Workers Party (PT) International Relations Department: In defense of national sovereignty

Just recently Temer’s illegitimate government announced the largest privatization package of Brazilian assets since the FHC administration in the 1990s. Questionable politically and legally, as they are the fruit of the coup that deposed President Dilma Rousseff, these measures are clearly rejected by a majority of Brazilians.

Since it was founded, the Workers Party (PT) has guided its conduct by defense of democracy and national sovereignty. Building on an internationalist perspective, this position is not limited to the homeland, but involves also the anti-imperialist and anti-colonialist struggle for a new international order that respects the peoples’ rights to self-determination. In other words, these principles include the unswerving defense of Latin American solidarity, a key element in the affirmation of Brazil’s sovereignty and autonomous role in the world.

All along the thirteen years of PT governments, the Brazilian foreign policy proved to be aligned with those principles. Brazil’s “active and proud” foreign policy was, above all, one abiding by the parameters established in our Federal Constitution, which, among other principles, governs the country’s international relations on the basis of national independence; prevalence of human rights; self-determination of the peoples and non-intervention; defense of peace and the peaceful resolution of conflicts; and against terrorism and racism. These principles were clearly reflected in the PT governments’ concrete international actions toward regional integration, South-South relations, the country’s autonomous position in international negotiations, and peace, and in acknowledging the importance of multilateral bodies.

Since the coup d’état, we have announced the dismantling of the foreign policy built during the PT administrations and the coming back of a subservient perspective for the country that, after being in effect in the FHC years, was defeated four times in a row in national elections. Both domestically and internationally, the coup-led political program promotes backwardness by implementing a neoliberal project that is clearly harmful to the Brazilian people.

We denounce the most recent attack by the Temer government against Brazilian assets and national sovereignty, with the announcement of the privatization of 57 state-run projects and companies, including 14 airports, Eletrobrás (Latin America’s biggest power company), and even the national mint.

We firmly endorse the public letter released by the Joint Parliamentary Front in Defense of National Sovereignty, bringing together 201 federal representatives and 18 senators, and addressed to ambassadors to and investors in Brazil. The illegal privatizations carried out by the coup-led government have no popular support. We join the parliamentarians in warning against the legal risks of investing in this irresponsible and illegitimate program, and state our intent to legally challenge the lawfulness of the fraudulent privatizations being carried out by the coup-led government.

We subscribe to the terms of the Letter of the Parliamentary Front, “the Brazilian people have not given the current government any power of attorney to carry out any privatization. They don’t recognize the political and legal validity of selling Brazil’s assets as is being done by this coup-led government. What’s worse, the Brazilian people, quite rightly, suspect these privatizations were and have been carried out by means of bribes, corruption, scams, and illegalities.”

In addition to violating our sovereignty by handing over national assets, we also condemn the coming back of geopolitical subservience with the announcement of military exercises in Brazil’s Amazon region with the participation of the United States. This fact not only jeopardizes Brazilian sovereignty and the safety of the continent, but also deeply affects the autonomy built by Latin America over the last years in partnership with several governments in the region.

We will denounce to the international community and to the lawmakers, political parties, and social movements with whom the PT has political relations across the world, yet another attack against Brazilian sovereignty. These policies lack any legitimacy, as they have been dictated by a coup.

Monica Valente
International Relations Secretary