Carolina Pimentel
Reporter - Agência Brasil

Brasília - President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva underscored, yesterday (23), that, for the first time, poor Brazilians are experiencing "seeing this country grow in a sustainable way, with low inflation." "These workers are enjoying prospects of real growth in their monthly incomes and of being able to participate much more forcefully in this country's politics and consumer market," he declared at the inauguration of an electric power transmission line in Cuiabá (MT).

Lula affirmed that the poorest members of the population were the ones who suffered the most from the economic "games" played by previous Administrations. "Each time someone played with the country's economy, in view of imminent elections, the negative result was left over for the poor part of the population."

The president stressed the growth in the country's exports from US$ 24.8 billion (R$ 60 billion) to US$ 45.60 billion (R$ 110 billion), notwithstanding criticisms of the government's exchange policy. The expectation, he said, is for exports to reach US$ 49.75 billion (R$ 120 billion) by the end of the first half of 2006. "We are proving that it is possible to expand the domestic market, to expand the foreign market, and still contain inflation at its lowest level in recent years."

Lula avowed once again that all charges of corruption will be investigated. "Everybody knows that these things that are done seriously take more time. Frequently, when all you do is stage a carnival, there is a lot of noise, and the true conclusion takes a long time to appear, and sometimes it doesn't appear at all."

Translation: David Silberstein