Former Brazilian Prez backs India as UNSC permanent member
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Delivering the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial lecture in New Delhi
on Friday, Silva said an International Monetary Fund report in April
suggested the combined economies of developing countries will surpass
that of the developed countries.
"The
world's political order should reflect this reality and not the balance
of power after World war II," he said and added countries of Latin
America and Africa and an important country like India should find a
place as permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.
Vice
President M Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA
chairperson Sonia Gandhi were among those present at the lecture.
Silva
said the global financial crisis of 2008, the impact of which was being
felt till date and especially by the more vulnerable countries in
Europe, required a rethink about the governance and economic system
across the globe.
"Crises and deadlock, when they occur have also this advantage, they force us to think," he said quoting Nehru.
"Free
market does not have a magic wand to regulate themselves," Silva said
and added more regulatory measures were required than measures like
"austerity and bank bail-outs."
The
former Brazilian President stressed the need for developing a new
psyche of sustainable development based on inclusion of poor citizens
and marginalised population.
"In
my country, this was the path that led us to sustainable development.
The poor were not seen as problem but part of the solution," he said.
Silva
said that by following a policy of social inclusion through schemes
such as income transfers to poor, wage increase and creating conditions
like beneficiaries sending their children to school "we strengthen the
positive aspects of state regulation".
He said while the
rest of the world felt the impact of the economic crises of 2008,
"Brazil came out of the crisis bigger and better."
He said Brazil now is the sixth largest economy in the world and by 2016 it could well become the fifth largest.
Speaking about
Brazil's economic performance during his own tenure as President, Silva
said that in ten years 17 million jobs were created.
He
said that during this time the income of the poor grew more than that
of the rich and that 28 million people were lifted out of poverty.
This was the
largest social mobility seen in the history of Brazil, he said and added
"social inclusion was the key to growth." "I talk about Brazil but I am
aware that a similar "programme is being followed in India," he added.
Silva said countries must focus more on our agriculture, power plants, rail, roads and above all education".
Earlier speaking about India,
Silva said the country had attracted attention of the world when it was
unified under the doctrine of non violence under the leadership of
Mahatama Gandhi.
He said that along with Gandhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had created a path for social development of the country.
Silva
called for creation of a new global order which is more just and based
on the principle of mutual respect to all the people of the world.
Earlier
the UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi showered lavish praise on Silva saying
"it is a rare human being who traverses the full arch of human
possibilities" and the former Brazilian president was one such person.
"From being a humble shoe shine boy at the age of 12, he (Silva) rose to be the President of his great country," she said.
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