Lula says he will be “more leftist and more socialist” to combat hunger
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT) said on Tuesday (5), in a speech at the Planalto Palace, which intends to become “increasingly leftist and socialist” in the face of challenges to eradicate hunger in Brazil. The speech took place during a meeting of the National Council for Food and Nutrition Security (Consea), in which Lula was also thrilled to recall episodes of his hunger -marked youth.
Throughout his intervention, the president criticized those who reject the use of public debt as an instrument of social policies and argued that feeding the Brazilian people must be above any tax restrictions.
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Lula said there is still much to be done in the country and that his commitment to social justice will intensify throughout his term. “Each time I have to do more. It means that more and more will get more leftist, more socialist, and I will think we can more,” he said.
The speech occurs when the federal government faces pressures for fiscal adjustments and sees political disputes, intensifying around the distribution of resources and investments. Lula, however, reinforced his willingness to expand the state’s performance in social protection.
US tariff
The president also commented on the commercial crisis caused by tariffs up to 50% imposed by the United States on Brazilian products, determined by Donald Trump government. According to Lula, the diplomatic clash is serious but still less challenging than the country’s structural misery.
“There is this problem from the United States against us. This we solve. It’s easier to solve this than to fight hunger and misery in this country. It’s much easier,” he said emphatically.
Emotion when remembering youth
The president again became emotional, as he had done the day before, when he remembered times when he went hungry in childhood and youth. He told episodes in which he hid the hunger for his factory colleagues, ashamed of having nothing to eat.
On Monday (4), Lula had already stated that if the country is governed by “anything”, the hunger will return-and that a president who lets the hunger should be “beheaded.”
