Brazil: Renowned newspaper accuses Lula of using the Landless Movement for revenge and deceived the country

By Cristyan Costa

An editorial published by the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo (Estadão), on Tuesday, 16, accuses President Lula of using the Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST) as an instrument of vendetta “against a Brazil that doesn’t let itself be taken by his sweet-talk.”

The newspaper criticized the IV National Agrarian Reform Fair, held in the city of São Paulo between May 11 and 14, which had the explicit support of the Executive Branch.

“It was a political act that sends shivers down the spine of all those who are concerned with respect for the legal order, in particular the property right, and believe that without social peace, in the countryside or the city, there will not be the slightest chance of Brazil being an attractive place for new investments and treading the path of sustainable development,” notes Estadão.

According to the newspaper, the presence of top government officials at the event makes it clear that Lula wants to use the MST “as a vendetta instrument.”

“In addition to the atavistic connection between the PT and the MST, Lula’s endorsement of the group’s practices had already become evident when the president made a point of taking the head of the MST, the notorious João Pedro Stédile, along with his entourage during a trip to China,” the newspaper recalls.

“Not satisfied with Stédile’s mere presence in the entourage, Lula insisted that the troublemaker be included in the official photo of the summit meeting between him and Chinese President Xi Jinping.”

LULA, MST, AND BROAD FRONT

In another section of the editorial, Estadão says that, as time goes by, “Lula seems increasingly committed to making it clear to the country that the leader of a formidable ‘broad front in defense of democracy’ was nothing more than a character he invented to pose as the peacemaker of a deeply divided society.”

“As president, Lula has so far shown himself incapable of assuming his responsibilities as head of state and government, as well as increasing the bet on radicalization on many fronts, only with the sign reversed concerning his predecessor, as a way to maintain the cohesion of his supporters,” the newspaper states.

With information from Revista Oeste

News Brazil, English news Brazil, Brazilian politics, Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST)