Brazilians made history on Sunday, October 27, 2002 when they elected a metalworker, Lula, as the President of the Country. This result was greeted with joy by workers, peasants, activists, trade unionists and people all over the world. This is a historic victory because when Lula formed the Workers’ Party in 1980 nobody believed that it would survive long. The election results come against the backdrop of the growing arrogance of conservative forces internationally. Hlokoza Motau reports.
Lula’s history is one of a struggle against the odds. As a child, he worked as a peanut seller and shoe-shine boy. He learned to read when he was 10 years old. He worked in the metal industry in the 1960s, joined the trade union and survived 20 years of military rule.
In 1975, he was elected President of the Metalworkers’ Union. As President, he represented his Union in the International Metalworkers Federation Executive until he left in 1980 to form the Workers’ Party of Brazil (PT).
Brazil is a huge country with a population of 175 million people. Its size covers half of South America. Vast numbers of its people are descendants of slaves from Africa.
Brazil was under military rule from 1964 to 1985 whereby trade unionists and political activists went into exile, disappeared and were murdered. Strikes were forbidden and harshly repressed. This was an exciting era for activists as they honed their skills in the struggle against military rule.
During military rule, many laws were passed to fragment and tame the unions and Lula was instrumental in transforming unions to become militant and political.
Today, Brazil is a very unequal society, with shacks, poverty, landless people but it is also rich in mineral resources. And it has a rich history of struggle.
In celebrating his victory, Lula gave these encouraging words to the workers, the poor and the landless:
“I am certain Brazil will overcome its present difficulties and build a destiny of progress and social justice.”
In a message of goodwill and solidarity, the IMF General Secretary, Marcello Malentacchi had this to say, “the fact that a metalworker like yourself can and has been elected to the highest post in your country gives us all tremendous hope for the future.”
Malentacchi went on to say he believed that the newly elected President and his party, the Workers Party, would have the will and capacity to speedily resolve their many problems, not just for the workers of Brazil, but for the citizens of the country.
Lula will assume office in January 2003. We wish him well.