MST leader says Lula is “fearful” and promises pressure for agrarian reform

One of the leaders of the Landless Workers Movement (MST) and historical supporter of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), João Pedro Stédile criticized the government’s action to implement public policies of interest to the group – that it is “too slow” and “fearful” – and which intends to put pressure for the agrarian reform to be intensified.

The statements were made in an interview with the newspaper Folha de São Paulo published this Thursday (11), when questioned about the criticism that the MST received from ministers of the Lula government about the invasions that took place in less than five months of government – more than 30 in the period.

“Honestly, I didn’t see any tension. Now, what do we criticize and criticize again? That the government is too slow. You’ve wasted too much time. In a hundred days, it should have already adopted an emergency program to combat hunger, with the purchase of food. And only now are they announcing resources for that,” she said.

For him, Lula is “a bit afraid” to establish new public policies of interest to his historic supporter due to the acts of January 8, which created a “climate in which everything has to be more careful” in which “certain public [provocar ou
sentir medo] with the social struggle, because they were not used to it”.

Still criticizing the government, Stédile says that the PT governments did not carry out the agrarian reform that the MST defends, due to “lack of understanding”. “The Lula and Dilma governments never understood the nature of Brazilian agriculture. Even because they were militants of the urban left, let’s put it that way. They may have been poorly advised by the intellectuals who understood the subject,” she added.

Movement will intensify actions, says Stédile

João Pedro Stédile said that the MST acts will be continuous, but that this does not necessarily mean making new invasions. According to him, the movement may “return to marches and large encampments”, and he also mentioned that unions will carry out new strikes such as the one that recently occurred among employees of the São Paulo subway.

“We will press. But we are going to defend the Lula government. […] At the same time, the MST will maintain its autonomy, from governments, churches and parties – no matter how much leftist parties turn up their noses”, he fired.

The leader of the movement also stated that he does not fear the installation of the MST’s CPI in the Chamber of Deputies – the fifth that investigates the group – and that he will depose the parliamentarians if he is summoned. Stédile also criticized the president of the house, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), saying that he is a ruralist who allowed the commission to be “tricks with the government”.

According to him, the CPI has more of an “ideological” character than a practical one, citing former minister Ricardo Salles (PL-SP), who occupied the Environment portfolio in the government of Jair Bolsonaro (PL), as one of the responsible. Salles is quoted to be the committee’s rapporteur.