The election manifesto that wasn't

We sat here in Salvador, totally amazed and bemused that the Workers’ Party (PT) Manifesto, presented to the Brasilian nation as Dilma Rousseff’s Presidential manifesto, should be withdrawn and denied as party policy in the immediate run-up to the election.

Rousseff’s original manifesto included all the original new laws, put before Senate for ratification once the election is over. These new laws seek (1) state control of the media, (2) a super-tax, (3) removal of the established right of land ownership, (4) abortion relaxation and allied women’s rights. Item No.4 will advance society but items No. 1, 2 and 3 are designed as a main plank of the further PT movement towards national socialism (http://www.itssd.org/Issues/FederalismNow-RodrigoConstantino-InstitutoFe...).

Control of the press, removal of land rights, and the frittering away of the prospects for national development towards ‘developed’ status by astronomic state hand-outs to the millions of poor and under-employed (now re-classified as ‘middle class'!) – these are the classic redistributive and control levers of state National Socialism, leading to a state fascist model of government. This evolution has been ‘removed from the Rousseff Manifesto’, though it remains on the statute-listing for after the election. Be in NO DOUBT, these new ‘laws’ WILL come to pass if Rousseff and the Workers Party are voted in by this largely under-informed and massively under-educated (<25% secondary ed.) electorate.

Brasil’s key problems are being under-represented and even repressed in this election:
(i) a largely third world infrastructure
(ii) a population educated barely beyond that of the third world, and
(iii) rampant corruption, up to and particularly including the highest level of government – corruption that has become institutionalized during the last eight years by a Government led by ex-terrorist Rousseff’s Workers Party.

zerge, we did nothing very special, as far as I can tell. We have been lucky.
But I think this luck will not last, unless we manage to capitalize on our luck and solidify it in the o form of a well educated population. Efforts are on the way for this, but they require time. Brazilians should not get too vain and imagine that the country is a "world power" - for we are not. Only technology and science can make such a power, and on this respect we are still late.

I am no leftist, that's for sure, but two good things must be said with respect to these retracted proposals. First, free Brazilian television is obscene, mentally debilitating and just plain retarded. It is a national shame. Why should limited public air waves be granted to this purpose is beyond me. I for one would be happy to see it wiped out and refounded in more solid basis. Yet, I'm of course fearful that what would be put in its place could be far worse. I don't know how to solve this dilemma, but it does exist.

Second, come on, no civilized country should penalize abortion. Brazil only does so because of the tremendous influence that the Catholic church has around here. Again, I'd be happy to see this insanity corrected. And in this case at least, there is no abuse possible. It is just a matter of public health, and indeed even sound economics (i.e., a child at the wrong time can have devastating economic consequences in a poor family). But PT retracted this because they know it won't go well with the sub-educated masses. Too bad.

Indeed, this shows just how conservative our population is. Worry not, Western World, revolutions would be impossible here. What we do need is better education. And on this respect, may Capitalism forgive me, but the communists are quite right.

I'm sorry I have a question. What has Brazil done, exactly, to deserve to be called a "model world power"?

Yeah, Lomeu, it's the conspiracy between the evil unknown oligarchs and the marxist FFLCH-educated somehow-turned-reactionary São Paulo media that's keeping us down...

It's unbelievable how some stupid people repeat factoids invented in the basements of the Serra´s staff .
Terrorist? Who is terrorist? Dilma? why?
This is how the opposition archaic contest an election in Brazil.

Scary. I would have hoped to have thought that Dilma may have "changed" like Lula claim he has. Maybe just do some more social spending and poverty programs.
But this completely changes my view. It seems Dilma is still has her roots in her past. This is ridiculous just as Brazil is emerging and investors are seeing the respect of ownership and rule of law; then this comes out with land appropriation and media control? Did she have Chavez write the programme?

Is Brazil the country of the future that always will be?

Brazilians are strict followers of protocols done by others .Change a coma into the script : total imbroglio !.

Mr. Lomeu, you still too vague. First you accuse Serra of bringing the “old oligarchs” back once elected, but then you say those “old oligarchs” are something inherent to our young democracy and so we must live with them as we still need their support. Is that an explanation for Lula and Dilma been allied to such scum? I don’t buy it, I think Dilma, Lula and all PT are scum, the allies they have are just a result of such pathology.

Lula was elected on the promise of changing “all of what is there” and yet, today he is associated with all of that he promised to get read of. His term in office has been a collection of corruption cases; he lost all of his most influential ministers in a succession of scandals, starting with Jose Dirceu during the mensalao case.

Lula wasn’t impeached because the opposition didn’t have the balls to do to PT what PT did to Collor.

So, do tell us, what is the real election manifesto to Dilma? This is a clear question that you so far have avoided to answer. Can you also tell us who killed Celso Daniel, plus a handful of witnesses of the murder and why?

Mr SUPIMPA

The old Brazilian oligarchies are those who oppose the democratization of access to universities, an increase of legalized employees, elimination of hunger and poverty, taxation of large fortunes, and so on ....
These oligarchs policies that you referred to, as we know, are a sad legacy of our young democracy. Still has to live with them ... or do you think that Jose Serra could govern without the support of them too??

Entertaining? Scary! will be more appropriate. Those "chapters" that have been replaced, are (oh surprise!) the same ones you can read in the 444 articles of the chavista tailored Constitution of Ecuador and Bolivia. The PT ideologues are just trying to hide their real aims from the voters, just to sort them out after they grab the total power. Beware Brazil.

@Lomeu: can you explain what actually happened when PT presented their programme? You just contested The Economist's version with a series of question marks and then veered off on a wild tangent about "oligarchies" in collusion with the press.

That does not a compelling argument make.

Mr. Lomeu, what this journal is publishing is a FACT and you can't deny it. PT is a party with a totalitarian design to Brazil and this imbroglio is only one more display of it.

You say that the "old national oligarchies" want to return to power once Serra is elected. What "old national oligarchies"? Jose Sarney? But Jose Sarney is an ally of Lula, so much that Lula, Dilma and PT are giving support to Roseane Sarney in Maranhao. That’s a FACT.

What other old national oligarchies? Renan Calheiros e F.C. de Mello? They are also Lulas allies and supporters of Dilma and PT. That’s a FACT.

What “old national oligarchies” are you referring to?

"...her party withdrew the first version and replaced it with a totally different one." ????????????????????

Unfortunately this report shows that THE ECONOMIST repeats what the Brazilian press publishes irresponsibly.
Everyone knows the Brazilian press is allied to the old national oligarchies who want to return to power along with the candidate Jose Serra.
This oligarchy is not to accept the social changes and economic progress and cultural promoted by President Lula. And now, they are trying to disqualify the candidate Dilma and her party, promoting a campaign of defamation irresponsible and perverse.
We must to remember that the same reactionary press supported the military dictatorship for three decades, closing his eyes and ears to abuses of system.

Hilarious concluding remarks. But did anyone actually read the Patriot act before it was passed?

Please, do not generalize either PT's crimes (or their gross incompetence) towards all Brazilian institutions.

It makes an interesting contrast with the United States (no generally regarded as a "young" democracy). Here, the parties come up with a platform, which is generally ignored, except where it offers cheap shots for the opposition to exploit. And nobody, in either party or among the population at large, expects that any of the specifics in the platform will actually come to pass. At most, it is a very vague indication of direction.

Or perhaps our correspondent was suggesting that, in a more mature democracy, nobody would pay as much attention to such things as Brazil does?

Did I read somwhere that PSDB, the big opposition party, submitted as their manifesto only excerpts of recent speeches by its candidate, José Serra?

Brazil's democracy is young, indeed, and its institutions still somewhat imature. Of course, the only way to fix a democracy is to have more of it. So, let's keep trying.

"Such imbroglios do not speak well of the professionalism of Brazil’s institutions, but they surely make its politics unusually entertaining."

I don't think such generalizations should be made. The case illustrates well how PT works. They have no respect for anybody, and they will come up with the most lame excuses for their shortcomings and their blantant incompetency. So, if you are going to criticise PT and Dilma, just do it. No need to to smear PT's lack of professionalism on Brazilian institutions. That's the sort of argument that only benefits PT and Ms Roussef.