The Absurdity of Lula’s ideas: Brazil First, or Foreign Favors?
In a nation where hardworking Brazilian teachers scrape by on meager salaries, battle overcrowded classrooms, and watch public schools crumble from neglect, the leftist government of President Lula da Silva has found a curious priority: rolling out the red carpet for Palestinian refugees with lavish contracts at federal universities.
Consider the facts on the ground. The Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM) in Rio Grande do Sul quietly launched a special “humanitarian” program offering three visiting professor positions exclusively targeted at Palestinian refugees. The pay? A staggering 24,800 reais per month—plus benefits like airfare reimbursement, full dedication requirements, and the potential for renewal. That’s roughly what a top-tier Brazilian full professor might earn after decades of service and rigorous public contests. For a short-term gig tied to the Gaza conflict, this is not charity; it is a slap in the face to every Brazilian educator grinding through low pay, violence in schools, and chronic underfunding.
While Brazilian teachers in basic education often earn a fraction of that—sometimes fighting for basic supplies or facing strikes just to demand dignity—Lula’s allies push narratives of “solidarity” and “inclusion.” The program frames these hires as academic exchange for those “affected by the humanitarian crisis.” Yet Brazil’s own crisis screams louder: millions of families dependent on Bolsa Família, strained public coffers, and a education system that consistently ranks poorly on global metrics. Why not pour those resources into attracting and retaining the best Brazilian talent? Why create exclusive pathways that bypass the tough merit-based concours system millions of qualified Brazilians endure?
This is not isolated generosity. It fits a pattern under Lula’s watch—diplomatic cheerleading for Palestinian causes, including calls for state recognition and criticism of Israel, while domestic needs take a backseat. Foreigners with legal status already access social programs like Bolsa Família, averaging hundreds of reais monthly for low-income households. Satirical jabs like #bolsamuculmana highlight the frustration: when resources feel scarce, prioritizing outsiders over citizens smells like ideological virtue-signaling, not sound governance. Conservatives have long warned that open-border sympathies and globalist gestures erode national sovereignty. Here is exhibit A.
Imagine the hardworking father in the Northeast or the teacher in the favelas of Rio, paying taxes that fund these elite university perks. Their children attend under-resourced schools where basics like safety and quality instruction remain elusive. Yet the government signals that compassion flows more freely across oceans than within our own borders. This inverts common sense: nations exist to serve their people first. Sovereignty means putting Brazilians—our families, our workers, our culture—at the center of policy, not importing political symbolism at taxpayer expense.
Critics on the right rightly decry this as misplaced priorities during an election-sensitive period. With fiscal pressures mounting and public services stretched thin, every real spent on premium foreign contracts is a real not invested in Brazilian infrastructure, teacher training, or security. Merit, not nationality or victim status, should guide public hiring. If Brazil welcomes talent, let it be through transparent, competitive processes open to all qualified individuals—without ethnic carve-outs that fuel division and resentment.
True patriotism demands realism over romanticism. Brazil has a proud history of absorbing immigrants who contribute through hard work and assimilation, not through reserved quotas or inflated salaries that breed perceptions of favoritism. The absurdity here lies in the optics and the opportunity cost: while our own professionals fight for fair wages and better conditions, the state plays global humanitarian hero.
Brazilians deserve leaders who champion “Brazil First.” That means reforming education to reward excellence at home, tightening social benefit rules to emphasize contribution and residency, and rejecting any policy that treats citizens as second-class in their own country. The anger rippling through conservative circles, social media, and opposition voices is no overreaction—it is a defense of the common good against elite experiments in imported equity.
Enough with the absurdity. It is time to demand accountability, transparency in these editais, and a return to policies that put Brazilian families, workers, and teachers first. The future of the nation depends on it.