Maranhão - April 25, 2009
The Sarney clan has been ruling and mismanaging Maranhão for 50 years. Roseana Sarney, heir to the oldest reigning political oligarchy in the country, has taken over the state government for the third time. She did not return to power by the people's will, but by judicial determination. The Superior Electoral Court ruled that Jackson Lago, who held the position of governor, committed numerous abuses during the 2006 election campaign and revoked his mandate. Roseana took the position because she was the runner-up in the election. After taking office, she promised to cut spending, improve public administration, and work hard to improve people's lives.
It would be great, if it didn't sound like a joke retold many times. Of Maranhão's last thirteen governors, only two - including Lago - were elected outside of their sphere of influence. Although he is now a senator for Amapá, José Sarney continues to call the shots in the state. The result of this dominance is visible to the naked eye: the Sarney family is a millionaire, but Maranhão leads the Brazilian ranking of underdevelopment.
"Sarney and his allies sell the idea that only they will, one day, bring progress to Maranhão. To fuel the illusion, they use the 'crumb policy,' which is based on granting small benefits to the population without anything truly advancing," says historian Wagner Cabral da Costa, a professor at the Federal University of Maranhão. After five decades of the Sarneys in power, the state exhibits 20% illiteracy, 80% of households without access to sewage, and 65% of people dependent on government aid to survive. The standard is African.
Not that the lives of Maranhão residents changed during the administration of the recently ousted Jackson Lago. His two years in government were marked by total inoperability, and nepotism reached its peak. He had 23 relatives in government, including his wife, Clay, who was his private secretary. "The difference is that my relatives received modest salaries," he told VEJA. Oh, well...
For the population, it makes no difference. "I heard that Jackson left and Roseana returned, but for me, there's no difference," says Íris Brito Dias, 36, who supports four children with the 250 reais per month she earns from fishing for shellfish on the outskirts of São Luís. "I've voted for both him and her, but our lives have never changed." The Sarneys', on the other hand, can always improve.
Read the full report in this week's VEJA (in full, exclusive for subscribers).
