President Gleisi's speech

The Workers' Party (PT) was founded on February 10th.

But the 2025 anniversary was celebrated on February 21st and 22nd.

On the morning of the 22nd, we had a political event in which, among others, President Lula and President Gleisi Hoffmann spoke.

Below, I am copying and pasting President Gleisi's speech exactly as it was given to me by her staff.

I leave it to the fanatics to compare word-for-word what is written with what was actually said.

After Gleisi, Lula spoke.

Among other things, President Lula said that - when Gleisi was first elected - they had fabricated the candidacy of Lindbergh Farias against her. 

The facts I know are different: Lindbergh's candidacy – supported by the left wing of the Party – was on the rise, the CNB was divided between Padilha and Márcio Macedo, when Rui Falcão suggested Gleisi's name to Lula as an alternative.

Returning to Gleisi's speech, it seems to me that the key words were - after the PT itself, which is mentioned about 26 times - two: "Lula" and "democracy".

"Lula" appears 13 times and "democracy" appears 8 times. 

For comparison: "socialism" appears zero times; "sovereignty" appears zero times; "military" or "armed forces" appears zero times; "regional integration" appears once; "development" appears twice, and industry appears twice.

It's worth mentioning that the speech also mentions "the greatest agrarian reform of all time," which would be absolutely fantastic if it were true. 

Also remarkable is the absence, in the written speech, of any reference to the Central Bank and its interest rate policy!

Incidentally, for those of us in the audience, a curious moment in Gleisi's speech was when she referred to fiscal adjustment.

In the written text she says the following: "Now it is time to move forward with firmness, determination and urgency in reforming the income tax and ending the indecent tax breaks, so that the very rich finally pay what is fair and due on their profits and dividends, on the vast amount they extract from the country. This is the true fiscal imbalance that Brazil needs to resolve. Because we are already resolving the budgetary issue, Minister Fernando Haddad, promoting one of the biggest fiscal adjustments in our history, going from a deficit of 2,3% of GDP in 2023 to 0,09% in 2024.".

When she read this passage referring to Haddad, President Gleisi turned and looked towards the Finance Minister, who was seated in the last row of the podium. 

I leave it to the experts to interpret this moment, which for some may seem like a "kissing of the cross" and, for others, a re-enactment of the well-known public controversy.

Gleisi concluded her speech by saying that "this moment of renewal of our leadership is the opportunity we have to consolidate our internal unity based on debate and the modernization of our party organization. There is no divergence between a broad alliance for the elections and the defense of the rights of the Brazilian people."

So, if I understand correctly, Gleisi advocates for "renewal," "modernization," and... maintaining the same political line.

This stance makes some sense, from the point of view of someone who may soon become a minister (remembering that this is a subject the world is talking about, but so far nothing has been said). formally (at party leadership meetings).

Part of what "renewal" and "modernization" mean, from Gleisi's point of view, appeared in the proposal she herself defended at the PT National Directorate meeting held on February 17th. Namely: the possibility of leaders remaining in their positions without term limits.

Gleisi's speech was followed attentively by several candidates to succeed her as president of the Party, among them a citizen whose presence on the main stage did not meet any of the criteria established by the organizers (former presidents, national executive, board of directors of the Foundation, ministers, representatives of parliamentary groups and governments). 

The attempt by some to "name" this comrade is the greatest proof that Certain alliances make it very difficult to defend the rights of the people.This, consequently, generates the need for greater and worse retreats, concessions, and alliances of the type where "it is by giving that one does not receive."

Certain alliances even hinder the consistent defense of democracy. 

This perhaps explains why, in a speech prepared in advance and therefore carefully considered, Gleisi chose to even mention the caveman's name, but wrote nothing about the military, nor about the illegal parliamentarism expressed, among other things, in the famous mandatory amendments.

(I don't know how to explain the scarcity of references to international politics, not only regarding Palestine and Cuba, but also BRICS and COP 30.)

In any case, everything indicates that the political line of the Party and the government will change. Whether to the "right" or to the "left," the PED (Party of the Democratic Republic of Germany) will decide. The PED and, above all, the struggle between classes and also between states in conflict around the world. 

The political orientation that has prevailed until now is proving insufficient to defeat our enemies. Therefore, if we want to "build the future," we need to transform the present, starting with transforming the strategy adopted so far by our government and our Party.

Transform, but from the left!

The following is the speech by President Gleisi Hoffmann.

PT's 45th Anniversary Event

RIO, FEBRUARY 22, 2025

I want to begin by saying how proud I am to preside over the PT. It's one of the most important missions I've had in my life!

And it was President Lula who created and paved this path. He is often criticized for appointing more women to political positions, ministries, the judiciary, and other positions of power. It's important! 

But they don't look at what you did that was most important. No president has paved so much for women. You encouraged, provided opportunities, and built the path so that the first woman, our comrade Dilma Rousseff, could become president of the republic, and so that the first woman could be president of one of the largest parties in this country, the party that you founded.

