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Dilma Roussef, Brazil's First Female President, Vows War on Poverty
BRASILIA, Brazil - Left-wing economist Dilma Rousseff, 63, was inaugurated Saturday as the first female president of Brazil, succeeding her popular mentor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
In her inaugural address in the building that houses the lower house of the Brazilian Congress in the capital, Brasilia, Rousseff vowed that overcoming extreme poverty will be her top priority.
"My government's most obstinate fight will be to eradicate extreme poverty and to create opportunities for all," she said.
Her oath met with applause from 800 invited guests, including more than 20 foreign heads of state and government.
Lula left office with record popularity but could not stay on due to constitutional limits on consecutive presidential terms.
"A significant social mobility happened in President Lula's two mandates. But there is still poverty that shames our country and prevents our full affirmation as a developed people," she said.
In a 45-minute speech that was interrupted by applause on numerous occasions, Rousseff wept when she remembered her past as a member of a leftist guerrilla group and her dead comrades in the fight against the 1964-85 dictatorship in Brazil, during which she was herself imprisoned and suffered torture.
"I devoted all my life to Brazil's cause. I gave up my youth for the dream of a country that was fair and democratic. I withstood the most extreme adversities that were inflicted to all those of us who dared fight arbitrariness," she said.
"Many in my generation, who fell along the way, cannot share the joy of this moment. I share with them this conquest, and I pay them my tribute," she added.
Rousseff also acknowledged her place in history as the country's first female leader.
"I feel immensely honored by that choice by the Brazilian people and I know the historic meaning of this decision," she noted.
"I come here to open doors so that many other women can also, in the future, be president. And so that, today, all Brazilian women feel the pride and the joy of being a woman. I do not come here to enrich my biography but to glorify the life of every Brazilian woman. It is my supreme commitment to honor women, to protect those who are weakest and to govern for all," Rousseff said.
She again praised Lula, and she vowed to advance his policies.
"The biggest tribute I can pay him is to expand and advance the conquests of his government. Acknowledging, giving credit to and investing in the force of the people is the biggest lesson that President Lula left for all of us," Rousseff said.
In line with Lula's policies, she vowed to keep promoting Brazil's ties with its South American neighbors.
Rousseff further stressed that she would "not make the smallest concession to the protectionism of rich countries," and she noted that Brazil has "a sacred mission" to show the world that it can grow fast without destroying the environment.
Dressed in an elegant ivory-colored suit, she had arrived at the ceremony in the company of her only daughter, Paula, in a closed vehicle. The heavy rain prevented her from using an open car for the parade.
Later, in her second speech as president, standing alongside Lula before the presidential palace, Rousseff said she was happy to get her chance, yet "very moved by the end of the mandate of the greatest popular leader this country has ever had."
Rousseff earned the right to govern the world's eighth-largest economy by defeating social-democrat Jose Serra in a runoff on October 31.
Riding on Lula's huge popularity, the coalition that backs Rousseff is to have a large majority, over two-thirds, in both houses of Congress.
The new president has appointed nine female ministers in her 37-member Cabinet.
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21 Comments so far
Show AllWell if she does not destroy the environment and protects First People I say one big ole Hooray!
Maybe we could use Paul Krugman as president. (Economist/Left)
A former Marxist declaring 'war' on poverty? Calling for 'opportunities for all' in a country that has defaulted on it's massive international loans. Twice.
I wonder how much payola she has now lining her pockets? Who were the '20 foreign heads of state and government'? Who would like to bet that they are from countries that hold a lot of bank notes on the continuing high yields/economic performance of Brazil?
What will she do about the rampant abuse and exploitation of the environment and native peoples by the various fruit and oil Corporations? What policies will her government enact to improve the health and sanitation of those living in the slums and favellas? Will she stop the blatant interaction between Brazil's military and that of the US? Will she investigate past use of Brazil as a clearing house for US arms and munitions dealers?
Finally, who would like to bet that Rousseff becomes Brazil's version of Barrack Obama?
Non Serviam - I will not serve.
We need to send Progressives like you to South America to TEACH LATINS TO ELECT GOOD MEN.
Right?
I don't care who (or what) you elect. Male, female, ocelot, or piece of 2X4.
When the vast majority of the so-called 'democracies' on this planet are more beholden to the various, nefarious, corrupt and powerful Corporations than they are to the populous, it is common person who suffers.
