Brazil: Salary increase for parliamentarians in discussion · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

Cherge de Amarildo, used with author's permission
As every end of the year, the  Brazilian federal deputies legislated for themselves and approved another  salary increase, causing an extensive discussion among Brazilians and reaction in the blogosphere.
Today, a Congressman  receives [pt*] R$ 16.512,09 [R$ = Real, Brazilian currency – GV note] only in salary (15 installments per year), which can  reach up to R$ 166,512.09 considering the several amounts of extra payments to which he or her is entitled.
Just in terms of salary,  excluding additional payments, a parliamentarian earns a little more than 52 times the minimum salary (R$ 510.00) of Brazil, the lowest value that an employer is allowed to pay  to its employees, in which the largest part of the Brazilian population can be found.
As a comparison, in 2009,  56.8% of Brazilians lived up to minimum salary and now the parliament  discusses the difficulties in raising the minimum to an acceptable  level.
Still if we compare the salaries of the Brazilian deputies with the ones of other more developed countries, we  see how big the problem is. In the UK, a  Parliamentarian earns per year £ 65.738, or about R$ 175 thousand reais, while in the U.S. the same parliamentarian costs $ 174 thousand per year or R$ 292 thousand reais to state coffers.
It is worth noting that  the almost 170 thousand reais paid by Brazil for each Federal Deputy (totaling 513) come pretty close to the 175.000 paid to British parliamentarians, who  legislate in a country which even by far has not the economic disparities  and extreme poverty of Brazil. As for the U.S., despite the  considerably higher salary, the Chamber of Deputies (or Representatives) counts on 435 members.
Cristina Rodrigues, from the blog blog Somos Andando [We Are Walking], is  straightforward by analyzing the  causes and proposing solutions:
É evidente que deputados, como qualquer categoria (ainda que cargos  eletivos não sejam exatamente uma categoria profissional) devem ter seus  salários reajustados vez que outra. A grande armadilha, por qualquer  ângulo que se olhe, está no fato de serem eles mesmos a concederem o  reajuste para os próprios salários.
[…]
Para evitar o desgaste de cada votação de aumento e não incorrer em  excrescências, o ideal seria vincular o reajuste dos cargos do  Legislativo e também os do Executivo, como presidente, ministros,  governadores e secretários de estado, ao percentual de reajuste  concedido a alguma categoria profissional. Ou, para simplificar, ao  valor da inflação. Nesse caso, não seria propriamente um aumento, mas um  reajuste apenas para cobrir as perdas.
It is clear that deputies, like  any  category  (although  elective  positions are not exactly a professional  category) should have their salaries adjusted from time to time. The big pitfall, from any  angle  you  look at it, is the fact that they give  themselves the  re-adjustment  to  their  salaries.
[…]
In order to  prevent wear of every salary increase voting and not  incur excrescences, the ideal  would  be to link the adjustment of the  positions  of  the Legislative and also the Executive, as  president, ministers, governors and  secretaries  of  state, to the percentage of adjustment granted  to some professional category. Or, for  simplicity, to the  inflation  rate. In this case, it would not  be exactly an increase, but only  an  adjustment  to  cover  the  losses.
The Federal Deputy Ivan  Valente, whose entire party  –  PSOL  – voted  against  the proposed increase, via Twitter, agrees  and  adds an alarming data:
@Dep_IvanValente: Nossa idéia é  apresentar um projeto p/indexar o aumento à média do reajuste do  funcionalismo público. P/ isso é preciso maioria no Congresso
@Dep_IvanValente: Vale lembrar que o  aumento, que fomos contra, não foi apenas p/deputados, mas também  p/senadores, ministros, presidente e vice-presidente
@Dep_IvanValente: Our idea  is  to present a project which indexes the increase  to  the  average adjustment for civil servants. For this, it is necessary to be majority in Congress.
@Dep_IvanValente: It's worth remembering that the  increase, to which we were against, was not only for deputies, but also for  senators, ministers, president  and  vice-president.
Robson Fernando, from the blog Arauto da Consciência [Herald  of Consciousness], ironically congratulates the Deputies:
Parabenizo vocês pela estupenda atitude de aumentar seus salários em  mais de 60% em tempo recorde e impor ao Poder Executivo um salário mais  de 130% maior. Enquanto o povo sofre pra ter aumentos acima da inflação  em seus salários, vossas senhorias, que têm o privilégio de controlar  seu próprio salário mesmo contra a vontade do patrão (Presidente),  esticam como querem suas remunerações.
Vossas senhorias são um exemplo para o mundo: um exemplo de como se  pode governar em prol de interesses particulares e boicotar o interesse  público, fazendo o povo sofrer em prol de um bando de marajás.
I congratulate you for  your wonderful attitude of increasing your own salaries  by  more than 60% in record time and  impose to the Executive a salary of more than 130% higher. While  the  nation suffers to have salary raises above  inflation,  Your  Lordships, who have the privilege of controlling their own salary even against the will of the  boss  (the President), increasing their salaries as you wish.
Your lordships  are  an  example  to the world: an example of how to rule  in  favor  of special interests and boycott the public interest, making  the  people suffer for the sake of a bunch of  Maharajas.
He also posted the e-mail of all parliamentarians who voted for the increase of their own salaries, and the blog Pragmatismo Político [Political Pragmatism]  published a list containing each federal deputy's vote.
