President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) once again criticized financial market agents who demand a better commitment to public accounts and stated that he will beat them over supposed nonsense they say, in his view.
The statements come amid negotiations that have been going on for two weeks to announce a spending cut package that proves the effectiveness of the fiscal framework, and which should have an outcome this Wednesday (13) as expected by Minister Fernando Haddad (Finance) .
“I see the market talking nonsense all day long. You know, I don’t believe that, because I beat them once and I’ll win again. The economy will work because the people are participating in the growth of this country”, said Lula in an interview with RedeTV aired on Sunday (10).
He confirmed that the government has not yet concluded the spending cut package and that it is “in a very serious discussion process”. For him, there is a “speculative desire of the market” and that sometimes he thinks that “the market acts with a certain hypocrisy”.
As mentioned last week, Lula stated that the spending cut cannot only occur on the benefits paid by the government – which the ministries themselves have already pointed out possible irregularities –, but that parliamentarians should reduce amendments and that there are “excesses” in the Judiciary .
“We can no longer play, every time you have to cut something, on the shoulders of the people most in need. I want to know the following, if I make a spending cut to reduce the budget’s investment capacity, the question I ask is this: will Congress agree to reduce the amendments from deputies and senators to contribute”, he asked.
He also recalled that the Three Powers have responsibility for the Union’s budget and asked “if they are also willing to give up what is excessive”. “Because then there is a partnership, a complicity so that everyone makes the necessary sacrifice for us to put the economy in order”, he added.
Minister Fernando Haddad stated this Monday (11) that he hopes to close the spending cut package by Wednesday (13), and that another Esplanada ministry will be affected. He, however, did not reveal which folder will be affected.
“The president asked for an effort to include a ministry in negotiations that should be concluded by Wednesday (13). I’m not going to say anything because I don’t know if the ministry will have enough time to incorporate his request. But, I believe there will be good will for us to incorporate one more measure”, the minister told journalists after a meeting with Lula outside the official agenda.
Although he did not reveal which ministry should be included in the fiscal adjustment package, Haddad stated that it will be from an area other than social, for which negotiation meetings concluded this weekend. The ministers responsible for benefits such as Bolsa Família, the Continuous Payment Benefit (BPC) and unemployment insurance have been holding negotiations for more than two weeks.
According to him, the original proposal presented to the president was not dehydrated, but improved with “more palatable” adjustments.
