[Marxism] Brazil Runoff Debate Historic

[Walter Lippmann]

Brazil Runoff Debate Historic

Sao Paulo, Oct 9 (Prensa Latina) For the first time ever, a Brazilian president has accepted to attend a TV debate with his main presidential opponent, thus marking a historic event.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Sao Paulo s former governor Geraldo Alckmin reciprocated questions and ideas under equal conditions and time for their presentations.

Lula opened the debate with a question on social security and the cuts predicted in Alckmin s neoliberal program.

The presidential candidate for the opposition Brazilian Social Democrat Party (PSDB) then replied he will "cut funds for the government and public employees."

Lula, who is running for his re-election on the Workers Party ticket, recalled that the only thing Alckmin could do as governor of Sao Paulo was to cut wages and privatize.

Lula added the previous administration increased taxes by 35 percent and the PSDB and its allies have not wanted to put the new tax reform to vote in Parliament.

He recalled it was in the previous administration of social democrat Fernando Henrique Cardoso when over 60 percent of the recently detected corruption cases began.

The president censured Alckmin for having preventing 69 parliamentary commissions from investigating questioning of the Sao Paulo government at the time.

Alckmin could not explain the destination of the money from the PSDB privatizations, and in turn, questioned the social use of the PT Executive.

"We invest in social programs for the population to be able to eat, study, and work. We are investing to improve the people s standards of living," Lula replied.

The PSDB candidate then strongly criticized Lula s foreign policy, accusing him of weakness over the Bolivian gas nationalization and entry of Chinese products.

"It is not the Cold War period. I will not invade Bolivia nor follow the barbarism policy carried out in Iraq. With Bolivia, we negotiate, and China bought 100 Brazilian planes," Lula retorted.

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