By LUIZ INÁCIO LULA da SILVA (NYTimes)
Published: July 16, 2013
São Paulo — Young people, quick fingers on their cellphones, have taken to the streets around the world.
It would seem easier to explain these protests when they take place in nondemocratic countries, as in Egypt and Tunisia in 2011, or in countries where the economic crisis has raised the number of unemployed young workers to frightening highs, as in Spain and Greece, than when they emerge in countries with popular democratic governments — like Brazil, where we currently enjoy the lowest unemployment rates in our history and an unparalleled expansion of economic and social rights.
Many analysts attribute recent protests to a rejection of politics. I think it’s precisely the opposite: They reflect a drive to increase the reach of democracy, to encourage people to take part more fully.
I can only speak with authority about my country, Brazil, where I think the demonstrations are largely the result of social, economic and political successes. In the last decade, Brazil doubled its number of university students, many from poor families. We sharply reduced poverty and inequality. These are significant achievements, yet it is completely natural that young people, especially those who are obtaining things their parents never had, should desire more.
