RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Some thirty leaders of the left and progressive Latin American spectrum agreed last week in the Mexican city of Puebla to found the new “Forum of Puebla”.
In the future, it will complement the “Forum of São Paulo” which has been taking place since Thursday. Attendees came from ten countries on the continent to discuss issues and strategies for the coming years.
Ernesto Samper, former president of Colombia, Daniel Martínez, presidential candidate of the “Frente Amplio” in Uruguay, Fernando Haddad, former PT presidential candidate in Brazil, and Chile’s José Miguel Insulza, former secretary-general of the Organization of American States (OAS), were among the participants of the “First International Meeting of Progressive Leaders”.
Also present was Yeidckol Polevnsky, spokeswoman for the National Movement for the National Renewal of Mexico. The former mayor of Mexico City, Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas, was also among the group.
The meeting aimed to find new tools to counter the rise of neoliberal to fascist governments in the region. Former left-wing policies were deemed no longer sufficient to respond effectively to the challenges of a globalized economy and new technologies. For this reason, a joint work plan and a continuous exchange between the attendees were agreed upon.
The continent’s future was discussed for two days. Miguel Barbosa, governor of the state of Puebla, began by stressing that the main features of progressive governments must be economy, honorability, transparency, and closeness to citizens.
Simultaneously, current issues played an important role, such as the discussion process between the government and the opposition in Venezuela, the media concentration in the hands of a few, the peace process in Colombia, and the political persecution of progressive forces by judicial bodies. The latter is evident in the case of Brazil’s former president Lula da Silva, Brazil’s presidential candidate in last elections.
“The Brazilian people have been deprived of the right to choose the candidate they want as president,” said Fernando Haddad, Lula’s successor in the PT party.
Meanwhile, the alleged bias of former judge and current justice minister Sérgio Moro, who conducted the trials against Lula and provided judges and prosecutors with procedural guidelines, has been evidenced by leaked telephone conversations.