In November 1889, the young army officer Felicíssimo do Espírito Santo Cardoso handed a dismissal letter to Dom Pedro II and conducted the Emperor to the ship that would carry him into exile.

That act was more symbolic of the change from monarchy to republic than Field Marshal Deodoro's cry of "Long live the Republic!"

The change was, however, limited to the departure of the Emperor and the inauguration of a field marshal as president.

The new regime did not transform the aristocracy into a republican society, and Brazil continued divided between a privileged minority and the scorned masses. We proclaimed the Republic but did not construct it.

The elected presidents were members of a republican aristocracy, and they continued governing for it. They were not elected from the people and for the people.

Our Republic was more unequal than the empire had been, more unequal than any monarchy. Royal families resemble their people more than our governing officials and their families resembled the Brazilian people.

The election of the metalworker Lula, a worker coming from the poorest strata of the northeastern peasant class, signified the first rupture in the Brazilian republican empire.

Each president, even those of poor origin, had paid a toll to the elite before arriving in power, becoming part of it by means of a diploma, a fortune or services rendered to the wealthy.

In January 2003, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, the great-grandson of the officer who handed the Emperor his expulsion notification, passed the presidential sash to the metalworker Lula.

One hundred thirteen years had elapsed between the great-grandfather's walk, taking the Emperor through the corridors of the Imperial Palace, and the great-grandson's walk on the ramp of the Congress with the sash for the metalworker president.

More than a century had to pass before the Brazilian elite would accept a man of the people as the head of the nation that calls itself a republic. They feared that a president coming from the people would not act like one of the elite, would not govern for them.

The presidential inauguration at the hands of the great-grandson was more important to the Brazilian Republic than the expulsion of the Emperor by the great-grandfather.

Two years later, the elite aristocracy is relieved, just as the nobles were relieved two years after the proclamation of the Republic. The representative of the people knows how to govern even better than the educated doctors and generals of yesterday.

But, as the worried people of 2004 are discovering, the empire has still not ended. The presidency is still shaped by Excellencies who carry out their duties in palaces, a congress of nobles, budgets that do not change the lives of the people, an educational system that increases inequality in the population, a tax system that concentrates income.

And after 115 years of the Republic, we are still not seeing actions to build the Republic, abolish the social separation between the elite and the people, better distribute income, install an egalitarian justice system, reduce the regional inequality, give all the people a quality education, defend the nation against external threats, guarantee peace in the streets, protect the natural and cultural patrimonies, promote scientific and technological development, make the economy grow in a sustainable form.

With 115 years of republican regime, we have still not dedicated ourselves to the construction of a republican society, where all citizens would have equal rights and opportunities.

We accept and commemorate an incomplete republic. We have a metalworker statesman, but we do not have a Republic. We have a metalworker emperor. Fortunately, there are still two years left for him to assume the leadership of constructing the Brazilian Republic.

(Written in honor of the Proclamation of the First Brazilian Republic, November 15, 1889)

Cristovam Buarque has a Ph.D. in economics. He is a PT senator for the Federal District and was Governor of the Federal District (1995-98) and Minister of Education (2003-04). You can visit his homepage - www.cristovam.com.br - and write to him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Translated from the Portuguese by Linda Jerome - This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Comments (7)

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written by Guest, 2005-04-11 05:30:11

Nice article, Cristovam, but why do not give us some answers instead of just rising questions and pointing problems?

Hummmmmmmmm
written by Guest, 2005-04-11 07:08:24

You are learning to write an article, very good, congratulations. It makes me to think about it. However, we have so much problems in our Country. The biggest one is the corruption, also lack of nationalism, lazy public servants, lack of education. Low self steem and so many things.
Now, with a worker in the Presidence. The workers do not help workers. Look at Correio does not work, University Education is one situation that we can not even discuss here. Our citizens abroad many of them with high technologic skills and general knowledge have simples problems with the Brazilian Diplomatas that were not educated to deal with Brazilian citizens.
The security concern in Brazil is another huge problem. What is going on with the health system. How, we are going to make a govern to work in Brazil if only few people can pay taxes. Our salary is so low. The wealthy is concentrated in the hands of few people. Why not taxes wealthy as USA does. If you received more than 1 million dollar of heritage, you must pay the value after that. Per example. if your parents passed away and you received a 2 million dollars heritage, therefore you must pay 1 million in taxes to the governm. The governm to other side can at least use this money to social reforms, education and even buy some extra bombs to drop in Iraq. No Country makes reform with out money. Brazilians can not wait a miracle from Lula.
We have so many questions. So little answers. It seems to me that everybody wants to move to Europe now. Italians are making a fortune selling fakes passaport to Brazilians. Now, the Dream is to live abroad before Brazil really sinks.

