Sao Paulo, June 30th, 1994.
Dear Sir:
The Rondonia Non-Governamental Organizations Forum sent a letter to the
President of Brasil and State Ministers and to the President and Executive
Directors of the World Bank last June, 13th, 1994. reasoning and asking for
suspension of the disbursements into the Rondnia PLANAFLORO Plan, financed
by the World Bank, as a means for its rediscussion and improvement.
The Socioenvironmental Institute, a non governamental organization
dedicated to promote social and environmental rights, based in SFo Paulo and
Bras!lia, wishes to manifest support to the Rondnia NGO's Forum and protest
against the Rondonia State Government and the World Bank for the violations
of commitments made in regard to PLANAFLORO.
The disastrous consequences of the colonization process triggered by the
POLONOROESTE Plan apparently have not convinced Rondnia's Government.
Besides boycotting the revision efforts of the PLANAFLORO, regional
authorities seem to be more interested in mantaining the World Bank flow of
funds into the "institutional building" of their state administrative
machine.
Government agencies such as the Environmental Development State Secretariat
(SEDAM), the National Institute of Colonization and Agrarian Reform (INCRA)
- which is a federal agency -, the Land and Colonization Institute of
Rondnia (ITERON) and the Special Comission of Materials and Work Bidding
(CELOM), just to name a few, are less and less concerned to disguise their
tacit support to rapacious exploitation of natural resources in Rondnia. The
State Government is the first to violate Rondnia Socio-Economic-Ecologic
Zoning which was officialy enforced as law by the State Constitution.
Under such circumstances, the Rondnia NGO's Forum can not participate in
any administrative body that legimitizes PLANAFLORO. Suspension of World
Bank disbursements has become an urgent and necessary measure to promote a
rediscussion of the Plan - the only one capable of further preserving it.
It is disheartening though that Federal Government, Environment and Legal
Amazon Ministery and also the World Bank's omit in the face of PLANAFLORO
political farse, after having been alerted so many times regarding its
contradictions. One has to consider that Rondnia NGO's Forum warnings are
important also for other regions and development plans in Amazon, such as
the Pilot Program for Conservation of Brazilian Forests.
Governability crisis in Brazil assumes bizarre characteristics in the
Amazon frontier. The Federal Government, the Rondnia State Government and
the World Bank authorities can not continue to support political processes
that only aggravate the situation. It is necessary to rediscuss PLANAFLORO.
In order to accomplish its goals, the World Bank should suspend
disbursements into PLANAFLORO.
Thanks for your attention.
Yours sincerely,
Carlos Alberto Ricardo
Executive-Secretary.