Should he or Shouldn’t he?

Activists Speak Out on Lula’s Davos Trip

The Brazilian president’s imminent meeting with the captains of global finance in the Swiss resort city of Davos is being cast in new light at the third World Social Forum (WSF), which runs from Feb. 23 -28.

A growing number of activists see President Jose Inácio Lula da Silva’s visit as a sign of the emerging political environment they are prepared to subscribe to, that of engaging with their political opponents to achieve change. This marks a departure from the more favoured option of confrontation normally pursued by activists and parties on the left of the political spectrum when agitating for change, but not all agree.

Vijay Pratap, an Indian delegate from the Asian Social Forum:

‘’Lula must go to Davos because he is going with a different mandate – one from the Brazilian people who elected him and the other from the world’s social movements. He has a new kind of political legitimacy and I am confident that Lula has this understanding of his new historical role. He has to offer a counter-worldview to the high priests of world capitalism.’’

Edimar Almeida of the Sindicato dos Servidores do Podor Legislativo in Brazil:

‘’It is okay for the president to participate, but not in anyway that will help Davos or support its agenda.’’

Nicola Bullard of the Bangkok-based Focus of the Global South:

‘’Brazilian activists feel that Lula should not go to Davos. By talking and engaging in Davos it will not be a clear rejection of neo-liberal policies. He is walking a tight rope, and it shows the impossible situation Lula is in, because of the pressure from the US and the financial market. One has to be optimistic about what he can achieve. He's not going to announce the revolution tomorrow.”

Timnit Abrah, an Ethiopian activist from the Inter Africa Group:

‘’It is better to make your presence felt at the table – to go to governments and force them to address our issues – than fighting from the sidelines. Lula can achieve change this way.’’

Andrea De Jesus Francisco, a Brazilian student at the WSF:

‘’The confrontational approach has limits, and it may gain little for the people of Brazil who voted for Lula.’’