Brazil’s Ficha Limpa (Clean Record) Legislation: Will it Run Over Corruption or Will it Run Out of Steam?

“Popular wisdom tells us that example comes from above. Corrupt politicians stimulate all kinds of corruption in society. When political representatives steal, they give their voters the green light to behave the same way. In such circumstances, blessed be society’s indignation!” Chico Whitaker, Ficha Limpa (Clean Record) Coordinator
Tião was a famous monkey in the Rio de Janeiro Zoo. For many Rio citizens, or cariocas, Tião was a symbol of carioca playfulness and irreverence, and his antics were sure to attract large crowds. As a confirmation that the average carioca is as humorously contemptuous as Tião, in the 1988 mayoral elections, the monkey received 9.5% of the popular vote. Tião was not running for mayor, of course, and votes for him were technically considered blank. But the event had a symbolic significance. The people of Rio wanted to burlesque the politicians who pretend to be principled despite their egregious record of corruption. On the other hand, the case of Tião offers a glimpse into a common but still unfortunate Brazilian attitude towards politics and politicians: if we can’t change it (or them), we should at least be able to laugh about it.

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