Lula da Silva: "They thought the lie was going …

"I'm going to be 73 but I have the power of a 20-year-old child," said former president Lula Da Silva during his first interview with Argentine media since his arrest there. has 526 days. Sitting behind a small office, escorted by a police officer and four meters away from reporters, Lula confessed that he intended to live "up to 120 years old". For that, he needs "a lot of strength", if not "life It becomes boring.

Lula is in the Curitiba prison that he inaugurated in 2007, paradoxes of life, with the aim of improving the quality of the Brazilian penitentiary service and only for the inmates in transit, in fact, in this modern concrete block. 20 prisoners, but the former president is the only one who is permanently and isolated, and who pbades alone 22 24 hours a day.

The preparations for the interview began five months ago, when the first exchange of messages began with the defense attorneys of the former president. After many whereabouts and unsuccessful attempts, last week's confirmation came: Lula was waiting Page I12 Wednesday, September 11 at 9:30 in Curitiba Prison, in the state of Paraná, for a report of 60 minutes.

After an hour of preparation in the room reserved for maintenance, there was a small office located exactly in the middle of the room and in turn surrounded by a kind of padlock forming another desk and behind which were the cameramen, photographers and cameramen. Page I12, security means began to be deployed for the former president to enter.

At 0930 hours, policemen with Lula hoods and insulating mosquito nets from outside contact escorted the former president of his cell to the third floor of the concrete block where he was staying. the room where the report was made.

In dark suit and flawless tie, he embroidered, entered a firm and complete step and greeted each of those present with joy and emotion invaded every inch of this cold, oppressive and impersonal space, but his presence was loaded with energy and dignity.

Before sitting down and while arranging the papers and an atlas that he had in hand to trace questions during the note, he asked, "Is there a Racing fan in the room?" ? ", As to distend and surely present it to Nestor Kirchner

"The day I stop believing in justice, I wonder what I'm going to do. Not because a judge has been a scoundrel, nor because a prosecutor has been a scoundrel, you must judge all justice because of this mistake. The problem is that I hope, very calmly, that the Supreme Court will make a decision. I have two Habeas Corpus who have to vote, "he replied when Page 12 He asked for his freedom.

His team of lawyers, headed by Cristiano Zanin Martin, is optimistic and hopes that the news will be favorable for the former president and that, in the coming months, he will regain his freedom or, at least will put him under house arrest.

During the interview, Lula covered several topics in the Brazilian press that compared her to the worst economic years of menemism. He publicly thanked the presidential candidate of the Front of All, Alberto Fernandez, and told him that, when he will badume his duties on December 10, he will govern "for the poor" and "no", he will not will lie "never".

"Do not accept the terrorism created by the market. The people of Argentina are not interested in the market, the latter has an interest in making money. The market is not worried if people are hungry, if people live on the street. The market wants to know if there is a profitability. And Fernández must commit to God and to the people: never lie to the people and lead mainly the workers and the poor Argentineans. That's the advice I could give to my compatriots Fernandez and Cristina, "said Lula.

.- What gives you the strength to start each day?

.- I want to live a lot first. I do not know why, but I think I will live 120 years, so someone who will live a lot must have a lot of strength, otherwise life becomes boring. And I know why I'm here. I am condemned here by a former liar judge (Sergio Moro); for a liar and thug prosecutor (Dealtan Dallagnol) and for some commissioners who armed me with lying causes against me. I might not be here, I could have left Brazil. But I came here because four people know the truth about these lawsuits against me: me, God, the judge and the prosecutors. They know that they lie. And God and I know that I am with the truth. That's why I'm here. I am here to prove my innocence. Moreover, I have proved my innocence, what I want, is that they prove my guilt. I want and continue to wait for someone to blame me for something. I'm expecting a bad dollar in my life. In truth, the crime that I committed in this country was to prove to a politically rogue Brazilian elite that it was possible for people to eat fillet and chorizo ​​steak, that it is possible that the poor go to Bariloche, to Buenos Aires, to Miami by plane, that it is possible that a person has a house, that it is possible to enter a university, that a person can attend a technical school and that it is possible that a person has access to culture, recreation, theater, cinema, restaurant. That's the crime I've committed. Generate 22 million blank jobs. Increase the minimum wage by 75%. Providing 52 million hectares of land for agrarian reform. Make the biggest national history program in Brazil and become friends with all the countries of South America. It was the moment of cordiality. It was the moment when we had no competition. This was the moment we dreamed about: Kirchner, Lula, Chávez, Rafael Correa, Tabaré, Pepe Mujica, we dreamed of building a powerful economic block, technologically developed, to challenge the export of value-added products and not just commodities.

