A Visit to Paraguay

I have never been to Paraguay before despite the fact that as a child we spent our holiday time just a few miles from the border with Brazil.  Paraguay was synonymous with everything that was shady, illegal and cheap. Many products were smuggled into southern Brazil through the Paraguayan border. My father told tales of arriving at the border only to find a asphalt road give way to dirt, and the border guards up a tree.
They no longer police the border and Brazilians and Paraguayans share the now bustling city of Ponta Porã.  One side of the road is Brazil, the other Paraguay, and an hour time zone difference. Everyone speaks Portuguese, Guarani and Spanish.  Prices are shown in both currencies and dollars are widely accepted.
Paraguay has set up a huge shopping center for cheap imported goods.  By cheap, I mean inexpensive, because they include all the famous American and European brand names. There are outlet stores and warehouses where you buy in bulk. It is fascinating what you can find there... everything from surfboards to Scotch whiskey, with all the needs of the local cowboy community thrown in.

The day we chose to visit Paraguay turned out to be an eventful day in Brazilian politics. In recent days there have been numerous protests all over Brazil against the government, calling for the impeachment of the current president. These arise from the alleged corruption scandal involving her party and the ex president, Lula. Things were looking hopeful when it looked like Lula would be arrested and tried, but the morning of our trip brought new news.  Lula was to be appointed as the president's chief of staff. And with the appointment he can no longer be prosecuted because under Brazilian law cabinet members can only be tried by the supreme court. The nation is in uproar. Can the government get away with this? Everyone is out in the streets and the police are out as well, keeping order. We joked that the military might take over, shut down the country, and we would be stuck in Paraguay. Good thing I brought my passport.
As we left we drove out between the two flags of Brazil and Paraguay.  The Paraguayan flag flapped cleanly in the breeze.  The Brazilian flag flopped down, old and ripped.  "Just like the country", our driver commented.

The problems in Brazil have been a long time in coming and it is time for a change. The changes to the constitution made to protect workers and bring about land reform are no longer working. An example of this was only too obvious as we drove home through the rich farm lands and cattle ranches. A row of makeshift shacks were standing along the road by the fields. These belong to the "sem terra", or people who claim to own no land. Originally these people could make a petition to the government for land, and land was taken from the largest land owners to be distributed among those without. They draw attention to their petition and plight by camping out by the land they hope to own one day. Today this practice has led to shanty towns, illegal appropriation of land, and open conflict between the haves and the have-nots. There are rumors that the "sem terra" own land in other areas of Brazil, and move around appropriating land wherever they can.
Paraguay, who has few legal practices of this sort, operates more by way of free trade.  They go into Brazil, buy up products which they sell back in Paraguay to Brazilians for a profit. Crazy, but acceptable and legal.

It grew dark as we approached the reservation. Our driver was wary of taking the road at night because of the current disputes over land there.  The indians had recently invaded two farms and claimed the land by putting up tarp covered shacks and living there. They draw attention to their dispute by barricading the road or throwing rocks at passing cars. Fortunately we didn't get hit by anything, but we did see the shacks out in the middle of the farmers' fields.  The reservation no longer is able to hold the 14,000 indians who live there.  It only needs someone from outside, even a Paraguayan, to come up with the idea of taking back their land from the white man to spark a situation like this one. In the long run no one wins.  The farmer loses the land, often without a fight, the crop is lost and the land lies unused.  The current occupants then sell it off cheap to someone, and take their money off to buy what ever they can. In all of this, Brazil, who used to be the great benevolent force behind the oppressed worker, loses out to their neighbors as they struggle to resolve each dispute.