Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Tuesday (April 12th) that he would create an Indigenous ministry in the event of victory in the October presidential election, during a speech to representatives of indigenous peoples.
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“
If we have already created a Ministry of Racial Equality, Human Rights, Fisheries, why not a Ministry to deal with issues related to Indigenous Peoples?
“, he declared on the occasion of the Terra Livre (Free Land) camp, which for the past week has brought together several thousand Amerindians who have come to defend their rights in Brasilia.
"
This wallet, it will be for one of you, not for a white man like me
," he said, to applause.
Sacred rituals
Issues relating to indigenous peoples in Brazil are the responsibility of the National Indian Foundation (Funai), a government body under the supervision of the Ministry of Justice.
Funai is currently chaired by Marcelo Augusto Xavier, a former federal police commissioner reputed to be close to agribusiness.
Prior to his speech, Lula took part in sacred rituals with two indigenous leaders.
He wore a multicolored necklace and a t-shirt with the image of a blue and yellow macaw.
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Favorite of the October presidential election, the 76-year-old former trade unionist, who already presided over Brazil from 2003 to 2010, is increasingly in campaign mode, even if the filing of candidacies will only take place in the month of August.
Polls see a second-round duel looming with far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who has narrowed the gap to Lula in voting intentions in recent weeks.
“
I am ready to govern this country again, 12 years after leaving the presidency.
I will come back wiser, more serene, more experienced
, ”said the icon of the left.
In the event of victory, Lula promised that he would "
immediately
" cancel the decrees of the head of state and the ordinances of the current government on indigenous issues.
“
Nobody will do anything without your consent
,” he added.
Jair Bolsonaro came to power in 2019 with the promise of "
not giving up one more centimeter
" to the territories reserved for Native Americans, which today represent 13% of the surface of the country.
He is also trying to get Parliament to approve bills authorizing mining and agricultural activities on these reserves.