Leonardo Sakamoto, in his blog, harshly criticizes the  increase, stating that  parliamentarians should  earn  just the enough to “fulfill with dignity the  office  for  which  they have been elected”  and, if  the  intention  is  to enrich, they should “move into the  private  sector”:
Sabe o que me deixa mais tiririca da vida do que aumento salarial no  apagar das luzes do ano, feito a toque de caixa? É que os nobres  parlamentares não usam a mesma celeridade para discutir temas que  parecem não ser do seu interesse. Se pelo menos tivessem o mesmo empenho  que têm por si, pelos amigos ou por seu pequeno grupo social,  poderíamos dizer: “ah, eles ganham, mas trabalham para a sociedade em  geral”.
André Raboni, from the blog Acerto de Contas [Settlement of Accounts], repudiates the salary increase indicating its percentage, and calls one's attention to the “ripple  effect” on other powers:
Os congresso brasileiro aprovou hoje um aumento  salarial que é um verdadeiro escárnio contra o País. O decreto  tramitou numa velocidade estonteante ao longo do dia, e foi aprovado com  regime de urgência na Câmara e depois no Senado. Os salários dos  parlamentares foram reajustados de 16,5 mil para 26,7 mil Reais (um  aumento de 61,8%), e também terá o mesmo valor os salários do  presidente, do vice-presidente e dos ministros (aumento de 133,9%).
[…] O efeito cascata deverá  vir logo: aumentos para deputados estaduais,  vereadores, governadores,  prefeitos, juízes federais, desembargadores, et cetera.
The Brazilian  Congress approved today a salary increase which is  a  true  mockery  against  the  country.  The  decree  proceeded  at  a breakneck pace throughout the day, and  was  approved  within an emergency regime in the House and  then in the Senate. The  salaries  of  legislators  were  increased from 16.5 thousand to 26.7  thousand reais (an increase of  61.8%), and the salaries of the president, vice-president  and ministers will also have the same value (increase of 133 9%).
[…]  The  ripple  effect shall come soon: increases  for  state  deputies, city councilors, governors, mayors, federal  judges, appellate court judges, et cetera.
Eduardo Guimarães from the blog Cidadania [Citzenship], on the other hand, agrees with the raise:
Ora, é óbvio que um político detentor de mandato eletivo passa a ter um  orçamento doméstico e pessoal maior, pois seu padrão de vida sobe até  pela importância do cargo, situação que não se coaduna com a necessidade  de poupar para que não morra de fome se ao fim do mandato de quatro  anos não for reeleito. E até para ter como bancar a própria campanha  eleitoral seguinte sem recorrer a dinheiro de origem duvidosa.
[…]
Os baixos salários oficiais dos políticos acabam se tornando “razão”  para que alguns caiam na tentação de se resguardarem contra a  possibilidade de não conseguirem se reeleger, para que não voltem à  planície do setor privado tendo que recomeçar a vida do zero.
It is  obvious  that  a politician holder  of  an elective office will have from now on a personal and household  budget increased, as their  standard of living rises to the importance  of  the position, a situation that is inconsistent with  the  need  to  save  so  they do not starve if at the end of the  term  of four years they are not reelected. And  even  afford their own very next election  campaign without resorting to money of  dubious origin.
[…]
The  low  official  salaries of politicians eventually  become  “reason” for some to fall into the temptation  to  guard  against the possibility of failing  to be reelected, not to return  to  the private sector having to  start  life  from  scratch.
Writing for the blog Trezentos [Three hundred], Uirá replied to Guimarães’ post, opposing  his arguments.
In another post, Raboni calls the population to protest and asks for transparency regarding the expenses of parliament and judiciary members.
Se o nobre leitor se dignar a contestar o aumento, envie um e-mail, uma  mensagem, um tweet, qualquer coisa, para o seu deputado, e questione-o  sobre o aumento.
[…]
Que cada parlamentar dê transparência a tudo o que gasta (de  preferência sem notas frias…) usando a internet (que barateia custos e  aproxima os cidadãos) e que preste contas não apenas aos seus eleitores,  mas a todas as pessoas.
E que isso sirva também ao judiciário,  que foge da publicidade de seus custos como a diplomacia norte-americana  foge de Assange. Cobre de seu parlamentar não apenas uma explicação  sobre este aumento: cobre exija que ele cobre transparência de todos os  gastos de dinheiros públicos.
If  the  noble  reader has the kindness to oppose the raise, please send an e-mail, message, tweet, anything, to your  deputy, and  question  him/her about  the  raise.
[…]
That  each  parliamentarian give transparency to all  that she/he expends (preferably without fake notes…) using the  Internet (which lowers costs and brings the  citizens together)  and be  accountable not only to their constituents, but  to everyone.
And that this also happen to the judiciary, which flees from the  advertisement of their  costs  as  American  diplomats flees from Assange. Demand of your parliamentarian not only an explanation for this raise: demand, require that he demand transparency of all public funds expenses.
In  2011, the  expected  ripple effect of  wages  has  been confirmed. At least 26 state  legislatures have already pledged to increase  its  members’ salary, based  on the federal assembly increase. Meanwhile, parliamentarians fight like cats and dogs to  increase the minimum wage from R$  510.00 to R$ 540.oo. In the meantime, few  citizens mobilize in the streets.