Lula fires salvo at critics to warn reform in Brazil will take time

news.ft.com By Raymond Colitt Published: March 4 2003 4:00 | Last Updated: March 4 2003 4:00

In four attempts over the last 14 years to win presidential elections, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was seen as too radical to govern Brazil. Now that he is in office, he is concerned at being seen as too conservative.

Having run on a platform of far-reaching social and economic change, Mr Lula da Silva has come under fire from critics on either extreme of the political arena. Austere economic policies including tough budget cuts and tight monetary policy, they say, are a continuation of the government of Fernando Henrique Cardoso, his social democratic predecessor.

In response, Mr Lula da Silva has gone out of his way in recent weeks to justify economic austerity and explain that his plans for a more equitable society will take time. Behind the message is an attempt to manage enormous expectations and sustain his popularity.

Last week the Lula da Silva administration fired back at critics with an advertising campaign on national television and radio that sought to justify his gradualist approach during the first two months in office. Comparing Mr Lula da Silva's reform plan with the restoration of a house, a young actress against the backdrop of a Brazilian flag said: "You cannot tear down all the old walls at once. You need a lot of patience and care." The one-minute television spot continued: "President Lula's commitment is not with haste but profound change with security and serenity."

Earlier in the week, Mr Lula da Silva sought to rebuff criticism that too much debate within his government was delaying proposals for structural reforms. "Structural reform will happen but it's like harvesting fruit," he said. "You cannot be hurried and pick it while it is still green. The people will taste it, not like it and spit it out."

During an unusual visit to Congress in February, Mr Lula da Silva sought to blame recent interest rate rises and draconian budget cuts on the threat of war in Iraq. Yet in the attempt, the Brazilian president sounded more of a continuity man than an agent of change, repeating almost verbatim the same justification Mr Cardoso had given Congress in 1999.

"Basically his words are the same as ours a few years ago," says Tasso Jereissati, a prominent senator in PSDB, the social democratic party. "I think it's great that Lula speaks our language," he mocks.

The PSDB launched its own media campaign, belittling Mr Lula da Silva's policies - particularly his flagship "zero hunger" social programme - as a continuation of their own. "The battle against hunger is not starting from zero," said José Anibal, PSDB president, in an advertisement also aired on national television. The PSDB's broadcast sought to showcase the party's achievements in education, housing and health during its eight years in government.

Radicals within Mr Lula da Silva's own Workers' party (PT) have been equally disappointed with their leader's about-face. A handful publicly criticised his choice of central bank chief, interest rate rises and reform plans to cut social security and labour benefits.

Mr Lula da Silva's public relations management in coming months will be the key to selling his ambitious legislative agenda to congress and the general public. For now, many are still giving him the benefit of the doubt and his new image as a moderate reformer seems to have worked for public opinion.

"The PT came into government with a number of untested projects and ideas but quickly had to adapt them to the adverse economic reality of the country," says Walder de Goes, a Brasilia-based political analyst. "It was inevitable this would trigger criticism but I think they are handling it well. I give Lula's honeymoon a year, which is more than many other presidents had."