I notice that Michel Lowy, who was a supporter of
Heloisa Helena for President in the first round
(one of the signatories in the letter of support)
has also in a CartaMaior (www.cartamaior.com.br)
interview taken a strong position for the defeat
of Alckmin in the 2nd round (here's a pure google
translation-- even leaving Mr. Squid in):
Cm - Mr. he signed a manifesto of supports to the
candidacy of Heloísa Helena in the first turn.
How he saw the result of the presidential elections in Brazil?
ML - I very find the result gotten for Heloisa
important Helena. The fact of almost 7% of the
voters to have voted for a candidate identified
clearly with the interests of the explored ones,
with a program of rupture with the
neoliberalismo, with a socialist and democratic
perspective, that retakes the best traditions of
the PT (before its conversion to
social-liberalism), is a great advance for the
reconstruction of the left in Brazil. Heloísa
Helena obtained to more than empolgar the hearts
of six million Brazilians and that is a great
step in walked for one the other future.
Cm - Mr. the government has criticized public Squid. As Mr. it evaluates it?
ML - The rocking is globally negative. Very
disappointing. Nothing to see with what it had
been the program, practical and the trajectory of
the PT in first the 15 years of its history.
Certain, one or another measure of assistance to
the poor persons was fulfilled and the social
movements had left of being criminalizados. But
in the essential, that is, in the economic
policy, continuísmo, the orientation liberal,
favorable to the banks, the national and
international financial capital predominated. The
agrarian reform was very on this side of the
promises. The government destined 10% of the
agricultural mounts of money for familiar
agriculture and the others 90% for the
agronegócio of exportation. This sample which are
its socioeconômicas priorities well. Without
speaking of the scandals, of the corruption and sanguessugas
Cm - Now, in as the turn, the placed options are
Lula and Geraldo Alckmin. It has differences between them?
ML - I find that differences exist, yes. They are
two variants of the liberal politics, but exactly
thus they are not equivalents. A Alckmin
government would be catastrophic for the
Brazilian workers. Would be government
reactionary, that it will search the
privatization of the little that it remains of
national companies, as the Petrobras, and of the
public services, and will invest in the
repression to the social movements. Squid was a
great disillusionment, but Alckmin is without a
doubt very worse of what Squid, of the point of
view of the poor persons and the oppressed ones.
Cm - Some dumb thing in the inernacional scene
being Lula or Alckmin in the presidency of Brazil?
ML - The government Squid never had the courage
to face the United States, to breach negociaçôes
of the Alca, to support the anti-imperialist
processes in Latin America, as of Venezuela and
Bolivia. But a Alckmin government completely
would be lined up with the North American
politics, as plus a pião in the imperialista game in our continent.
Cm - If it was in Brazil, Mr. it would point the
vote in some of the two? It would have some daily pay-condition for this?
ML - For the reasons previously displayed, and to
prevent the retrocession that would be a Alckmin
government, I go to vote in Squid in as the turn.
As Brazilian in the exterior I have the right to
vote here in the Embassy of Brazil in Paris.
Without illusions, but convinced of that it is
important to prevent that arrives at the power a
dangerous personage, identified with Opus I gave,
and the version most brutal, repressive and
antipopular the wild capitalism. If it deals with
my personal option, I do not say on behalf of no party or chain politics.
michael
Michael A. Lebowitz
Professor Emeritus
Economics Department
Simon Fraser University
Burnaby, B.C., Canada V5A 1S6
Currently based in Venezuela.
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