Manuela And Boulos at CLACSO: Fighters For An Egalitarian World For All

Manuela D'Avila, Brazilian vice presidential candidate and Guilherme Boulos, presidential candidate, spoke today in Buenos Aires, Argentina, during the World's First Forum on Critical Thinking. Both Brazilian politicians spoke about what is happening in their country and in the region, how to understand it, and what are the next steps.

RELATED:
Garcia Linera and Monedero: The Left Against 'Zombie' Neoliberalism

The forum is being organized by the Latin American Council on Social Sciences (CLACSO) where the brightest minds of the Latin American left-wing and progressive thinkers have gathered to discuss the limits and the future of the left and the rise of "ultraliberalism."

Boulos talked first and then Manuela closed the second day of speeches and debates saying, "all of you (the attendants) are the fighters for an egalitarian world for all," said Manuela.

Guilherme started his speech by talking about the electoral win of Jair Bolsonaro, elaborating on his preoccupation with this matter. "In Brazil with the victory of Bolsonaro wins an alliance of the most perverse, the alliance of ultra-liberalism, which attacks the poorest, which uses ultra-conservatism," he said.

Manuela agreed that we are living in a tumltuous moment in Latin American society. "This is a process of discomfort that is between the throat and the stomach and that goes through the heart. But, there is no evil that lasts forever and there is no winter and darkness that is not limited by spring," seeing some hope in the future.

She later explained that the economic crisis being experienced in Brazil — and not only in Brazil — can explain what is happening. But also argued that capitalism has changed, and has taken off the masks. "We are finding ourselves in an idea in which capitalism does not need more of democracy or the disguise of democracy to present itself to the population," capitalism is showing itself as ruthless and relentless as it is, and has been gaining ground.

She continued her argument by reflecting about the internet and it's role in society, arguing that the left-wing has seen the internet as a means of communication only, but that it is actually a real space of interaction that has been co-opted by the right-wing and conservatism. 

"We are talking as if we were in an assembly but in reality, we are outside of it. In that other space, the right was created and organized in that assembly, in a non-common grammar. There is a misunderstanding about the historical change that we are experiencing."

Manuela concluded by giving some pointers on what to do: "We have to be united and mobilized. That is the way. It is not a moment of hegemonism and false protagonism. We do not have the slightest notion of what will happen, because it is outside our grammar. We do not know how they are going to persecute us. We only know that they are going to persecute us. We must continue working in unison and in movements."

"It is necessary to read Bolsonaro for what he is; he is someone who defends the military dictatorship, who exalts torturers as heroes, who attacks women," highlighted Guilherme Boulos expounding on what Jair Bolsonaro means to Brazil and to the whole region.

During the campaign, the now-President-elect Bolsonaro, threatened his rival Fernando Haddad and the whole "opposition," by saying that those "red ones" can choose between exile and jail. "we tell you our decision is to go to the streets of Brazil, to resist the tyranny," responded Boulos to the threats of Bolsonaro.

RELATED:
Brazil: Who Is Manuela D'Avila, PT-Communist Party VP Candidate?

Both Brazilian presenters agreed that democracy has been hijacked by economic and financial forces. "They create mechanisms to empty democracy. They strengthened the judicialization of politics and the politicization of justice. We will continue shouting FREE LULA."

The right-wing, embodied by Jair Bolsonaro, has stated that it will try to eliminate the Landless Movement (MST) and the Homeless Movement (MTST) in Brazil. "If you want to kill them, build 7 million homes for the homeless. If you want to end the MST, do the agrarian reform that is the historical debt of the government for the Brazilian people," Boulos warned Bolsonaro.

Boulos concluded by saying that "while they globalize fear, we globalize hope. While they globalize authoritarianism, we globalize the resistance. We have the certainty of being on the right side of history."

Now Presentaded by @pablogentili, @ManuelaDavila and @GuilhermeBoulos speak at the last table on the second day of #CLACSO2018. Then, @miss_bolivia don't miss it!