Brazil: the leadership of the PSOL and MES choose the path of their demise

The Federation with Rede is a step backwards for the Socialism and Liberty Party.

By Alternativa Socialista-PSOL. ISL, Brasil.

Today, 30/03, the National Executive of PSOL voted to federate with a party that defends capitalist interests and is backed by the bankers. A party that has nothing to do with the PSOL’s socialist transition program. This debate now passes to the National Executive. We call on the bases of the currents that voted or abstained to defend the class independence of the party!

The mistaken path the MES

The currents Primavera Socialista and Revolução Solidária (Boulos), the present majority leadership and part of the Bloco PSOL de Todas as Lutas, have long since defined the course of the party. It was a big battle in the last Congress against their policy of “refoundation”, euphemism used to explain that what they want is to eliminate the independent and socialist project and change it for the project of class conciliation and broad front. At that time, together with the comrades of the MES, we defended the original PSOL  that arose precisely to the left of the Lula-PT government. But today, the MES has taken a step in the opposite direction and joins the path of elimination, giving the necessary votes so that the majority leadership can strike a blow against the PSOL.

There is still time to change and take up the defense of class independence and strengthen a political alternative with a socialist program for millions. On April 18, the National Board will debate and vote on the Federation. We call on the comrades of the MES to reconsider their decision and vote against the elimination and destruction of the strategic project of the Partido Socialismo e Liberdade that they helped found.

Resistance and Insurgency: centrism is the best way to strengthen the conciliation project

The two currents declared themselves against federating with the Rede, but at the time of voting they abstained. Unfortunately this decision is not surprising, since both are part of the majority bloc of the PSOL of Todas las Lutas, which today leads the “refoundation”, which defends the political agreement to support the Lula-Alckmin candidacy, and keep a complicit silence before the declarations of leaders like Boulos in favor of settling for the bourgeois government.

As we well know, those who defend the tradition of revolutionary Marxism, the Trotskyist tradition, centrism is contrary to the project of permanent revolution and must be attacked. We call on those who still believe in the development of a class and socialist political tool to take a complete stand against the PSOL-Rede federation in the next National Directorate.

A tactic, in the opposite sense of the strategy, that must be defeated

The arguments in favor of the PSOL-Rede Federation begin to justify that it is a tactic to overcome the restrictive electoral barrier clause. From Alternativa Socialista we expressed from the beginning that it is a wrong decision that puts at risk the strategic project of the party (read our position here) and we welcome the correct position of the Comuna, APS and Fortalecer currents that voted against it.

The bourgeois democratic regime constantly limits the participation of the working class and acts to domesticate its parties, in the service of the capitalist order. That is the objective of the barrier clause and that is why we must confront it and not accept it, surrendering to a front for four years with a party of capital. Especially at this moment of great internal dispute in the party, against the majority leadership that is putting an end to the strategic project of the PSOL leading it to support the presidential project headed by Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Geraldo Alckmin and probably joining this possible bourgeois government. Definitely, this is not a tactical debate, but a profoundly strategic one.

No to the PSOL-Rede Federation, let the bases decide!

The bases of the party are being left out of the fundamental decisions. The internal method is consolidated as undemocratic and this also attacks the founding project of a broad party, with different voices and a method that welcomes political diversity. The decision to federate with a party that defends interests opposed to ours is being taken behind the backs of the grassroots militants.

That is why we call not to back down and to continue defending our independent and socialist foundational project. On April 18, in the National Directory of PSOL, to vote against the Federation of PSOL-Red and to resume the path of building a political alternative of the working class and the poor people of Brazil.

We call for a big urgent national plenary and debate the steps to follow.