No matter who represents the Elite, the Elite are still the ones who tell the politicians what is and is not acceptable. This is just as true of the US and Canada as it is in the most corrupt 'banana republic' (a term, BTW, that is the direct result of US fruit Corporations interfering in the internal affairs and governing of many Central and South American countries).
Non Serviam - I will not serve.
Can't bet. I am not living in Argentine. While reading the article, it sound just like our Obama and was thinking just like you.
Sergeant Cynic, I presume? Pre-judgment serves no one.
The answers will eventually come regarding her leadership, or lack thereof. And, yes, occasionally, yours truly is guilty of the same cynical, judgmental tendencies. However...it IS a new year and I'm going to find a twelve-step-for-cynics program, hoping I might be more effective if I check my cynicism tendencies at the door. Care to join me? (-:)
"Sergeant Cynic, I presume?..."
Cynics are rarely disappointed.
Non Serviam - I will not serve.
"Cynics are rarely disappointed."
There is that. Maybe I'll just seek out a six-step program. Happy & Healthy 2011, Galenwainwright!
Compare Chavez to Lula or Dilma.
Compare Venezuela's oil extraction based economy to the vibrant, diverse economy that is Brazil's.
There is no comparison...
Yes there is a comparison. Venezuela now has the lowest degree of economic inequality of any country in South America and, like Brazil, has also brought millions out of poverty.
Venezuela has created tens of thousands of co-ops, and is redistributing land to poor farmers. The labor movement is now demanding workers' control in all enterprises, private and public.
Up until the crash of '08, when demand and prices for oil rapidly declined, and when there was also a drought which destroyed hydro-electic power, Venezuela also had a GNP that was rising 8% a year.
And Venezuela is undertaking a major project to diversify indigenous production. Certainly, private capital, both foreign and domestic, is mostly boycotting the process because Venezuela is a genuine threat to capitalism. And most of Venezuela's economy is still in private hands. When most of the large enterprises have been place under state control, and/or workers' control, (preferably the latter IMHO) beyond the reach of corporate slowdowns, THEN we will be able to truly compare the Brazilian and Venezuelan models.
In the meantime, if you want to talk about two countries, please try to provide us with more data.
This is the best news I've read all day.
Brazil made considerable progress for poor and working people with President Lula de Silva, and is poised to continue with the leadership of President Dilma Rousseff.
Viva, Brazil!
I'd like to know how Lula wasn't a failure. I saw a few positive things and lots of negative things. Two negatives were his backtracking, soon as he was elected, on the odious debt. And his participation in the blue helmet paramilitary occupation ongoing in Haiti.
The biggest dark cloud over Dilma Rousseff is that Lula was her mentor.
I suppose if you call bringing tens of millions out of poverty, while creating a vibrant democracy with full respect for freedom of speech, AND keeping a lid on Brazil's perpetual curse of hyperinflation "failure", then Lula was an abject failure...
All of this, of course, has been done without shutting down a single opposition newspaper, radio station, or TV station, without picking a single fight with the United States or any of Brazil's neighbors, and without jailing a single political opponent or ex presidential candidate.
I meant to also say that this business of vowing to eliminate extreme poverty doesn't win me over. If that's 'it', Brazilians are screwed and so are their neighbors, such as Paraguaians who have to contend with destructive mining companies allowed to operate there. Canadian mining companies are the worst, but Brazil's presence is stronger in Paraguay.
Howard Zinn said it well in this doc I'm half through. The capitalists strategically give enough people 'just enough' so that there isn't revolution. If we are lame enough to believe that our enemies are our friends, then what will change? (The doc, "Psywar. The Real Battlefield Is The Mind," can be found at the website of an org called Metanoia: http://www.metanoia-films.org/index.php)
There is cynicism and then there is American style lefty purity trolling that combines with the oligarchy to further reinforce a heavy sense of disillusionment and paralysis. This is especially true of Latin America where gringos denounce at the first hint of deviation from the party line, as if Latin Americans, especially of non-Euro descent cannot be trusted to run their own affairs. Hence liberal holier than thou treachery and acceptance of Gusano talking points over Cuba and Venezuela or even Evo bashing at the merest hint of economic difficulties or complicated conflicts between the environment and development.
