Brazil: Lula Says Officials Who ‘Make Mistake’ Will Be Kindly Asked To Leave

By Karine Melo 

At the beginning of his first meeting with the entire government team this Friday (Dec. 6), President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva committed to being honest with the Brazilian people.

“Whoever does something wrong must know there is only one way: They will be kindly asked to leave the government. And if what they do is serious, they’ll have to stand before the investigators and before the justice system itself,” he warned.

The president also said his administration does not have “just one way of thinking.” Despite divergences, he added, everyone on the team should work for the common good. “We’re not a government with just one way of thinking, a single philosophy, with people who are identical with each other. We are a government of different people. Even though we think differently, what matters is making an effort think alike for the reconstruction of the country.”

Regarding his rapport with the ministers, Lula vowed loyalty, promising to act like an older brother or a father. “I won’t leave any of you by the wayside,” he said.