Crash reveals public divide in Brazil
RIO DE JANEIRO—As Brazilians mourned the recent plane crash that killed 71 people, including almost an entire soccer team, President Michel Temer spent days publicly wavering about whether to attend the memorial service in the southern city of Chapeco.
His allies in congress were even less tactful: They launched an around-the-clock session seeking to gut anti-corruption legislation on the same day people learned of the disaster, spurring violent protests in the capital of Brasilia.
Coming from an already deep- ly unpopular government, the bungled response to what is seen as a national tragedy has angered Brazilians to the point where analysts say it has put Temer’s ambitious plans to cut spending and overhaul the pension system in jeopardy. And there are increasing calls, mostly from opposition politicians but also ordinary citizens, for Temer to be impeached just like his predecessor.
“The tragedy of the Chapecoense team was not only a missed opportunity for the president, it was also damaging,” said Carlos Manhanelli, chairman of the Brazilian Association of Political Consultants. “Once more it gave the impression that politicians don’t care about normal people.”
The plane crashed outside Medellin, Colombia, late on the night of Nov. 28. The next morning Brazilians woke up to the shocking news, including that 19 players on the Chapecoense soccer club were among the dead.
Temer, the former vice president who took over the top job in August after President Dilma Rousseff was removed from office for breaking fiscal responsibility laws, called for three days of national mourning. But Temer’s solemn words were not heeded by his legislative allies.
That night one chamber of congress rushed through an unpopular spending-cut measure, while the other moved to weaken anti-corruption legislation and even add penalties for prosecutors and judges who overstep their power.
The measure on corruption was particularly galling for many Brazilians as about 60 percent of sitting lawmakers are under investigation or already charged with wrongdoing — mostly graft, according to local watchdog groups.