BRAZIL'S RESILIENT GOVERNMENT - would you find it a strange sort of stability?

Seven ministers have fallen since June. It now must be a world record, specially considering the head of the government remains as 'strong' as ever. When only roughly half-way through the story so far, the Economist miscalculated Brazil's potential for keeping unharmful a high turn-over among top political positions, and made a too early incisive remark on the phenomenon, "Is there anybody left?"

Major difference in the lastest case - this Sunday's resignation of the minister of Labor - is that the media did not talk once again of 'house keeping' as a glorifying task duly performed by president Dilma Rousseff. It was implied to be over with the departure previous to this.

It shocks me that no one seems to feel like protesting against the iniquitous record, nor even prone to formally enquiry Dilma Rousseff about it. It clearly turns out that Ms. Rousseff is kept in a god-like position, ahead of a magical kingdom - or as so it must be regarded by most part of the world, while Brazilians are too busy shopping to care for such 'details'.

All the seven disgraced ministers are men, but a woman, Anna Holanda, minister of Culture, has been very recently involved in scandal, as his brother, artist Chico Buarque de Holanda, was granted government funds to have one of his books translated into a foreign language. It was announced in response that everybody who asked for funds was served, so... the issue died out.

These developments must teach us that, beyond genre, what is decisive in Brazil's political life - as it is elsewhere in the country - is affection. If people like a certain person, all the dirt that may emerge linked to him or her is seen as 'nothing'. For the sake of further illustration, Ferreira Gullar, who has taken home every prize for poetry, has written in Folha de S.Paulo's column that there is no point in considering pedophilia a crime; it is, he adds, an innate sexual preference.

As that newspaper then put Gullar in a glass shade, prevented reader's comments to be published in that media, and even sacked his ombudsman, Gullar remained free from criticism, just for having reached a position most people in Brazil regard akin to God, being thus inconditionally respected.

Also enjoy such status, among, of course, many others, Chico Buarque and his relations; former president Lula and his relations, besides his protegee, Dilma Rousseff.

Ferreira Gullar's article mentioned above, along with my letter to the paper's ombudsman then in charge, is here. Gullar has just been granted one more prize - 'Jabuti', by Câmara Brasileira do Livro, for best fiction book of 2010.

If any other common Brazilian had voiced what the so-much acclaimed poet did, would be ruined for life. Definitely, inequality resides in Brazil.