The historical value of your stance was, is, and will be fundamental in definitively placing women as protagonists on the Brazilian political scene. No other political leader or ruler has provided the important and symbolic conditions that you have provided to empower women. History has recorded it.

My tribute here to all the women of this party who fought and achieved this result! To the Brazilian women, Janja, who fight hard for space and work hard for dignified living conditions in our daily lives, our gratitude!

Comrades,

Reaching 45 years of struggle, resistance, and achievements, with the vitality and trajectory of the Workers' Party, is an accomplishment that should be celebrated for its importance to the history, present, and future of Brazil.

We wouldn't be here if we hadn't kept our original commitment to the workers and the Brazilian people: to change politics, the country, and people's lives. 

We began by innovating in political organization: a party organized from the bottom up, in factories, fields, schools, and grassroots communities, to give voice and agency to those who have always been excluded from major decisions.

To those who have always been excluded from the wealth built by the hands of the working people, in a country marked by inequality, exploitation, and injustice.

I want to honor the founders of the PT (Workers' Party) through two people present here:

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

And his partner Benedita da Silva.

Alongside so many comrades, Lula and Bené dared to dream in a time when the dictatorship oppressed, imprisoned, and killed. 

We also pay tribute to the former presidents of the PT (Workers' Party), in the name of two comrades present here: José Dirceu and Rui Falcão.

All those represented dared to fight so that brute force would never again prevail over democracy and the sovereign will of the people.

 Compas,

With the same courage it demonstrated in strikes and demonstrations, the PT took the agenda of the working class and the vast majority to the campaign for direct elections and to the Constituent Assembly. And that is how Brazil began to change.

By combining struggle in the streets and within institutions, the Workers' Party showed that it was the real alternative for realizing the aspirations and hopes of our people. 

And it was through this consistently valid path that we elected the first president of the Republic born from among the people and forged in the struggles of the working class.

It was this president who put the country on the path to growth with income distribution, like never before in Brazil's history. And who began to change the lives of millions of people.

Nothing and no one can erase the fact that we created 20 million jobs and that the minimum wage had a real increase of 74%, with inflation under control and GDP growing at an average of 4% per year.

No one will erase the greatest agrarian reform of all time. The Bolsa Família program, the Prouni program, the Quota Law. The Farmácia Popular program, the SAMU emergency medical service, and the UPAs (emergency care units). The Minha Casa Minha Vida program, the major PAC (Growth Acceleration Program) projects, and the pre-salt oil reserves.

The creation of the Ministries of Women, Racial Equality, and Human Rights, now joined by the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples. The Maria da Penha Law and policies against homophobia and all forms of discrimination and prejudice.

No one can erase the fact that we took Brazil off the Hunger Map.

With the PT (Workers' Party), the country assumed a new place in the world; a protagonist in regional integration, climate and environmental issues, the promotion of peace, and the fight against poverty and inequality on a global scale.

It was the legacy of President Lula and President Dilma's governments that gave us the political authority to confront the greatest campaign of destruction against a political party and its leadership in our country.

A campaign of encirclement and annihilation, driven by economic, political, and social interests, both inside and outside Brazil, strongly opposed to the new project for a sovereign, inclusive, and democratic country.

They imposed a coup disguised as an impeachment, without any crime of responsibility, against an honest president who committed no crime whatsoever.

They falsely accused, convicted without evidence, illegally imprisoned and removed Lula from office, thus also depriving the people of their right to elect him president in 2018.

They killed and buried the PT many times in headlines and editorials.

But they couldn't erase Lula and the PT from the memory and hearts of the Brazilian people. It was for this reason that we won five out of the nine elections we contested under the democratic regime.

And here I pay homage to the most fervent activism of all time: the activism of the PT (Workers' Party).

You are the ever-combative body and the eternally courageous soul of our party.

During the "Free Lula Vigil," for 580 days and nights, in demonstrations and festivals, defending Lula's innocence, facing insults and violence, alongside social movements, the activism fueled national and international solidarity for the judicial and political battle of those difficult times.

This is also the time to thank the lawyers, religious leaders, political leaders, artists, intellectuals, independent journalists, and everyone who raised the banner of "Free Lula!"

Their names are inscribed in the history of democracy and justice in Brazil.

Compas,

The alternatives to the PT (Workers' Party) that the powerful have promoted since the 2016 coup have resulted in disastrous governments for the country and terrible threats to democracy. 

The economy regressed, bringing unemployment and poverty; hunger returned, and the people ended up in the death row. Institutions were attacked, rights were suppressed, and freedom was curtailed with hatred and violence.

And we will never forget the pain of hundreds of thousands of families who suffered grief during the pandemic, at the hands of the criminal who withheld the vaccine, mocked science, the dead, and human solidarity.

This individual has now been exposed. In the 45 years of the PT (Workers' Party), this is a gift to democracy. With evidence and ample material produced by his collaborators, Bolsonaro will sit in the dock. He will be judged by due process, something that would have been unthinkable for anyone had he won the elections. This doesn't even come close to what he suffered, what we suffered in the operation led by Sérgio Moro: illegal and unjust arrests, fabricated allegations, and contrived accusations. That's why we strongly say no to amnesty!

It was to save democracy, leading an alliance that brought together the popular and left-wing forces with movements, parties, and democratic sectors from across the country, that you were elected president for the third time!

The Workers' Party (PT) reaches its 45th anniversary with a double responsibility: to rebuild a devastated country and advance an increasingly inclusive and vigorous development project, without allowing setbacks.

Even in an adverse national and international context, where the far-right and neoliberalism ally themselves with voracity and violence, it is undeniable that President Lula's third term has already made its mark: more jobs and higher wages, in a country that has returned to growth, generating income and opportunities. 

A country that is once again overcoming hunger and poverty, having re-established the primacy of democracy.

It is this mark that we cannot forget when we are attacked by a fascist opposition, by the heralds of a neoliberalism that plundered the national patrimony and kept the very rich entrenched in unfair and indecent tax privileges.

This is the government that reinstated the real increase in the minimum wage, strengthened the Bolsa Família program, and has already created 3.2 million jobs, more than in the previous government's four years. It also made the GDP grow by more than 6% in two years, more than the previous government's four years.

This is the government that made the industry grow 3,1% last year because it is investing in productive innovation with the support of BNDES, which has resumed financing development.

The government has exempted those earning up to two minimum wages from income tax and will exempt those earning up to R$ 5 per month. And for the first time, it is taxing the wealthy who send fortunes abroad.

They can't stop Brazil from growing!

The Workers' Party (PT) has the responsibility to develop, propose, and support the government's policies in this direction, some of which have already been announced by President Lula.

Food is expensive, a result of speculation with the dollar, increased exports, and the climate crisis. But we will overcome this. We know that this is your biggest concern today, Mr. President!

Just as it is important to curb abuses in fuel prices, especially cooking gas, and electricity, two sectors in which public power has been crippled by privatizations and constraints in recent years. The resumption of Petrobras investments and the de-dollarization of its pricing policy show that it is possible and necessary to move forward, for the benefit of the country and its people.

To give top priority, in the Union Budget and in government management, to social, health and education programs that reach the vast majority of the population, always putting the people first.

Expand access to credit for workers, families, industry and services, and entrepreneurs, through public banks and new lines of credit negotiated with the private financial sector. 

Now is the time to move forward with firmness, determination, and urgency in reforming income tax and ending indecent tax breaks, so that the very wealthy finally pay what is fair and due on their profits and dividends, on the vast amount they extract from the country. 

This is the real fiscal imbalance that Brazil needs to resolve. Because we are already addressing the budgetary issue, Minister Fernando Haddad, by promoting one of the biggest fiscal adjustments in our history, going from a deficit of 2,3% of GDP in 2023 to 0,09% in 2024.

Comrades,

We are looking to the future when we defend this government and advance the changes that truly matter to the majority of the population, such as those we have just highlighted.

It is a fact that Brazil and the world have changed a lot in these 45 years: the world of work, technological resources, the environmental and climate agenda, the means of information, and even the political dispute, which today also takes place on social networks controlled by the far-right, their lies and their hate speech.

What hasn't changed is the PT's original commitment to transforming the country, our permanent alliance with the Brazilian people. A last-minute poll won't shake us. We've been through much worse, and we're still here! We have a lot to say to the Brazilian people. I'll repeat, we won five out of nine presidential elections and we know how to fight for what is just, good, and right, with the truth on our side.

The recent indictment by the Attorney General confirms that the coup plot, authoritarian and murderous, hatched from the moment the president regained his political rights and executed until January 8, 2023, a week after his inauguration, was against Lula and the PT.

We are not only facing political adversaries in the elections, but a dictatorial project that presents itself with other faces and disguises, in addition to those of the head of the coup-plotting militia.

Therefore, we do not have the right to make mistakes, to fail in our commitments to the people, the country, and democracy.

The Workers' Party (PT) needs to prepare itself. This moment of renewal of its leadership is the opportunity we have to consolidate our internal unity based on debate and the modernization of our party organization. 

There is no conflict between a broad alliance for the elections and the defense of the rights of the Brazilian people. This is a false controversy. It was this alliance that we formed in 2022. This is your hallmark, President Lula, a foundation in the people. It is from this that the conditions arise to forge a broad alliance to consolidate democracy and rebuild our country.

Given all that we have done and the many more obligations we have to do, and the trust placed in us, the PT needs to continue moving forward, listening more and more to the people, giving voice to and realizing, through government actions, the desires of the vast majority of the population.

To build the future, we need to transform the present.

Long live the Workers' Party!