MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Mujica tells Brazilian students to look after their democracy

Lula welcomed his dear friend Pepe Mujica at the Planalto Palace

Former Uruguayan President José Mujica called on Brazilians to take care of their democracy during the 59th National Congress of the Students Union in Brasilia which he attended alongside incumbent Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva.

Mujica encouraged young people to fight for just causes and insisted South American countries must be united.

“Take care of democracy. Democracy is not perfect, it is full of flaws because they are our human flaws, but until today we have not found anything better,” Mujica said. “It is easy to lose it” and “difficult to win it back,” he added while calling on the attendants to fight for the millions of people who cannot study.

“Not only do you have to shout; you also have to think,” Mujica also stressed before students gathered under the slogan “For a university the size of Latin America.”

Brazil “is a gigantic country and has to learn to collaborate with all of America,” and vice versa. “Take care of what you have. Lula is great, but he is not a magician. Popular governments are not only asked, they are helped, because the obstacles ahead of them are not easy. It is easy to complain, but you also have to commit and give,” Mujica also said.

The former Uruguayan head of state was welcomed at the Planalto Palace by Lula, who tweeted that he had met again “with dear friend Pepe Mujica.”

“We talked about South American politics,” he said, and “the need for the reindustrialization of our region, the potentials of reintegration between brotherly countries, and the return of Brazil to the international scenario, with the resumption of social policies.”

“It is always a good thing to review it,” Lula said.

In his speech to the students, the Brazilian president affirmed that he met fascism during Bolsonaro's government and that he returned to the government to “recover democracy and the quality of life of the people.” He also pledged to open more universities and improve access to education for the most disadvantaged populations.