By Verónica O’Kelly, Alternativa Socialista – ISL Brazil
We hear new rumors every day. Coup, impeachment, resignation requests and more. The reality is that Jair Bolsonaro’s government is suffering from its worst crisis and more and more sectors are discussing how to remove him from power.
The political crisis in our country has spiked in recent weeks, putting the possibility of the government’s downfall on the agenda. Increasingly alone and weakened, Bolsonaro appeals to his denialist speech, contrary to the measures being taken in most of the world. Last Sunday he called a car caravan and street demonstration that ended with a speech in front of the army´s headquarters before a small audience that was no less insane than its leader. With posters and flags, they demanded the annulment of Congress and the Federal Supreme Court, which obviously provoked a wave of immediate repudiation. On Monday, the Folha de Sao Paulo published an interview with two senior army generals that denied any intention of a coup attempt by the Armed Forces. On the contrary, one of them stated that “the democratic state of law is a pillar for this generation and there is no minimum possibility of coupist adventures. The president knows this.”
A necessary debate: how to bring down Bolsonaro and his government?
While Bolsonaro continues his criminal contempt for the health and lives of the people, causing the coronavirus to advance relentlessly and increasing the number of deaths, heavily attacking first-responders, the thousands of health workers who go into battle unarmed, or causing millions of unemployed or informal workers to suffer from misery and hunger, that is, while the working class and poor people suffer the consequences of a genocidal government, all parties and opposition representatives are discussing how to come out of the governmental crisis in a better position. Their electoral speculations and interests of all sorts are united in the common goal of saving the bourgeois democratic regime and its government, ultimately to save capitalist profit.
The alternatives we hear talk about moving pieces on the board: putting one in place of another, as we saw before with Dilma and Temer, and of course, leaving the decision in the hands of the bandits that take refuge in parliament. We already know how that ends and that is why we do not trust any of those alternatives. Instead of focusing on building the greatest unity and strengthening mobilizations to throw this government, they push forward a solution to the crisis through parliament. Many comrades in PSOL mistakenly do this, or like the PT and Lula that stand with the line of strengthening itself as an electoral alternative and possible government replacement, putting down any mobilization process.
We fight to kick out Bolsonaro, Mourao and his entire government so that workers, women, the native peoples, the youth, the poor, in short, the ones who make this country work every day, can rule. Let´s decide our future with the strength of mobilization and not leave it to those who put it at risk repeatedly. The path is to strengthen all ongoing struggles, “panelaços” and all forms of struggle that arise. We must also demand trade unions to urgently call for a general strike. Also strengthen the emergency committees that already exist in some popular neighborhoods and develop them where they do not exist. Not only in neighborhoods but also in factories or workplaces and campuses, build independent worker and popular organization to defend our rights and, now more than ever, to defend our lives.
Alternativa Socialista and the ISL (International Socialist League), fights to build this anti-capitalist and socialist alternative, we invite you to join us and do it together.