It is nearly one hundred and twenty days since Luiz “Lula” da Silva “was elected on the promise of change, and it hasn’t happened,” according to Luiz Carlos Prates, leader of the strike at GM Brazil. He went further saying: “We want protection against inflation but the government is against it. They are putting themselves ahead of the workers.” These views are not shared by Ricardo Cavalho, President of Anfavea, the Brazilian vehicle manufacturers’ association. “We are convinced the strike was political,” says Carvalho. However, the unions feel differently and insist: “It was economic.”
On his inauguration day on Jan. 1, 2003, many foreign visitors to the country spent long hours at airports and other public places, where they were able to see millions of Brazilians following the celebration festivities with more joy than watching football. Not able to understand Portuguese, most of them resorted to reading body language. They could tell that the working classes were thrilled. It was taken for granted that Lula would deliver to each and every one of them his or her dreams on silver platters.
The white-collar professionals and the elite had their doubts that Lula could deliver. They felt that the economy would be ruined and the country would slip back to the situation of the 1970’s.
Now, just over four months after Lula has taken the Presidency, the working class is not happy with his rule and the white collars admire the manner in which Lula conducts his responsibilities. They are not yet sure he will succeed in achieving his goals. However they are prepared to give him full marks for tackling national issues from which previous Presidents shied away.
In short, Lula introduced to Congress plans on four major social and economic reforms. They cover social security, taxes, the legal system, and the election law. Lula deserves all respect for tabling these very controversial proposals. His efforts to bring issues that are in conflict with the constitution of his party, the PT, risk party unity and member loyalty. Apparently, Lula is following the party manifesto, adopted to win the election. The extreme left of the PT considers the manifesto to have merely been a document to win the election and not a guide to ruling the country. They want Lula to drop the manifesto and follow the party constitution.
Lula’s life over the past four months has not been at all dull. The world still remembers how, on his way to Congress for inauguration, the crowd surrounded Lula and enthusiastically hugged him and shook his hands. Apparently he enjoyed it so much that he kept the habit of shaking hands with the Brazilians for months, earning him the title “the Pop Star President.”
On leaving parliament after all the congressional formalities, the Rolls Royce, a gift from Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, would not start. It had to be pushed by the crowd; the same white, black and “pardo” (a color in between) Brazilians whom Lula currently is pushing towards productive work.
Mixing integrity with humor seems to be a good recipe to get the Brazilian economy moving. The working class will have to realize that there is no free lunch under capitalism. Globalization forces the weak and the hungry to be strong, otherwise they will be slaughtered. The professionals and the elite must break their silence. Lula requires more than admiration from them for him to deliver his promises. The international community has already developed encouraging trust in his leadership. The Financial Times of May 9 said that “it appears the enthusiasm of strategists and investors for Brazilian assets has not been dented and most expect the currency to strengthen further.” This highlights a core issue in Lula’s policies — that the government will not interfere with the exchange rate.
The 22 Arab economies, in their future economic planning and pursuit of prosperity for their citizens, had better benefit from maintaining a close watch on his progress. The Brazilians, with particular reference to the pardo from their region, are putting their economic house in order. From them and other successful developing economies, the Arabs may be able to learn how to achieve their social and economic objectives without necessarily losing their identity or freedom. But they will have to move quickly to realize their economic and social development and stability. Otherwise they will continue to be bullied by international pressures.
Arab News Features 19 May 2003
