BRAZIL
Written by PSTU – Brasil
Monday, 13 October 2014 23:17

The PSTU candidates defended a workers’ and socialist program for the country in the past election.
A program to ensure decent life for workers and the poor people – health, education, housing, transportation, retirement, land reform, employment and decent wages for all. To ensure respect for the rights of LGBT people, the end of discrimination and sexism against women and racism against the black people. Putting an end to violence and the criminalization of poverty and the struggles of the Brazilian workers and the youth.
A program that, to achieve these goals, proposes measures to put an end to the control that banks, contractors, multinational and large companies have on our country, as this is the only way to end injustice and inequality.
The second round of elections will be contested by two candidates who don’t defend this program. Aecio Neves, from the PSDB, is the direct representative of the banks and big companies that control the country. His government would be a clear expression of backwardness, the return of the tragedies happened during FHC’s government, that privatized, handed the Brazilian wealth to multinationals and harshly attacked workers’ rights. Or like the state governments of Geraldo Alckmim (PSDB) in São Paulo or Anastasia (PSDB) in Minas Gerais, whose only answer to demands of workers, poor people and youth is police brutality.
The continuity of the Dilma Rousseff (PT) administration won’t either bring about the changes that the Brazilian workers and youth need to live better lives. We know the PT’s governments still nourish great expectation and hope in an important part of the working class. But after ruling for 12 years it is clear that this party has favored the same interests as the previous PSDB government. When seeking an alliance with the banks and large corporations to rule (represented by Sarney, Collor and Maluf in the Congress) the PT didn’t change neither will change the country.
The expenditure in the Bolsa Familia(Family Allowance) program, presented by PT as its main measure to combat poverty, is about US$ 11 billion/year. The “Bolsa Banqueiro” (Banker Allowance) [1] – public funds coming out of the same national budget to fatten the profits of banks and financial market speculators – amounts to US$ 400 billion/year. That means, the priority, in fact, remains with the banks and not the poor.
On the contrary, the slowdown in economic activity – the country’s GDP is expected to grow less than 1% this year – will drive the next government, whether headed by Dilma or Aecio – to impose more attacks on the workers’ rights. What is in preparation is  rising oil and energy prices (if so,it will impact the prices of all other commodities, including food), the continuity of privatization, such as the recent auction of the Libra oil field and subsidies to banks and large companies, as tax exemptions and the payment of the public debt. And no measures to benefit the working class as, for example, to prevent a further growth of unemployment due to the deepening  crisis ahead.
The working class and youth must not harbor illusions in these candidates or in an election way out for achieving their demands. They must prepare the fight back in defense of their rights, whatever the outcome of the second round.
The PSTU believes, as we said in the first round, that voting is a political attitude that strengthens the recipient. And – for all that is said above – our view is that we can’t strengthen any of the candidates who are vying for the presidency in the second round. For this reason, our opinion is that the better vote for thousands of workers and youth who accompanied us in the first round is the null vote in the runoff. Obviously, we respect everyone’s opinion, but we want to make clear our option and the reasons why we adopted it.
Socialist greetings
São Paulo, 10/08/2014
Zé Maria  National president of PSTU
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[1] – Bolsa Banqueiro (Banker Allowance) is a pun with “Bolsa Familia”, related to the public deficit payment, of 45% of the annual national budget.