By Revolución Socialista-PSOL. ISL, Brasil.
The National Executive Committee of the party approved a resolution stating that the “PSOL reaffirms its commitment to the struggle for the de-Bolsonization of Brazil”. It does not mention a key element of the situation: who governs today is the broad front Lula-Alckmin and not Bolsonaro-Mourão.
We consider that the majority leadership of the PSOL wants to “put out a fire with a thimble of water” because it speaks of “restoring the subtracted social rights”, forgetting that today those who accompanied the policies of dismantling and adjustment from 2016 until now are part of the government. Most of them being enthusiastic militants of Dilma’s Impeachment and, subsequently, of Bolsonaro’s campaign and his government. We really do wonder: does the majority leadership of the party think that, by supporting a government with the same people who have “subtracted” our social rights, we can “restore” any of them?
It is a big mistake to think (as well as an enormous political irresponsibility) that we will recover our conquered rights by turning a blind eye. Let’s look at some examples: who is against the repeal of the New Baccalaureate? Who is against the repeal of the Labor Reform? Who defends the PPP model of privatization in disguise? Or who is in favor of ending agribusiness that pollutes and kills? This list of questions could go on, but it is not the aim of our text to mark the contradictions of the Lula-Alckmin government of class conciliation, but those of the internal currents of the party that today lead it and are taking it along the same path of the left of the regime.
On the other hand, the issue of the climate crisis must be addressed directly by the party leadership. The conference on the Amazon called by the party to be held in Belém cannot serve to wash the face of the policy of the PSOL/Primavera/Frente Amplio municipality of partnership with the corrupt government of Helder Barbalho, nor to validate the wrong decision of the municipality to give away space in the city for the implantation of the NorthStar company to refine the gold coming from illegal extraction and smuggling of indigenous lands. The Amazon conference to be held in Belém cannot validate the policy of peaceful coexistence between the only PSOL mayor of a capital city and the mafia of the bus companies, as well as the construction of highways that affect Quilombola communities to benefit the wholesale trade sector.
Resistance, Insurgency and Subverta: is independence only for holidays?
The three currents that make up the Campo Semente, organizations that define themselves as class-conscious and are referenced in the International Secretariat – Fourth International, endorse with their votes each of the decisions that the leadership of the PSOL has been making. In a plenary with more than a thousand members present, they positioned themselves against being part of the government and defended class independence. So far so good. But this “firmness” in Marxist principles did not take long to fall. In the last National Directory meeting in December, they voted what was the resolution by majority, where they surrendered at the feet of the government, declaring total support and confidence in it. The same happened last Tuesday in the National Executive Meeting, where they voted, again, against the political independence of the party.
A necessary debate with the Left Opposition
In the last PSOL Congress we formed the Left Opposition, a list that won space in the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee, national organs of the party’s leadership. It was an important step in the unity of the class sectors. But this unity did not continue to strengthen, so it was never consolidated as a left alternative against the liquidationist line of the majority leadership. We must debate, fraternally and firmly, the need to solve these problems and walk together in defense of the anti-capitalist party that we built and, many of us, founded.
There are political debates among us, for example the role of the PSOL in the present government. We think, as we explained before, that this government of national unity with the bourgeoisie is not our government, so the party has the historic task of patiently explaining, sometimes in the key of demand, sometimes in the key of denunciation, that the working class and poor people will not have conquests with it, but with the force of mobilization and struggle. It seems wrong to us to place the political priority in the task of “defeating Bolsonarism”, when the one who governs is Lula and his very broad front. Of course, the extreme right is an enemy and we must have policies to defeat it, but that cannot erase the fact that while we fight against Bolsonarism, we also face policies that attack our conquered rights and we fight to conquer more, and that is against those who govern today.
We want to discuss fraternally and we call on the currents and the left militancy of the PSOL to build a debate that allows us to strengthen ourselves as the Left Opposition. The party is on the path of adaptation to the regime, to parliamentarism and electoralism, without our firm and decisive action it will be impossible to reverse this dynamic.