Conciliator, Stedile says he understands slowness in settlement – 12/26/2023 – Panel

Historic leader of the MST (Landless Workers Movement), João Pedro Stedile adopted a conciliatory tone towards the Lula government in his end-of-year message to the movement’s activists.

“In terms of settled families, it’s the worst year in all 40 years of the MST. But we understand. It’s part of the fight,” he said in a recording released on Friday (22).

The tone is different from the more incisive attitude adopted by the movement throughout the year, when it did not hide its disappointment with the slow pace of agrarian reform at the beginning of the new PT government.

In September, João Paulo Rodrigues, another member of the movement’s national coordination, told the Panel that dissatisfaction was great. “We will need five terms from Lula to complete the agrarian reform process,” he stated.

This time, although he points to slow settlements, Stedile attributed the problem to the legacy of previous governments.

“There was a lack of resources, because the budget belonged to the previous government, and in a way the Brazilian State, with the dismantling that took place during the six years of fascist governments, prevented the machine from turning to the needs of the workers”, he stated in the message to movement.

According to him, agrarian reform is no longer measured in hectares. “It is measured by ideas, political and social achievements,” he stated, giving examples of topics such as food sovereignty, agro-industries and agroecology.

In 2024, the MST will turn 40 and will hold a congress to discuss the future of the movement in Brasília.

Among the objectives set for next year are consolidating a partnership with the Chinese government to transfer technology and carrying out work on the outskirts of large cities, in actions such as solidarity kitchens.

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