Jackson Inácio da Silva, one of the Brazilian president’s brothers, has already declared his vote in the runoff for the presidency and he will not be voting for Lula but for his opponent, the former governor of São Paulo, Geraldo Alckmin.
Jackson, who at 52 is 9 years younger than the president, says that he is very disappointed with all the corruption in his brother’s administration. Worse off all he doesn’t believe when Lula says that he didn’t know what was happening around him.
The younger da Silva lives in Mongaguá, a beach resort in the south coast of São Paulo, with his wife and three children. He works as a construction foreman and the last time he met Lula was on January 1st, 2003, the day his brother was inaugurated as president.
In three occasions he was a Workers’ Party candidate for City Council in Mongaguá.
Jackson criticizes most of all the way the president chooses his aides. "He is very badly advised. His first mistake was not knowing how to pick his team. And I’m not the only one who is disappointed. The whole Brazil is."
And he adds: "The PT left me embarrassed. It was my hope, they didn’t have the right to make a mistake."
He also criticizes his brother’s social programs, especially the Bolsa Família (family grant): "Brazil is not just the Northeast. Besides, the Bolsa Família is a downright shame for any government. People do not want alms, they want work, a house to live in, toothbrush. It’s not just rice and beans," he panned.
The first brother says that if he had to rate the current administration he wouldn’t give it more than a 5 or a 6. He also mentioned that Lula hasn’t talked to his family – the president has 15 siblings who are alive – since the inauguration.
Jackson considers Alckmin a better option, starting with the fact that the ex-governor is against reelection: "I’m also against reelection moreover in a situation like the present one where the government was well below expectations."
He reminded reporters that Lula also was against reelection once.
He doesn’t complain however that his brother didn’t help him personally: "This is not the problem. He needs to take care of Brazil. Here it is everyone for himself. We are all workers."
Anticipating some protest in the family, the rebel brother has already sent a message: "I think some of you might call to complain about my decision. But I’m with Alckmin. And I won’t change."