No to Temer’s government imposed by an corrupt Congress

No more austerity! General elections now!

Brazil’s new president Michel Temer took office on May 12^th. The reestructuring of admnistration was announced on Thursday, only hours after the Senate voted to suspend the mandate and put on trial Dilma Rousseff,. The 55 votes to begin an impeachment trial reveals that there is substantial majority to condemn definitively the Workers’ Party (PT) leader in September or October.

The reactionary maneuver has been consolidated. The bourgeoise is united through its communications media, its parties and its ideological apparatuses to support the Temer’s government as a solution to the deep political crisis.

Dilma gave a speech on the same narrative basis that PT has been talked so much about in recent period. Escorted by Lula, Katia Abreu and others former ministers, Dilma attacked Temer, claiming that her government has never suppressed the social movements. She seems to forgot that her own pen has sanctioned anti-terrorism law, sent National Force troops to end protests in Jirau and placed the repressive apparatuses and intelligence services to dismantle the protests during the FIFA Soccer World Cup.

On Thursday afternoon, Michel Temer filled his cabinet, signaling a strong commitment with the most hardcore right-wing of bourgeoise. That is the password to intensify the attacks against working class and provide estability for the elites.

Temer’s cabinet is reactionary and outdated. They are all men. The Democratas party (successor to the governing Arena during the militar dictatorship) is in charge of the Ministry of Education/Culture. The Minister of Justice represents the most “truculent” right-wing. Therefore, Temer shows his “anti-people”bias.

Achilles’ heel of new government is the fact that seven ministers are being investigated by Operation Lava Jato. This government, despite the speech about fighting against corruption, has almost a dozen of investigated ministers. It is no coincidence that Fábio Medina was appointed Attorney General. He advogated for Yeda Crusius, corrupt former governator of Rio Grande do Sul. Jucá, Padilha, Henrique Eduardo Alves and Geddel, the hard core of Temer’s government, are directly involved in lists and scandals.

Other detail that attracts attention are the 10 “new” ministers that have already participated in PT’s governments. The new architect of economic planning, Henrique Meirelles, was always a reliable economist to former president Lula.

The unpopular government tries to use the bourgeois unity, expressed in media support, to win people’s support. It bets on people’s exhaustion with the political crisis to enable an atmosphere that from now on things can improve. In the end, the economic indicators of Rousseff’s governments were so bad and the austerity so deep that there is a tendency to lower interest rates and reduce inflationary expectations. Temer’s government wants to take advantage of this situation and its influence of Congress to prepare structural changes that eliminates labour rights. We believe that the main task of PSOL, the left and the fighters is to build a struggle plan to resist Temer’s austerity.

The struggle of young students in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, spreading around the country and gaining more popular simpathy, is an example to be followed. Only through street protests and self-organised fights we will block the rights cuts which are on the PMDB’s agenda.

That is the our policy:

1) To build the workers’ struggle and youth movement, especially scholar occupations! To defeat the austerity against the people! Against any cut of pension and labour rights! Payment on time for public servants all over the country; salary increase! More resources in education and public health! More investment in popular housing and defence of social assistance!

2) Continuity of Operation Lava Jato! No muzzling of the investigations! Jail to Cunha and all corrupt politicians and corruptors! Confiscation of the goods! End of legal immunity to politicians!

3) Temer’s government is illegitimate and the Congress is corrupt: general elections now! We stand up for a national constituent assembly!

4) Down with the Cunha and Dilma’s gag law, which prevents the PSOL’s participation on TV debates! No to electoral threshold that Temer and PSDB prepare against PSOL and democratic rights!

5) All the support to PSOL’s candidates in municipal elections! To build a third field. Neither bourgeoisie nor PT’s bureaucracy! To buld a new democratic and anticapitalist left!

We will continue encouraging and supporting social struggles to resist the hard adjustament approaching.

Only the combination of street fighting with a political solution can take Brazil from this crisis.

National Secretariat of MES/PSOL, May 13^th 2016.