1. THE END OF AN ILLUSION
Fernando Alcoforado *
The balance of Lula and Dilma Rousseff government indicates the disengagement in
general of the PT (Workers Party) and their leaders with the great struggles of the
Brazilian people carried on in the last 50 years, a historical inconsistency traitor. This
inconsistency arises at two levels: first, by joining the neoliberal economic model of
subordination of Brazil to the domestic and international financial capital that was
introduced by former President Collor, given continuity by former presidents Cardoso
and Lula and maintained by current president Dilma Rousseff. The second relates to the
abandonment by the PT and its leadership of a principle that is constituted in the past in
a brand party, which distinguished that party from the others, which is the practice of
ethics and morality in the conduct of policy as evidenced with the alliances that was
made with "slag" of Brazilian politics as Collor, Sarney, Maluf and Renan Calheiros
among others under the pretext of ensuring good governance besides the buying of
votes of parliamentarians to support government projects in parliament.
By continuing the economic and financial policy of the government of FHC of sad
memory, the PT governments of Lula and Dilma Rousseff practiced a true act of treason
against those who voted for them in the expectation that would be promoted economic
and social changes required for the Country. Changing the world through the State was
the paradigm that prevailed under the leftist political parties from the eighteenth century
to the 1990s of the twentieth century. The thesis of leftist political parties underpinning
these views is simple: Winning the State which hitherto was an instrument of the
bourgeoisie and transforms it into an instrument of the people to realize the economic
and social changes. The thesis that considers the state as the center of the radiator
change is being a complete failure in the world and also in Brazil after Lula's electoral
victories in 2002 and 2006 and Dilma Rousseff in 2010. After the failed neoliberal and
anti-national government of Fernando Henrique Cardoso, it was expected that Lula and
Dilma Rousseff represented a step forward with regard to economic and social
development of Brazil.
The high interest rates (Selic) practiced by the federal government since the Cardoso
government until very recently contributed to the disproportionate increase in public
federal debt (R$ 2 trillion) that had as big beneficiary the financial system. The
purchase of government bonds federal remunerates banks for higher interest rates on the
planet. Never in the history of Brazil, had banks gained as much money as the FHC and
Lula governments. The denationalization of the Brazilian economy soared. Of the 50
largest Brazilian companies, 26 are foreign. More than half of Brazilian companies in
leading sectors such as automotive, aerospace, electronics, information technology,
pharmaceutical, telecommunications, agribusiness and mining are in the hands of
foreign capital. Foreign capital is present in 17,605 Brazilian companies that account for
63% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and has control of 36% of the banking sector.
One of the flags of the PT and its allies on the left that was the defense of national
interests was abandoned.
The denationalization of the Brazilian economy also achieved higher education in Brazil
during the PT governments with buying by foreign capital from numerous colleges and
private universities. Much of the direct investment of foreign capital in Brazil today is
for the acquisition of Brazilian companies that succumb because of the impossibility of
competing in domestic and foreign markets. Meanwhile, Brazil also shows clear signs
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2. of slowdown of its economy which has three causes: 1) the impact of the global
economic crisis due to the reduction in Brazilian exports, 2) the smaller expansion of
household consumption due to reduced ability to indebtedness and, 3) the fall in public
investment due to low public sector savings and private investment as a result of
shrinkage of domestic and foreign markets. As the Dilma Rousseff government and the
PT does not have the political courage or the audacity to promote the structural changes
required for the Country because it would affect powerful interests, the federal
government work tirelessly to stem the slowdown of the Brazilian economy reflected in
the meager GDP growth encouraging consumption for the population through credit
based on the release of funds to the financial system and the selective reduction of taxes.
The policy adopted by the Dilma Rousseff government is, however, ineffective because
Brazil's economic growth, fueled by artificially increasing consumption, has a
counterpart soaring debt and default of the Brazilian population. After the people have
responded to stimuli from the federal government since the Lula government with great
expansion of consumption, household debt has reached its limit. There is no alternative
for Brazil to grow unless raising public and private investments. Failing to realize the
economic and social changes required for the Country, the PT governments have
adopted the policy to remain in power at all costs seeking the support of the people by
adopting a policy of institutionalized patronage “Bolsa Familia” (government program
of income transfer) that under the pretext of help the poor, works in practice, as a means
of buying votes in elections. Additionally, sought to establish a parliamentary majority
in Congress buying votes of parliamentarians to support government projects. The
behavior devoid of ethics and morals of the PT and Lula's former president also calls
into question all the militants serious of PT and allied parties and personalities who
support it. The possible defection of Governor Eduardo Campos and PSB of the allied
base of the PT government might result from this fact.
Corruption that has always existed in the structures of power in Brazil became systemic
during the PT governments in an attempt to cling to power at all costs. The state of
unrestrained political corruption is known as systemic kleptocracy, which literally
means "ruled by thieves." Another serious problem concerns the embezzlement of
public funds in Brazil that manifests itself in the spending ministries excessive amount
of no less than 38, and many other public bodies useless, costly regime bicameral
(Chamber of Deputies and Senate) when it should be unicameral, the excessive number
of commissioned positions in all three branches of government to employ the supporters
of the government which currently totals 22 000 indicated for many politicians,
overpricing in public works and construction of work Pharaohs, among others. The
sewer of corruption and mismanagement is where lost billions of reais (Brazilian
currency) in public funds. We must end the spree with public money sponsored by bad
politicians, who long ago only give costs to Brazil, not respect public spending and not
the pockets of taxpayers. While lack resources for investments in education, health and
safety, the spree of the executive branch, the House of Representatives and Senate with
taxpayer money continue without parsimony. All this demonstrates that ended the
illusion that the PT would realize the economic and social changes desired by the
majority of the Brazilian people.
* Alcoforado, Fernando, engineer and doctor of Territorial Planning and Regional Development from the
University of Barcelona, a university professor and consultant in strategic planning, business planning,
regional planning and planning of energy systems, is the author of Globalização (Editora Nobel, São
Paulo, 1997), De Collor a FHC- O Brasil e a Nova (Des)ordem Mundial (Editora Nobel, São Paulo,
1998), Um Projeto para o Brasil (Editora Nobel, São Paulo, 2000), Os condicionantes do
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3. desenvolvimento do Estado da Bahia (Tese de doutorado. Universidade de Barcelona,
http://www.tesisenred.net/handle/10803/1944, 2003), Globalização e Desenvolvimento (Editora Nobel,
São Paulo, 2006), Bahia- Desenvolvimento do Século XVI ao Século XX e Objetivos Estratégicos na Era
Contemporânea (EGBA, Salvador, 2008), The Necessary Conditions of the Economic and Social
Development-The Case of the State of Bahia (VDM Verlag Dr. Muller Aktiengesellschaft & Co. KG,
Saarbrücken, Germany, 2010), Aquecimento Global e Catástrofe Planetária (P&A Gráfica e Editora,
Salvador, 2010), Amazônia Sustentável- Para o progresso do Brasil e combate ao aquecimento global
(Viena- Editora e Gráfica, Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo, São Paulo, 2011) and Os Fatores Condicionantes do
Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social (Editora CRV, Curitiba, 2012), among others.
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