Brazil:
Struggle for people's power

In the Brazilian elections that took place last year, the Brazilian 
Workers' Party (PT) won a narrow victory in the state of Rio Grande. The PT 
was brought to power by a coalition of organised workers, the poor and 
other progressive sections of the population in this state that had been 
governed by the right-wing for the previous four years.

The administration of new PT governor, Olivio Dutra, soon set about 
tackling the inherited mess left by the right — a severe debt crisis 
(despite massive privatisation by the previous administration), financial 
chaos resulting from poor tax collection from corporate capital and 
investment incentives given to large automakers, General Motors and Ford.

The PT administration has met these challenges by suspending all investment 
incentives and redirecting the resources (US$850 million) to health, 
housing and education expenditure as well as for specific job creation in 
the agriculture and fishing sectors.

They also refused to be intimidated into paying enormous inherited debts, 
but have rather made regular payments according to what is affordable.

In order to sustain the popular momentum of such radical changes, the PT 
has instituted a continuous process of consultation between the state and 
the people through a participative budget process at municipal level.

As the PT Communications Secretary, Lucio Costa says: "We need to mobilise 
the population around the participative budget ... this means organising, 
in each town, a coalition of left parties, the trade unions, the churches 
and the residents' associations... otherwise, we will be defeated."

Besides popular mobilisation to sustain radical social and economic 
transformation, the PT has made a "clean hands" government one of its top 
priorities.

This has meant, among other things, cutting the government's refreshments 
bill from US$60,000 per month to less than $20,000 per month and surrending 
the governor's palace to a department that supervises the participatory 
budget.

All public sector workers are given the opportunity to participate in the 
day-to-day decision-making and running of the state.

Despite these measures the PT still faces an uphill battle. The political 
right and their big capitalist friends continue to make every attempt to 
sabotage the programmes for popular participation and resource 
redistribution.

The PT however is confident about the challenge — "Our contribution and 
the originality of what we are doing here, is to build a solid system of 
direct democracy which involves large sections of the population in the 
social and political struggles that can create the possibilities for a 
rupture."

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Umsebenzi