Return of Lula—Son of Brazil
Can lightning strike a person twice? According to Brazil’s new president Lula, who won the general election of Brazil two weeks ago, he said yes. “I ran for election only because I could do better than before.” This man who founded the Brazilian Labor Party in 1980, and served as a Brazilian legend for two consecutive terms from 2003 to 2010, once again became the leader of his country. “Lula supporters were ecstatic, spilling beer into the air, near Paulista Avenue in Sao Paulo, Brazil.” Lula was not of a noble origin. He only attended primary school for five years. In his early years, he followed his mother and seven siblings, who had been abandoned by his father, from a poor area in northeastern Brazil to Sao Paulo, a big city, to make a living. In Sao Paulo, he worked as a shoe shiner and a lathe operator, started with the grassroots trade union leader, and gradually gained national influence. Lula believes the secret to his success is his ability to engage with the Brazilian working class. “I’m so proud to prove that a steelworker without a college degree is more capable of running the country than Brazil’s elites,” he said, “because the art of management is with the heart, not the brain. ” Indeed, what Lula achieved during his last presidency was undoubtedly impressive to most Brazilians and many other countries: Lula’s prudent and pragmatic economic policies during his 2003-2010 administration enabled Brazil to become one of the top eight economies in the world; he helped lift millions of people out of poverty and was therefore embraced by Brazil’s large low- and middle-income class. When he left office on January 1, 2011, his public opinion rating reached an astonishing 80%. However, after leaving office, Lula has been plagued by corruption charges. According to the New York Times report, Brazil’s National Prosecutors Federation issued a statement on Lula’s imprisonment: “No citizen is above the law, no matter how important a leader he is or how great an official he is. No one can override justice. “
What should not be underestimated is the “Lula Doctrine”, which represents Lula’s governance philosophy and still has a solid foundation of public opinion in Brazil. As Lula said before he was imprisoned: “The longer they keep me in prison, the more Lulas will be born in this country.” Behind Lula’s widely-supported ruling philosophy is the severe divide between the rich and the poor as well as economic difficulties in Brazil. A June 2021 regional observation report by Tsinghua University pointed out that although Lula’s political return does not mean that there is no successor to Brazil’s left-wing political forces, Lula’s political legacy is irreplaceable: no matter it is his charisma, capacity of political integration or policy pragmatism. The economic take-off of Brazil and improvement of people’s livelihood during Lula’s two presidential terms are also important reasons why he is widely supported today. Another report by Tsinghua University in December 2021 titled “Fiscal Overruns: The Achilles Heel of Brazilian Economy” pointed out that the market’s forecast for Brazil’s GDP growth rate in 2021 and 2022 has continued to decline. When the report was released, they were 4.78% and 0.58% respectively, which was significantly lower than the official forecast of 5.3% and 2.5%. The serious fiscal overspending of the Brazilian government will bring about a series of economic problems, especially currency devaluation, inflation and slow economic growth, etc., and thus have extensive and far-reaching effects on Brazil society. Anyway, the return of Lula, “Son of Brazil”, has brought hope for economic recovery to a considerable part of the Brazilian people. This is Brazil’s choice, and all we can do is to hope that this choice will bring more benefits to Brazil itself.
By Tao Cheng