.- And what happened to this dream?

.- And I always have this dream and that's why I have strength. Because I always want to be alive and want to help defeat all those bad guys who do not like the poor and who just reign for the market. A year ago, in Brazil, we did not talk about jobs, we did not talk about wages, we did not talk about earnings. We are only talking about privatization and the reduction of the public machine. So, my willingness to fight is as if I were 20 years old. Here and outside the country. And I think they're afraid to let me go because they know that when they let me go, I'm going down the street. I go to the street I want to go to the door of Rede Globo de Televisión and deny it. Ten years ago, he tells lies about me. I want to make a debate with the villain of the judge who tried me and the prosecutor who accused me. That's why I have strength, because whoever has the truth does not have to fear.

.- Your freedom depends on justice, do you trust Brazilian justice and institutions in general?

.- I could ask you a question and that is a question I ask myself every day. The day I stop believing in justice, I wonder what I'm going to do. Not because a judge has been a scoundrel, nor because a prosecutor has been a scoundrel, you must judge all justice because of this mistake. The problem is that I hope, very calmly, that the Supreme Court will make a decision. I have two habeas corpus who must vote. The Brazilian press, in particular Televisión's Rede Globo, is exerting strong pressure to ensure that Lula does not leave prison. The big problem with the Lavajato operation is that it has ceased to be an investigation of corruption and has become a political party. That is, there is a pact between the media and the Lava-Jato operation. All the lies told by Lava-jato are really transformed into a Brazilian press. In the three national magazines, in the major newspapers, Lava-Jato had a journalist in every newspaper, in every magazine, which preferably received the information before the defense lawyers. And that continues again. They will follow in Argentina the diffusion of the blog Intercept which discovered all rotten in Lava jato. For the big Brazilian press, there is no interception. No complaint filed by Glenn (Greendwayld, Intercept reporter) has been reported in the mainstream press. On Sunday, the lies of the prosecutors, the police commissioner and Judge Moro were very seriously denounced regarding the fact that I accepted to be Dilma's minister. The lie is the most serious thing to date and the TV Rede Globo did not say anything. Station Record did not say anything. The SBT station has not said anything. That is, the press is unable to detach itself from the Lava-Jato because, when it is released, some of the Lava-Jato will have lost all credibility. Because until now, they were only lying. And I am very thirsty, desiring, in complete freedom, to question the credibility of these people. That's why I believe in justice.

.-EDo you think that you were wrong if you had to make a self-criticism of your management? And what would fix that?

Here in Brazil, there is something in fashion, everyone wants the PT to be self-critical. It's impressive. They ruled for 500 years, the PT only 13 years old, only the PT did more than them. To give you an idea, in eight years of government, I was the president who created more universities in the history of Brazil. We place more students in the university, in 12 years, more students than in a century. So, if I had to self-criticize, I would look in the mirror and say, "Lula, why did not you do more? Why did not you improve people's wages? Why did not you do more universities? Why did not you create more jobs? Why did not you do more for agrarian reform? It was self – critical that I would do. Do more, more and more, because it is only that way we will create a city with a decent standard of living.

.- How can this collusion between the media and the justice system be dismantled to generate such institutional moves?

.- I have never been to lunch or lunch with the owner of a newspaper, a TV station to ask a favor. The only thing I want and ask for is that they exist to inform society, not to lie to you, nor to build lies. And in Brazil, many lies have been built. If you take into account that the main TV news of Brazil, according to a survey conducted by a professor of the Federal University of Minas Gerais, in a little over a year ago, 80 hours ago, in the # 39; main news of this television, speaking badly of Lula. And at the same time, he has over 100 hours to turn a liar judge into a hero. I mean, they thought the lie was going to win. And I am here to tell you: the truth will prevail, no matter what it will take, belatedly, but the Brazilian people will know it and those who have accused me have no morality. They used justice to make politics and the main goal was to prevent Lula from becoming president of the Republic of this country. And that the PT can no longer win the elections. That's the same hatred they had towards Kirchner and the one they had against Cristina.

Do you still see yourself President?

.- I am aware that my role is now to help that other people, younger than me, have more energy than me, more enthusiasm than me … With more desire, I do not believe not. But other people, Brazil has very good people. There are many interesting leaders, there are new people in politics. I hope Brazil does not need me. I hope we will have new executives, new women and new men to participate in an electoral process.