Published:
July 16, 2013
São Paulo -
Young people, quick fingers on their cellphones, have taken to the streets
around the world.
It would
seem easier to explain these protests when they take place in nondemocratic
countries, as in Egypt and Tunisia in 2011, or in countries where the economic
crisis has raised the number of unemployed young workers to frightening highs,
as in Spain and Greece, than when they emerge in countries with popular
democratic governments - like Brazil, where we currently enjoy the lowest
unemployment rates in our history and an unparalleled expansion of economic and
social rights.
Many
analysts attribute recent protests to a rejection of politics. I think it’s
precisely the opposite: They reflect a drive to increase the reach of
democracy, to encourage people to take part more fully.
I can only
speak with authority about my country, Brazil, where I think the demonstrations
are largely the result of social, economic and political successes. In the last
decade, Brazil doubled its number of university students, many from poor
families. We sharply reduced poverty and inequality. These are significant
achievements, yet it is completely natural that young people, especially those
who are obtaining things their parents never had, should desire more.
These young
people did not live through the repression of the military dictatorship in the
1960s and 1970s. They did not live through the inflation of the 1980s, when the
first thing we did when we received our paychecks was to run to the supermarket
and buy everything possible before the prices rose again the next day. They
remember very little about the 1990s, when stagnation and unemployment
depressed our country. They want more.
It is
understandable that it should be so. They want the quality of public services
to improve. Millions of Brazilians, including those in the emerging middle
class, have purchased their first cars and have begun to travel by air. Now,
public transportation must be efficient, making life in the large cities less
difficult.
The
concerns of young people are not merely material. They want greater access to
leisure and cultural activities. But above all, they demand political
institutions that are cleaner and more transparent, without the distortions of
Brazil’s anachronistic political and electoral system, which has recently shown
itself to be incapable of managing reform. The legitimacy of these demands
cannot be denied, even if it’s impossible to meet them quickly. It’s first
necessary to find funds, establish goals and set timelines.
Democracy
is not a commitment to silence. A democratic society is always in flux,
debating and defining its priorities and challenges, constantly craving new
achievements. Only in a democracy could an Indian be elected president of
Bolivia, and an African-American be elected president of the United States.
Only in a democracy could first a metalworker and then a woman be elected
president of Brazil.
History
shows that when political parties are silenced, and solutions are sought by
force, the results are disastrous: wars, dictatorships and the persecution of
minorities. Without political parties there can be no true democracy. But
people do not simply wish to vote every four years. They want daily interaction
with governments both local and national, and to take part in defining public
policies, offering opinions on the decisions that affect them each day.
In short,
they want to be heard. This creates a tremendous challenge for political
leaders. It requires better ways of engagement, via social media, in the
workplace and on campuses, reinforcing interaction with workers groups and
community leaders, but also with the so-called disorganized sectors, whose
desires and needs should be no less respected for lack of organization.
It has been
said, and with good reason, that while society has entered the digital era
politics has remained analog. If democratic institutions used the new
communication technologies as instruments of dialogue, and not for mere
propaganda, they would breathe fresh air into their operations. And that would
more effectively bring them in tune with all parts of society.
Even the
Workers Party, which I helped found and which has contributed so much to
modernize and democratize politics in Brazil, needs profound renewal. It must
recover its daily links with social movements and offer new solutions for new
problems, and do both without treating young people paternalistically.
The good
news is that young people are not conformist, apathetic or indifferent to public
life. Even those who think they hate politics are beginning to participate.
When I was their age, I never imagined I would become a political militant. Yet
we wound up creating a political party when we discovered that the National
Congress had practically no representatives from the working class. Through
politics we managed to restore democracy, consolidate economic stability and
create millions of jobs.
Clearly
there is still much to do. It’s good news that our young people want to fight
to ensure that social change continues at a more intense pace.
The other
good news is that President Dilma Rousseff proposed a plebiscite to carry out
the political reforms that are so necessary. She also proposed a national
commitment to education, health care and public transportation, in which the
federal government would provide substantial financial and technical support to
states and municipalities.
When
talking with young leaders in Brazil and elsewhere, I like to tell them this:
Even when you are discouraged with everything and everyone, don’t give up on
politics. Participate! If you do not find in others the politician you seek,
you may find him or her in yourself.
