South Africa, Brazil - Can Brics Achieve its Potential?

Navigating the tides of conflict?

South Africa and Brazil are large and influential countries with lots of resources and developmental and leadership potential. Unfortunately, both countries face massive challenges in satisfactorily dealing with the endemic poverty, inadequate social infrastructure, and economic inequalities which are characteristic of even the richest countries, such as the US. On top of these disadvantages, South Africa and Brazil are currently having to address serious and damaging questions about the impact of corruption on both their governments and some of their large industries.

The government of Brazil is under increasing and powerful attack about alleged corruption, with President Rousseff Dilma's position appearing to be rather precarious, as both those who support the her government and those who oppose it lock horns in a struggle, the outcome of which could go either way, but could also result in the fall of Dilma's government. This would be a blow both to her party and to the people of Brazil, since the country has only recently had an election which Dilma won, and if another election were to be held, that could be costly to the country; not only in financial and social cohesion terms, but in its undermining impact on the country's development. Brazil, it seems, is now experiencing similar socio-political strife to Argentina, and it is not reassuring that both of these countries have had a past history of the military playing a leading role in how they were run.

It is not for the good of Brazilians that members of their government and/or political parties are being accused of corruption, even if corruption is a scourge of both developed and lesser developed countries.

The same applies to South Africa, which, under the Presidency of Jacob Zuma, has led to damaging allegations of governmental corruption and of private business having questionable influence on some of the decisions made by the government. Countries such as Brazil and South Africa are likely to have a problem with some politicians trying to use political power to advance their desire for economic power and riches. The challenge for countries such as these is that of applying zero tolerance of these parasites whose first loyalty is to themselves, and not the common good of all their people. 

 The corruption scandal which is threatening Brazil and South Africa raises serious concerns about how they can reliably participate in the the development of Brics, as well as provide a stark contrast to how Brics country such as China, is attempting to deal with aspects of corruption in that country.

In the end, it is to be hoped that both South African and Brazil can take effective steps to reduce - since it is not going to be completely eliminated - the instances and impact of corruption on the socio-economic and political development of their governments.

OWOHROD