The “sub-imperialism” of Brazil, the arrogance of Brazilian businessmen and a more left wing approach for a future government of the ruling Workers Party (PT) are some of the points of the document to be considered next week at the party’s convention, which will choose the candidate for October’s presidential election and supposedly the heir of president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
“For a dynamic regional development policy to be well received and understood by neighboring countries we need to eliminate the fear of Brazilian sub-imperialism,” points out the text under the pompous name of “The Great Transformation” which was analyzed over the weekend by the PT leaders.
The document is to be considered by the IV Congress of the party this coming week when the government program to be presented to the electorate next October election will be receiving its final draft.
The congress is expected to nominate cabinet chief, Dilma Rousseff (handpicked by Lula) as the Workers Party’s presidential candidate. Her running mate in the ticket most probably will come from the PMDB, Brazil’s party with the largest congressional representation and member of the ruling coalition.
The document also has strong words towards the “arrogant and predatory” attitude of Brazilian corporations overseas, which “threatens” South American integration. Last year Brazilian construction companies were seriously questioned in Bolivia and Ecuador where President Rafael Correa claimed several Brazilian top managers were involved in acts of corruption.
The PT decisively supports the strengthening of UNASUR (Union of South American Nations) and criticizes the United States regional policy as an “exhibition of brute force.” Brazil is involved in a regional “low intensity” power struggle with the United States and this “confrontation” could be in the increase, points out the document.
In a near future Washington could consider Brazil’s foreign policy a “threat” to the US, adds the document which nevertheless indicates that Brazil must avoid being seen as acting with a “sub-imperialist” style.
Finally PT chairman Ricardo Berzoini said that the “program for the next PT government is more to the left of President Lula da Silva, but it is not left wing.”
He added “this program means we can achieve all those more ambitious social goals because the major macro-economic issues such as internal debt have already been solved or are on the way to be overcome.”
According to O Estado de S, Paulo, the drafting of the platform “The Great Transformation” for a future PT government was coordinated by Marco Aurélio Garcia, President Lula da Silva’s foreign affairs main advisor.
“Brazil is no longer the forever country of the future. The future has arrived and after Lula comes Dilma,” reads the document which promises that a future Rousseff administration “would privilege the strengthening of the State and its democratization through the creation of high quality, selected bureaucracy promoted on the basis of merits criteria.”
