 per cent.
Apparently, the agreement was officialised in
December 1996 by Jobim.
According to Seligman, the
presidential reelection bill
was not a major issue during
the time of Jobim's visit. The
minister said that the government 'could not "simply
wipe out villages which grew
inside the area of the indigenous reservation". The pro-
indigenous peoples lobby
attacked this statement as
preposterous by pointing out
that the government does
not have to "wipe out" any
home to demarcate any area
since the law provides for
compensations and that the
"homes" in this case are mining villages. The hazards they pose to the indigenous peoples have been consistently denied by the government, it alleged.
We are a voice to you; you have been a support to us. Together we build journalism that is independent, credible and fearless. You can further help us by making a donation. This will mean a lot for our ability to bring you news, perspectives and analysis from the ground so that we can make change together.
Comments are moderated and will be published only after the site moderator’s approval. Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name. Selected comments may also be used in the ‘Letters’ section of the Down To Earth print edition.