CPMI: Let the truth come to light.

Our country is mired in a "sea of ​​mud." Where the rule has become the exception. The wheat is among the chaff, not the chaff among the wheat. Ethics and morality are obsolete words. Knowing how to lie is now a quality. We are experiencing a true inversion of values, reaching the point where those considered clever are revered and envied. In reality, they are nothing more than criminals plundering public assets.

Our politicians are elected to represent the people, but in reality, they represent their own interests (with very rare exceptions). Public affairs have become the target of veritable plunder. It's a complete disgrace.

Corruption has become a metastatic cancer, spreading to every corner of this country. Wherever there is public property, there are corruptors and the corrupted. It ranges from millions diverted from public works to the misappropriation of painkillers in hospitals. Thus, our public officials will never have enough money for health, education, security, basic sanitation, etc.

The root of this corruption has a name: it's called impunity. The causes of this impunity are diverse, but I want to mention only two. The first is our lax laws. The second is due to our judiciary. This was seen by the notable National Justice Inspector, Dr. Eliana Calmon, who declared on national television that "there are bandits in robes." Like her, I agree that this doesn't apply to the entire judiciary, but they cause enormous damage by spreading a sense of impunity.

The Brazilian people are honest, hardworking, and do not deserve to go through this. But in a population, not just the Brazilian one, as it is inherent to human nature, 20% would not be corrupted due to ethical and moral principles of their character. The remaining 80% would not do so out of fear of punishment. Thus, as long as impunity prevails in Brazil, corruption will reign supreme in this country.

But despite everything, I am optimistic and believe, like thousands of Brazilians, that Brazil will one day be governed and represented by serious people committed to its people, because Brazil is gigantic by its very nature.

Regarding the Cachoeira Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPMI), recently established in the National Congress, I don't believe in the outcome we are all expecting. I say this because I don't believe in our parliament. I was there for four months, as a senator, and I saw firsthand that there are many personal interests at play. Look at the Mensalão CPI, the Post Office CPI, and so many others that remain unpunished to this day. But I believe one thing will happen: this CPMI will, due to circumstances beyond the personal interests of some of its members, name names. And, in this way, it will reveal the true culprits. Then, the condemnation will come in the results of the next elections; that is, the judgment will be made by our people.

Having explained my point of view on corruption and impunity in our country, I feel obligated to explain to our voters my friendship with Mr. Carlos Augusto Ramos, Carlinhos. We spent our youth in the same city of Anápolis-GO. In the 80s, as boys, we played soccer together. Until then, I was a lawyer and accountant, and in 1989, I started my first company. Due to circumstances, I drifted apart from my friends, including Carlinhos. In 2009, I acquired an apartment in Goiânia, where Carlinhos lived, but he moved out of the building a few months ago because he got divorced. Therefore, I spent more than twenty years without any contact with Carlinhos, only to reconnect with him now in 2009.

I want to emphasize that Carlinhos, whom I reconnected with after so many years, was, for me, a competent and successful businessman, surrounded by good friends. Since our relationship is strictly one of friendship, after twenty years of estrangement, I was surprised by the national news coverage. The press has mentioned my name as a friend of Cachoeira, which is true. But I never had any business dealings with Carlinhos. In fact, to reiterate, the press never mentioned a business relationship, only a friendship.

I also want to emphasize that at the end of 2009, I sought out Governor Siqueira Campos, whom I did not yet know personally, partly because I had a real aversion to politicians. My intention was simply to help him return to the State Government so that he could "take care of the long-suffering people of Tocantins," in his own words. These are the people to whom I belong, the place where I spent my entire childhood. But, at his request, I ended up as the first alternate to Senator João Ribeiro. At the time, I believed it would be a mission from God in my life, even though I didn't feel like a politician, but rather a Brazilian citizen who could be useful to society.

I am a businessman in the civil construction sector (I build residential and commercial buildings), Honda dealerships, and other activities. My only partners are my two sons. I have never participated in any public bidding process, working solely and exclusively in the private sector. Therefore, I want to clarify that even though I helped Governor Siqueira return to office, I do not hold a public office, much less have I received any nomination from anyone to participate in the Government of Tocantins. As stated before, I am not a contractor, I have no business dealings with the State, and I have never received a cent of public money in my entire life (except when I was a civil servant at INAMPS in Anápolis-GO). Even my senator's salary, which I received for four months during my term, was entirely donated to the APAEs (Association of Parents and Friends of Exceptional Children) in Gurupi and Araguaína, and to Fazenda Esperança (a drug rehabilitation center) in Palmas.

God has been and continues to be wonderful to me. I don't need public money, fame, or even power. I only have one interest as a politician: to help my neighbor. If it is God's will, may I remain in politics. Time will tell.

Finally, I want to thank our true fourth power in this country, which is the press. Without it, I don't know where we would be today. And I congratulate the excellent and extraordinary work carried out by the Federal Police and the prosecutors, who conducted the operation called Monte Carlo. Because even though I don't believe in the criminal conviction of those responsible, I still hope that the embezzlement of public funds will not go unpunished.

I call upon all of society, especially young people, to mobilize against corruption and impunity. And to demand more from our politicians: seriousness, honesty, and competence in the performance of their duties. It is the least we expect from all of them.

Ataídes de Oliveira (PSDB-TO) He is an alternate senator for João Ribeiro (PR-TO).