something different...DT
written by Guest, 2005-04-11 10:39:55

the previous post talks about an inheritance tax as a manner to increase revenue. I concur, that Brazil does need to increase direct taxation like the inheritance tax, but there has to be a more fundamental change among the government. Where will this money end up? Also, we have to come up with bigger and greater ideas.
And I have thought of one: how about ending the ICMS, the Brazilian sales tax and replace it with the federal CPMF tax, under one value for each state. IF at the current low level, 0.38 the federal gov can receive 23 billion reais, the tax rate will probably have to jump to somewhere near 1.5 or 2 percent. If done correctly, you could substitute a indirect regressive tax, like ICMS and have a state runned CPMF, that is collected by federal gov. but distributed to the states to compensate for the loss of ICMS. DONT FORGET THAT THE CPMF IS A TAX ON 40 PERCENT OF BRAZILIANS WHO ACTUALLY HAVE A BANK ACCOUNT! 60 percent of the people would not pay such a tax unlike the current ICMS that affects everybody who consumes anything! Also, clearly the federal gov. would lose the CPMF revenue that could be made up by raising federal taxes on income tax (IR), Rural tax and even a hike in the inheritance tax that unfortunately Senadors reject increasing.

Tax
written by Guest, 2005-04-11 11:44:38

I agree with you that tax in Brazil must have a big change. However, we need to do a big change in all our society. Change the educational system, special Universitiesm they only eat money and do not show any practical results. Improve security, make a professional army cheaper and more mobile and ready to act in international and national problems such as Haiti,iraq and so on. We can not allow US to play alone with all cards. We need to make people more responsible for their acts. People, such as public staff if make mistake must pay even with jaile time and working in a prison factory or prison farm.
Hills with favelas must be cleaned and make reflorestation zone. This will improve the environment quality and make the cities more safety. It will bust turism and billion of dollars in Turism will come in 10 years.
We need to sit down and discuss a new society. Organizations like Rio Branco Institute does not need to exist, this is a waist of money. Let's to talk about it.

I am not from PT
written by Guest, 2005-04-11 15:03:13

I am not from PT, I am not a farm labour and I do not have interess in land in Brazil. However, since the 13 colonies from Brazil, when the land were share among the friend of the real family. Such lands still in the hands of the same family. We need to end with the big farms in Brazil now, no tomorrow.
It is very sad to know that the FHC was the great-grandson of the officer who handed the Emperor his expulsion notification. It means that this people are sucking Brazil by generation by generation as servant public.
We need to have reforms urgent. Make a big tax revenue reform. Even doing tax in fortune and heritage as describe in a text above. Brazil needs immediately a big reform. Or the social violence will increase more and more all Brazilian system is contaminated by corruption, desrespect for the common citizen and a slope job in all sectors of the adminstration of the public service.

I am not from PT
written by Guest, 2005-04-11 15:03:14

I am not from PT, I am not a farm labour and I do not have interess in land in Brazil. However, since the 13 colonies from Brazil, when the land were share among the friend of the real family. Such lands still in the hands of the same family. We need to end with the big farms in Brazil now, no tomorrow.
It is very sad to know that the FHC was the great-grandson of the officer who handed the Emperor his expulsion notification. It means that this people are sucking Brazil by generation by generation as servant public.
We need to have reforms urgent. Make a big tax revenue reform. Even doing tax in fortune and heritage as describe in a text above. Brazil needs immediately a big reform. Or the social violence will increase more and more all Brazilian system is contaminated by corruption, desrespect for the common citizen and a slope job in all sectors of the adminstration of the public service.

Mobile army?
written by Guest, 2005-04-13 14:41:06

re: make a professional army cheaper and more mobile and ready to act in international and national problems such as Haiti,iraq

If a PT gov't sends troops to Iraq, would that be on the side of the elected Iraqi gov't or on the side of Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi?