The Hindu: OPINION » EDITORIAL May 13, 2016 | Vocabulary | word meaning | synonyms

Regime change in Brazil

It is a coup by another name. With the suspension of President Dilma Rousseff from office on Thursday through a Senate impeachment vote, the Brazilian opposition has secured a rare political victory. The impeachment, approved with a 55-22 majority, brings to an end 13 years of rule by the Workers Party (PT). It also puts Ms. Rousseff’s political future in limbo as she now has to weather the impeachment trial, which could last up to six months and will determine if she may or may not regain the presidency. While the opposition politicians are understandably happy with the outcome, the impeachment is likely to deepen Brazil’s political crisis at a time when the country needs a stable administration to cope with the enormous challenges it faces, especially the current economic crisis, and chronic corruption. Certainly, Ms. Rousseff could have done more to lead her country out of this situation. Her government was ill-prepared to cope with the challenges of the global drop in commodity prices, which hit Brazil’s export-dependent economy particularly hard. Some of the measures she took, such as cutting public expenditure to control deficit, were counter-productive as they drove the PT’s traditional base, the working people, away from her. Besides, she could do little to check the pervasive corruption within the PT. The question of course is whether such political failures warrant an impeachment. Also, will the forcible removal of Ms. Rousseff help address any of the major problems Brazil faces now?

Those who support the impeachment, politicians and others, say it is a fight against corruption and Ms. Rousseff’s economic ineptitude. This line of reasoning has at least two problems. First, she has not been implicated in any corruption case. Ironically, Vice-President Michel Temer, who will now take over as acting President, has been named in a Petrobras bribery scandal. According to surveys, only 2 per cent of Brazilians support him for President, while 60 per cent favour his impeachment. Even the head of the Senate and the man who oversaw the impeachment vote, Renan Calheiros, is the subject of 11 criminal probes. Second, it is not clear what kind of changes the incoming acting President can bring about to rescue Brazil’s economy from a free fall and to stabilise its politics — given that he faces corruption charges and has no popular mandate. Though Ms. Rousseff is unpopular, the PT still commands respect among large sections of Brazil’s poor. If the PT continues its street protests against the impeachment, which have at times turned violent, that would make it that much more difficult for Mr. Temer to establish credible authority. The best, and the democratic, way out of this crisis would be to call fresh elections and let the people decide who should be the next President. He or she could start afresh on the basis of a new mandate. Unfortunately, Brazil’s political elite appear to be more interested in political manoeuvring than in addressing the real issues.

coup

kuː/

noun

noun: coup; plural noun: coups; noun: coup d'état; plural noun: coup d'états; plural noun: coups d'état

a sudden, violent, and illegal seizure of power from a government.

"he was overthrown in an army coup"

synonyms:

seizure of power, overthrow, takeover, ousting, deposition, regime change; bloodless coup, palace revolution; rebellion, revolt, insurrection, mutiny, revolution, insurgence,insurgency, rising, rioting, riot; coup d'état, jacquerie; putsch "the prime minister was deposed in a coup in 1995"

antonyms:

election

impeachment 

Pronunciation: /ɪmˈpiːtʃmənt/ 

NOUN

chiefly US A charge of misconduct made against the holder of a public office:the president is facing impeachment over the scandalCOUNT NOUN all impeachments shall be tried by the Senate

• Other presidents did worse and there were no exposes or impeachments.
• He finally resigned in order to avoid impeachment.
• The two men were warned by the government that they faced impeachment if they didn't step down.

limbo

Pronunciation: /ˈlɪmbəʊ/ 

NOUN

An uncertain period of awaiting a decision or resolution; an intermediate state or condition:the legal battle could leave the club in limbo until next year

• So there they stayed, in limbo, until after resolution 1441 when last November they were allowed to return.
• But the decision still left them in limbo until a final decision could be made on the park's future.
• The players and the many supporters who turn out each week to get behind their club, deserve much better than being left in limbo for an indefinite period.

2.1A state of neglect or oblivion:these prisoners are in limbo: no one is responsible for their welfare

• In time, argues Winnicott, the transitional object is relegated to limbo, neither mourned nor forgotten, just losing its meaning.

weather

ˈ

Verb

1. • withstand (a difficulty or danger).
     "this year has tested industry's ability to weather recession"

     synonyms:

     survive, come/get through, ride out, live through, pull through, come through (unscathed), outlast, outlive

counter-productive 

Pronunciation: /ˌkaʊntəprəˈdʌktɪv/ 

ADJECTIVE

Having the opposite of the desired effect:

child experts fear the Executive’s plans may prove counterproductive

More example sentences

• My friend did not disagree with me as to the likely counterproductive effects of such a demonstration.
• This siege has proven that it is not only counterproductive, it is dangerous.
• That precedent will be both dangerous and counterproductive in the long run.

pervasive 

Pronunciation: /pəˈveɪsɪv/ 

ADJECTIVE

(Especially of an unwelcome influence or physical effect) spreading widely throughout an area or a group of people:ageism is pervasive and entrenched in our society

More example sentences

• He exercised a pervasive influence on European drama by challenging the conventions of naturalism.
• Nevertheless, their influence is pervasive within the history of science.
• They include globalisation, the spread of the Internet and the pervasive power of money.
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Synonyms

prevalent, penetrating, pervading, permeating, extensive, ubiquitous, omnipresent, present everywhere, rife, widespread, general, common, universal, pandemic, epidemic, endemic, inescapable, insidious;

immanent

warrant 

VERB

[WITH OBJECT]

1Justify or necessitate (a course of action):the employees feel that industrial action is warranted

More example sentences

• Young people aged 10 to 17 who plead guilty to their first offence will be sent to new youth offender panels, providing their crime is not serious enough to warrant a custodial sentence.
• It's serious enough to warrant immediate action.
• Of course, the generals' categorical denial of a conspiracy simply serves to underline that the rumors are serious enough to warrant their attention.
• 
  

Synonyms

justify, vindicate, call for, sanction, validate, be a justification/reason for;

permit, authorize, entitle, empower;

uphold, condone, endorse, deserve, excuse, be a defence of, explain away, account for, offer grounds for, legitimize;

support, consent to, license, approve of;

merit, qualify for, rate, be worthy of, be worth, be entitled to, be deserving of

address

VERB

[WITH OBJECT]

Think about and begin to deal with (an issue or problem):a fundamental problem has still to be addressed

More example sentences

• The second half of this book, once the history has been dealt with, addresses the problems of the present, issue by issue.
• On the whole, general comments now became longer and more analytical, and they began to address difficult issues of interpretation.
• A typical day begins with a staff meeting, where any issues and problems are addressed.
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Synonyms

attend to, tackle, see to, deal with, confront, grapple with, attack, buckle down to, get to grips with,embark on, settle down to, direct one's attention to, turn to, get down to, concentrate on, focus on, apply oneself to, devote oneself to;

turn one's hand to, try to deal with, try to sort out, take up, take in hand, undertake, engage in, become involved in

informal get stuck into, get cracking on, get weaving on, have a crack at, have a go at, have a shot at, have a stab at

ineptitude 

Pronunciation: /ɪˈnɛptɪtjuːd/ 

NOUN

[MASS NOUN]

Lack of skill or ability:the officials displayed remarkable ineptitudethe sheer ineptitude of their economic plan

implicate

VERB

Pronunciation: /ˈɪmplɪkeɪt/ 

[WITH OBJECT]

1Show (someone) to be involved in a crime:he implicated his government in the murders of three judges

More example sentences

• I was able to show that several had been ‘doctored’ after Mary's forced abdication to justify what her enemies had done to her, implicating her in crimes she didn't commit.
• Then if I am ever implicated in a crime that I didn't commit, I can prove my exact whereabouts beyond any reasonable doubt.
• She had always felt that, by refusing to implicate him in the crime of adultery, she was saving him from the ruin that she faced every day.
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Synonyms

incriminate, compromise;

involve, connect, embroil, enmesh, ensnare;

expose

archaic inculpate

oversee 

Pronunciation: /əʊvəˈsiː/ 

VERB (oversees, overseeing; past oversaw; past participle overseen)

[WITH OBJECT]

Supervise (a person or their work), especially in an official capacity:the Home Secretary oversees the police service

More example sentences

• There was no health and safety plan in place or a supervisor appointed to oversee the works.
• Its members are elected by parliamentary deputies and judges, and its work overseen by the president.
• The Parish Council is the board of the local church that oversees its work and finances.
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Synonyms

supervise, superintend, be in charge of, be responsible for, run, look after, keep an eye on, inspect, administer, organize, manage, direct, guide, control, be in control of, preside over, head (up), lead, chair, umpire, referee, judge, adjudicate, moderate, govern, rule, command

afresh 

Pronunciation: /əˈfrɛʃ/ 

ADVERB

In a new or different way:she left the job to start afresh

More example sentences

• Tomorrow the great leader's axiom will be recalled afresh once again.
• A new Convention was therefore elected, to begin the task afresh; but once more it was soon stalemated.
• My intention is to look afresh at the monument with a different kind of vision.
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Synonyms

anew, again, over again, once again, once more, a second time, another time

elite

Pronunciation: /eɪˈliːt/ 

 /ɪˈliːt/ 

NOUN

1A select group that is superior in terms of ability or qualities to the rest of a group or society:the elite of Britain’s armed forces[AS MODIFIER]: an elite athletean elite commando unitelite colleges and universities

More example sentences

• In fact, Murray comments that societal elites were less likely to be religious.
• It is a model strictly for people who are into hierarchical societies with bossy elites who like to display their power.
• Town life also presented new challenges of economic and social organization to urban elites.
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Synonyms

best, pick, cream, flower, nonpareil, elect;

aristocracy, nobility, gentry, upper class, privileged class, first class, establishment;

high society, jet set, beautiful people;

Indian  bhadralok;

French beau monde, haut monde, crème de la crème, A-list

North American informal four hundred

View synonyms

1.1A group or class of people seen as having the most power and influence in a society, especially on account of their wealth or privilege:the country’s governing elitethe silent majority were looked down upon by the liberal elite

More example sentences

• In recent decades, successive governments have carried out policies aimed at benefiting a tiny privileged elite at the expense of the broad mass of working people.
• Unless you're a CEO or a millionaire I don't see how you can defend a party whose policy benefits benefits the elite over the general populace.
• Over the past decade, the Western political elite has experienced a profound disorientation.
• manipulate (someone or something) in order to achieve an end:they were manoeuvring him into betraying his friend
  More example sentences
  

  • They are forever busy manipulating and maneuvering situations to their advantage.
  • In response, she sought to manoeuvre his own people ahead of his supporters in the lists.
  • Along the way he's manoeuvred a group of marginal seat holders into more powerful positions.

  Synonyms
  

  intrigue, plot, scheme, plan, lay plans, conspire, pull strings;

  North American  pull wires

  rare machinate

• manoeuvre

• [NO OBJECT] Manipulate a situation to achieve an end:[WITH INFINITIVE]: Rann was manoeuvring to elope with the girl
  

  More example sentences
  

  • We have no confidence in its leaders, who've manipulated and maneuvered against our civic initiate for years.
  • No wonder the pre-election atmosphere can now be felt, particularly because the political elite have started maneuvering to serve their own and their groups' interests.
  • As interest groups stepped up their lobbying, the political parties continued maneuvering in advance of a potential Senate vote to bar the filibusters.
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  Synonyms
  

  manipulate, contrive, manage, engineer, devise, plan, plot, fix, organize, arrange, set up,orchestrate, choreograph, stage-manage

  informal wangle