Lula about booing Raquel Lyra: ‘Respect my guests’ – 03/22/2023 – Politics

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) complained this Wednesday (22) about supporters who booed the governor of Pernambuco, Raquel Lyra (PSDB), during the launch of a federal government program in Recife.

Raquel was booed every time her name was mentioned on the podium and her speech was drowned out by hooting. Some in attendance turned their backs on the governor as she spoke.

The audience at the event was made up of trade unions, members of the MST (Movement of Landless Rural Workers) and people wearing clothes alluding to the PT. The toucan remained neutral in the presidential race last year and won Marília Arraes (Solidariedade), supported by the PT.

In his speech, the president defended the governor. “When we invite someone to our house, and I’m the owner of the house, you can boo all you want. But, please, respect my guests who come here.”

“The governor may be our political opponent, but she is governor of the state. She was elected and I will respect her as governor of the state. I will come here as many times as necessary to take care of the interests of the people of Pernambuco through her hands, through João’s hands [Campos, prefeito do Recife e também alvo de vaias] and by the hands of the other mayors, because that is how the spirit of everything we build in the democracy of this country governs”, said Lula.

The petista said, however, that people who booed the governor should have done the same with former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) during his period in the Presidency.

“When you were booing the governor, you were booing me. Because she’s not here because she wants to be here. She’s here because she was invited by us. It would be so important if the same people who have the freedom to boo the governor on our stage , invited by us, could have booed Bolsonaro during the four years he was in the Presidency of the Republic. It would have been so much more beautiful.”

During her speech, Raquel praised democracy and had the support of ministers, state secretaries, first lady Janja and vice governor Priscila Krause (Citizenship), who stood up and stood by her while she was booed.

“When we have a woman exercising a space of power, all women are in power”, she said.

The toucan also said that he works with Lula to implement public policies for the state.

“Each public policy launched by you here will be our public policy to reach the population. We will face inequality not with boos, but with a lot of love. We will face hunger not with boos, but with a lot of work. […] I will work even for those who now manifest the expression of their will and their desire and have their backs turned.”

The speech was given at the Geraldão sports gym, in Recife, during the ceremony to relaunch the Food Acquisition Program. According to the government, the objective of the program is to contribute to ensuring the food and nutritional security of the population and encourage the production of food from family farming.

The government announced a readjustment in the individual value that can be sold by family farmers, mechanisms for accessing indigenous peoples and traditional communities, in addition to greater participation by women in the execution of the program in all the modalities offered.

Teachers present demanded the mayor of Recife, João Campos (PSB), for the municipal management to pay the minimum wage for the category, which has not yet been implemented by the municipality.

Nurses also joined in favor of the nursing salary floor, sanctioned in 2022 by Bolsonaro and suspended by an injunction by Minister Luís Roberto Barroso, of the STF (Federal Supreme Court).

Lula claimed to defend the floor, but said he could not disrespect the minister’s decision. He used the theme to make a new criticism of Bolsonaro.

“The President of the Republic cannot overrule the decision. The person who did that was Bolsonaro’s mouth, who was cursing the Supreme Court every day. I want to respect the decision.”

In Recife, Lula also announced the reinstallation of Condraf (National Council for Sustainable Rural Development) and the creation of the Program for Productive and Economic Organization of Rural Women.

At the end of the morning, the PT member was in Paraíba for the launch of the Neoenergia Renewable Complex, in the municipality of Santa Luzia. According to the federal government, this is the first associated set of renewable energy generation in Brazil, integrating wind and solar energy, with an investment of R$ 3 billion.

With 136 wind turbines and 228,000 photovoltaic panels, the complex extends over an area of ​​8,700 hectares in four cities. The energy generated is 0.6 gigawatts (GW), enough to supply 1.3 million homes annually, according to the government. The governor of Paraíba, João Azevêdo (PSB), participated in the event, as well as state parliamentarians.