Brazil and much of South America is on the move however haltingly forwards. The freedom there to experiment and innovate is more profound than anywhere else in the world. At least respect that, and engage in the process, as opposed to jumping on the oligarchy's bandwagon of propaganda and defamation. Although that presumes that such cynics are actually supportive of social movements, or use their purity to shield themselves from ever having to actually do something or worse, are actually Trots who are on the verge of wrapping around to the neo-con side.
Hi All,
I just finished doing a "retrato" about Dilma Rousseff for my class in literatura here in Campeche Mexico. I found lots of great resources. Wikipedia for one, has quite a bit of history about her. As well, there is a couple of utube videos with Oliver Stone. Actually there are a lot of Utube videos but they are mostly in Portugese.
Dilma has an amazing history, and in spite of the rhetoric, she is now a capitalist, albeit a benevolent one. Go figure, sounds like an oximoron doesn´t it!! I will copy and paste a few quotes from her together with a bit of stuff I included:
“We cannot rest while Brazilians are going hungry, while families are living in the streets, while poor children are abandoned to their own fates and while crack and crack dens rule.”
Although Rousseff states that her political thinking has evolved drastically — from Marxism to pragmatic capitalism — she remains proud of her radical roots. “Reality has changed, and we changed with it. However, I never changed sides. I have always been on the side of justice, democracy and social equality.”
She was instrumental to bringing electicity to 2 million households that had none.
She was behind the development of Brazil´s ship building industry, that now employs over 40,000 people, and is 60% government owned.
She is an economist,and a workaholic, and she has an approval rating that is incredible; in fact, it seems like the only way she has to go from here is down. Let´s hope not.
I was trying to remember where I had read the info on Brazil's less than neighborly treatment of Paraguay's peasant farmers and finally found it. It's on the Toward Freedom website. I have mines on the brain. I'm always reading crap about mining companies. But in this case, I misremembered. It's not Brazilian mining companies that I read about in connection with Paraguay, which isn't to say that they might not be a problem too. I just don't know offhand. Rather, It was Jesse Freeston's (The Real News Network) interview of Ben Dangl who talks about Brazilian agribusiness (especially in the area of gmo soy) causing big problems for Paraguayans that I was misremembering. Sorry. (I read the transcript, but did not watch the video. Both are available online.)
Lula's over-friendliness with nasty agribusiness has not only hurt Paraguayans, but it's also hurt farmers in Brazil. Lula just wasn't a solution - to the people.
So far, The only way you can keep South Americans down is by force backed up by imperial powers, and in the western Hemisphere that always means the U.S. or the U.S. with Canada tagging along, carrying the bully's coat, as Linda McQuaig puts it.
Check out "The Tyranny Of Soy Agribusiness In Paraguay" at: http://bit.ly/fp0K6U
I have a feeling that the multiple tens of millions of Brazilians who have escaped poverty in the last decade, and the nearly 200 million Brazilians who no longer have to deal with Venezuelan style hyper inflation would disagree with your "Lula just wasn't a solution" pap.
Which may be why he leaves office as the most popular president in Brazilian history. Perfect? Of course not. Better than Petro-dollar financed wanna-be Caudilhos like Chavez? Hell yes. By far.
It´s sad but true, what Linda McQuaig says about Canada´s subservience to the US bully. It´s a tough one considering that Canada is the US´s largest trading partner. Nevertheless, I want to stay on topic.
Lula wasn´t perfect, but he is the best that Brazilians could have hoped for,and his achievements are very impressive. Now he has appointed Dilma; her record and history are impressive.
The entire South American continent has now survived long and difficult years at the hands of the CIA and the World Bank. All those countries are much wiser now, and determined to avoid US "aid".
Brazil now has no debt, and the rest of the S,A. countries are aiming for the same success. The notable exception is Colombia, which still is plagued by a US supported right wing military dictatorship. Of course human rights violations there abound.
"Brazil now has no debt."????
You need to study Brazil a bit better. Brazil now has no foreign currency denominated debt, because the last 16 years of macro-economic stability have made the Real a currency that investors trust for long term investments, and this allowed the Brazilian government to issue Real denominated bonds and use the proceeds to retire their former dollar denominated debt. Brazil, on the other hand, has PLENTY of long term Real dominated debt, and is presently issuing more bonds as we speak here.