OT: New Brazilian President

[Makinus]

Today, i'm pround of my country, because today, in my country, Brazil (we write Brasil here, we are having a definite proof that we live in a real democracy, and not a false one.....

Today, 01/01/2003, the new president Luis Inacio "Lula" da Silva is assuming presidency of my country, and, while i personally do not agree with all policies of the Workers Party an the new president, and i don't voted in him in his election, i'm pround, not of the president, but i'm pround of the democracy.

For everyone that don't knew, Brazil, until 1978 was officicialy a military dictature, where government were in the hand of the generals from the army.... from 1978 until around 1988 we lived in a "semi-democratic" state, where the president were elected from the people, but the true power still were in the hands of the military, and, in 1988 a new Constitution was proclamed, and we started to live a democracy.

But i say that only now we, brazilian citizens, have a definite proof that we live in a real democracy, because our new president is everything that our ancient "military presidents" were not: he came from the people, started working to sustain his family from 7 years old, worked in the metalurgic industry not as a owner but as a worker, was persecuted, imprisioned, tortured and nearly killed during the military governments, and never ceased to fight for the rights of the poor, the workers, and for the creation of a true democracy.

While, like i said before, i don't share the same visions of the new president and the Workers Party, that changed from a Leftist to a Center-Leftist orientation recently, i see, in the victory of our "Lula", the definitive proof that the democracy in my country is a real one, because he is the antitesis of every ditctatorial government, because he came from the poor, and always defended the real soul of my country: the people.

It's really hard to convey to you what a monumental historic moment is happening in Brazil, where a man, that once was one of the major enemies from the (military) government, that fought not only with ideas, but put his own life in the fight for democracy, being imprisioned, tortured and that didn't died in an obscure cell of a dark prision only because one of the jailors helped him, and revealed to the people where he was incarcerated (so the military of the time could not kill him to not create a martyr), is our new president, elected by the people, with a staggering majority.

He will not have a easy job, because Brazil, while one of the richest country in natural resources of the world have several problems, like the poverty, government corruption, and a escalating crime rate, but i have faith that, while we can't expect miracles, i knew that the new President will do everything in his power, like he did during all his life, to help the people, and defend the democracy.

Sorry if i exceded myself people, i just wanted to share some of this historic moment with citizens of other democracies, to show that, while our world isn't perfect, it have it's moments.....

Makinus