Lula: Brazil’s public services face a “very real threat of collapse” Brazil

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Brazil’s public services face a “very real threat of collapse” as a result of mismanagement by the outgoing far-right government, and the incoming administration will have a “herculean task” in rebuilding damaged institutions, particularly in the areas of health, education and the environment, said the country’s elected president.

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva beat the far-right incumbent, Jair Bolsonaro, in a closely fought election in October and is set to take power on January 1.

In the weeks since Lula’s victory, his transition team has assessed the task ahead, and the leftist leader, who called Bolsonaro’s term “a storm of fascism,” said they were shocked by what they found.

I do not intend to cause a great scandal about this matter; “I just want Brazilians to know the task we face,” Lula said Thursday. “After a four-year term, we found the government in abject poverty, with the simplest things not done…because the president would rather lie out of his bubble than rule this country.”

The transition report said: “The disintegration of the state and the disorganization of public policies are profound and pervasive, with consequences in key areas in terms of people’s lives and the direction this country is taking. This has had dire consequences for health, education, environmental conservation, and job and income generation , and combating poverty and hunger, among others.”

Education has been hit particularly hard, said Lula’s vice president and transition director Geraldo Alcmene, with textbooks still in need of adjustment, fewer children in school than in previous years, and resources for basic services such as school dinners insufficient to meet demand. University education, he added, is “almost in a state of collapse”.

Health is another disaster area, particularly as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has killed nearly 700,000 Brazilians.

Bolsonaro’s anti-vaccination stance has not resonated widely in Brazil, which has a record of widespread vaccinations, but budget cuts mean that 50% of all children did not receive a final polio booster.

About 95% of federal highways do not have a company that maintains them; He added that almost no new homes have been built for the poorest sections of society, and the bodies that oversee search and rescue operations after natural disasters are short of funds.

Attempting to balance the dismal assessment, Lula followed the announcement with a motley slate of new ministers, including Anil Franco, the sister of Marielle Franco, the Party of Socialism and Freedom city councilor who was murdered in Rio de Janeiro.

Franco and her driver were ambushed and shot dead as they drove by in the city center in March 2018.

Two former police officers have been arrested but have denied any involvement in her murder. It is widely believed that the mafia made up of current and former law enforcement officers played a role.

Anielle Franco started the Marielle Franco Institute in 2020, with the goal of developing community projects and helping black, LGBTQ+ and people from disadvantaged backgrounds into leadership positions.

“In the name of the memory of my sister and of the more than 115 million black people in Brazil, who make up the majority of the population and need a government that cares about their rights… I accept this mission with pride and responsibility,” Franco wrote on Twitter post-date.

The institute will continue its work, she said: “We need more of us in decision-making roles in society and we will continue to inspire, connect with and empower Black women, LGBTQIAP+ and people from disadvantaged backgrounds. [existing] Structures.”

Her nomination was one of 16 ministers appointed on Thursday, bringing the number of ministers appointed so far to 21, including Alkmene, who was appointed minister of development, industry and trade.

However, only six of the 21 were women, and there was no room for the two high-profile women whose work was crucial in helping Lula beat Bolsonaro in the October 30 run-off.

Marina Silva and Simon Tebbit both put aside their political differences to help unseat the populist incumbent, as Silva was a strong green voice and Tebbit, who finished third in the first round of balloting, campaigned aggressively for Lula in the second round. .

Lula intends to have 37 ministries, after his predecessor had started four years ago, numbering 22.

This would include entirely new ministries, including for Indigenous Peoples and for Innovation, and the return of others such as Fishing, Sports and Racial Equality, which Bolsonaro has merged with others or eliminated.

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