Brasília, 1/27/2004 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Ex minister of Education, Cristovam Buarque, will return to the Senate this week, ready to provoke an ideological debate and defend the ideals of education, he says.

"Now I can talk, I like to talk, and provoke. I intend to provoke an ideological debate within the party (the PT) and in Brazilian society. There is a dispute in our society. This country needs to knock down the fences that separate the illerate from those who have a formal education, the landless from the land owners. Those people who stand in long lines waiting for medical attention and those who have health plans. The 10% that are rich and the 50% who are poor," said Cristovam.

The former minister also said he will relight the discussion between left and right political positions in the Senate. "I am a leftist and being a leftist means knocking down barriers, knocking down walls and knocking fences. I am going to make an ideological speech in the Senate. I am going to stir up a debate between the left and the right inside the PT and around the country," he said.

Cristovam declared that he remains faithful to the government and will always vote with it. "It would be highly incoherent for me to vote against the government," he concluded. (AB)