PT meets the challenge
International Viewpoint #251 December 1993 recognise the co-ordination now under way between the urban popular movements, which have recently set up a national office. The latter has tremendous possibilities, but their activities still occur at an uneven pace and they are far from united. There is urgent need for the intervention of our Party to offer a firm basis for and accelerate the realignment, so that it may also meet the challenge of building a popular and democratic government.
### Pressure
The PT's Guiding Principles (see pp. 18-22) constitute the first phase in the elaboration of a governmental programme. Whereas in the recent past there was pressure from some sectors of the Party for Lula to adopt a centre-left position, the election campaign has in fact helped to reinforce the Party's leftwing profile.
Caravans have travelled throughout the poorest regions of the country, emphasising the struggle against hunger and exclusion. This initiative has combined with the growth of Citizens Action Against Hunger, a movement clearly identified with Lula.
The question of alliances on the national level is conditioned by the programme. This virtually excludes any possibility of a national alliance with the PSDB and leads us back to our partners in 1989. There are no major candidates in the states who have the dynamism of Lula and only in rare cases has the party been able to set up candidacies and alliances according to correct perspectives. This includes the candidacy of Olivio Dutra in Rio Grande do Sul who has a very good chance of winning.?
In important states such as São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, the party is able to set up strong campaigns; but the situation is not the same throughout the country. There are important states in which there is no candidacy and others in which the best known leaders are not yet ready to present themselves as candidates. Finally, in other states, alliances are being discussed which do not guarantee support for Lula — cases where the alliance candidate is not from the PT and where sec-
PT tors of the party support the idea of an alliance with the PSDB or the Democratic Labour Party (PDT) 3
The area which has caused the most difficulty recently has been that of party organisation. If anything, the crisis has worsened since the June meeting. Unfortunately, there is no automatic link between the revival of a strong leftwing identity for the Party and the ability to reconstruct itself and provide strong leadership.
Indeed, the solution of this problem requires more than just simple agreement around the main political questions. What is needed is a majority which has a common understanding of the strategic tasks, compromises and cohesiveness required for developing a leadership plan for the party.
New leadership
As stated in the resolution of the June meeting: "The PT needs a new leadership to direct both Lula's campaign and party activity in the next few years." The creation of such a leadership was initiated with the formation of the Leftwing Option (the majority current at the meeting and the relations which were established with other currents identifying with the resolution.4
Giving form to the resolution first requires the consolidation of the Leftwing Option, particularly through the adoption of common responses to the organisational problems of the party. Other important issues are the struggle for a new leadership in the CUT (where the Leftwing Option is not operational) and the preparation for the next Party meeting in April 1994 — which will set out the governmental programme.
Relations with other sectors which can be integrated into the new majority are also crucial. One of the Leftwing Option's strengths was its ability to make alliances both with sectors of the old majority (which identified with the resolutions of the June meeting) and with currents on the left of the Party (which often have difficulty winning a majority to their positions). Further development of these relations will strengthen the Party leadership. *
2. Olivio Dutra is a PT activist in Porto Alegre, the capital of Rio Grande do Sul, and was a leader of the municipal group in the city between 1989 and 1993.
3. The PDT is the heir of the populist tradition in Brazil. Today it has strong social democratic tendencies.
4. For further details on the relationship of forces at the eight national gathering and the character of Left-wing Option, see José Corrêa, 'An historic conference' and Alfonso Moro, "A clear shift to the left", in International Viewpoint, no. 247, July 1993.
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URGENTE BRASIL