Senator | Central Executive Committee Member, Democratic Action Party (DAP)

The victory of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brazil’s presidential election offers important lessons for progressive political movements around the world, including Malaysia. More than a personal political triumph, Lula’s victory represents a renewed opportunity to advance a political agenda centred on social justice, inclusive development and the well-being of ordinary people.

For Malaysia, the experience of Lula and Brazil demonstrates that progressive politics must go beyond slogans and electoral promises. It must translate ideals into policies that improve lives, strengthen institutions and restore public confidence in democratic governance.

Lula’s political journey is particularly instructive. Having risen from humble beginnings as a metalworker and trade union leader, he built his political career around the aspirations of working people. As a founding figure of Brazil’s Workers’ Party (PT), he championed poverty reduction, workers’ rights and social protection, while navigating the practical challenges of governing a politically diverse country.

His journey was neither straightforward nor without setbacks. After losing three consecutive presidential elections in 1989, 1994 and 1998, Lula eventually won the presidency in 2002. He was re-elected in 2006 and returned to the presidency in 2022.

His experience reminds us that meaningful political change requires perseverance, organisational strength and the willingness to learn from defeat.

As Malaysia continues to pursue institutional reform and a more equitable economy, there are five important lessons we can draw from Brazil’s experience.

1. Progressive Politics Must Put the People First

The first lesson is that politics must remain firmly rooted in the everyday concerns of ordinary people.

The cost of living, wages, employment opportunities, education and affordable housing must remain central to the political agenda. Citizens do not judge governments solely by economic growth figures, investment announcements or ambitious policy statements. They ultimately judge them by whether their lives are becoming more secure and their futures more hopeful.

Lula’s social policies, particularly Bolsa Família, Brazil’s conditional cash transfer programme, demonstrate how social protection can help address poverty and inequality. By providing financial assistance to eligible low-income families while linking support to requirements involving education and healthcare, the programme has contributed to Brazil’s broader efforts to improve social welfare.

For Malaysia, the lesson is clear: economic growth must be accompanied by tangible improvements in household incomes, employment prospects and access to essential services.

Investment and national competitiveness matter, but they cannot be the sole measures of success. A progressive economy must also ensure that the benefits of development are shared more fairly.

Social assistance should therefore be designed not merely as temporary relief, but as part of a broader strategy to strengthen social mobility, improve access to education and equip people with the opportunities to build better lives.

Ultimately, a government’s success must be measured not only by the strength of its economy, but also by the security, dignity and opportunities it provides its people.

2. Institutional Reform Must Go Hand in Hand with Economic Reform

The second lesson is that economic transformation cannot be sustained without strong, accountable and effective public institutions.

Economic growth loses its meaning when opportunities are distributed unfairly, public resources are mismanaged or citizens lose confidence in the institutions entrusted to serve them. Equally, institutional reform will struggle to earn public support if people continue to experience prolonged economic hardship.

Brazil’s experience with Bolsa Família illustrates the importance of administrative capacity in delivering social policy. The programme consolidated several earlier assistance schemes, helping improve coordination, reduce fragmentation and strengthen the delivery of support to eligible households.

The broader lesson is that good policies require effective institutions to translate intentions into results.

For Malaysia, this means strengthening public-sector accountability, addressing leakages, improving service delivery and ensuring that public funds reach their intended beneficiaries. It also means building institutions that operate transparently and fairly, regardless of political affiliation or personal connections.

Reform cannot be confined to changing laws, restructuring agencies or introducing new administrative procedures. It must improve the way government works and the quality of services people receive.

Institutional integrity and economic justice must advance together. Neither can deliver its full promise in isolation.

3. Inclusive Politics Is Essential to National Unity

The third lesson is that progressive politics must embrace diversity and build trust across social divisions.

Malaysia is a plural society, shaped by its different ethnic communities, religions, regions and generations. Our diversity is a national strength, but it also places a responsibility on political leaders to ensure that differences are managed through democratic engagement rather than exploited for political gain.

Brazil’s 2022 presidential election offers a useful example. Lula assembled a broad political coalition that included Geraldo Alckmin, a former political rival from a different ideological tradition, as his running mate.

Lula ultimately defeated Jair Bolsonaro in a closely contested second round, securing approximately 50.9 per cent of the valid vote against Bolsonaro’s 49.1 per cent.

That narrow margin demonstrated that winning an election does not mean winning the unquestioning support of the entire population. A democratic mandate must be followed by sustained efforts to unite citizens, rebuild trust and demonstrate that government policies serve the broader public interest.

The same principle applies to Malaysia.

A government must govern for all Malaysians, not merely those who supported it at the ballot box. Policies must respond to the needs of different communities while protecting equal dignity, fairness and opportunity.

We must reject the temptation to turn ethnic, religious or ideological differences into permanent political divisions. Instead, we should build a shared national agenda around better livelihoods, quality education, affordable healthcare, institutional integrity and a fairer economy.

Inclusive politics is not a concession to political opponents. It is a necessary foundation for a stable and cohesive nation.

4. Building Broad Coalitions Must Not Come at the Expense of Principles

The fourth lesson is that progressive movements must learn to build broad political coalitions without abandoning their fundamental commitments.

In diverse political systems, no single party can always expect to govern alone. Brazil’s multiparty system requires presidents to negotiate with different political groups to secure legislative support and implement their programmes.

Lula’s political career illustrates the importance of pragmatism, negotiation and coalition-building. His alliance with Alckmin, once a political rival, demonstrated that cooperation across ideological differences can create opportunities for democratic change.

For Malaysia, coalition politics is also a practical reality. Building cooperation among parties with different constituencies and political traditions requires patience, compromise and a clear understanding of shared objectives.

However, pragmatism must not become an excuse for abandoning reform.

Political cooperation should be measured not simply by whether a coalition remains in power, but by whether it can deliver meaningful improvements in governance, economic fairness and public welfare.

A broad coalition can provide political stability, but stability must be used to advance reforms rather than postpone difficult decisions or dilute commitments to the people.

The challenge for progressive political leaders is to distinguish between compromises necessary to govern effectively and compromises that undermine the very principles that brought them into public service.

Coalition-building is a means to achieve reform, not an end in itself.

5. Political Progress Requires Perseverance and the Willingness to Change

The fifth lesson is that progressive politics must combine resilience with continuous self-reflection.

Lula’s journey demonstrates that electoral defeat does not have to mark the end of a political movement. His losses in 1989, 1994 and 1998 were followed by victory in 2002, a second presidential term in 2006 and his return to office in 2022.

Such a journey requires more than persistence. It demands the ability to learn from mistakes, strengthen political organisation, renew public engagement and adapt strategies to changing social and economic realities.

For Malaysia’s reform movement, this lesson is particularly relevant.

Political parties cannot assume that past achievements or established support will guarantee future success. Public expectations evolve, economic pressures change and voters increasingly demand accountability for promises made.

Progressive movements must therefore remain open to criticism and willing to examine their shortcomings honestly. They must listen more closely to the concerns of workers, young people, small businesses, rural communities and households struggling with rising living costs.

At the same time, adapting political strategies must not mean abandoning core principles.

The pursuit of justice, accountable governance, equal opportunity and a fairer distribution of economic benefits must remain central to the reform agenda. What may need to change are the methods, priorities and organisational approaches used to advance those goals.

Political resilience is not simply the ability to survive defeat. It is the ability to emerge from setbacks with a clearer understanding of the people, a stronger commitment to reform and a more credible plan for the future.

Keeping the Spirit of Reform Alive in Malaysia

Lula’s political journey offers a reminder that progressive politics continues to have a meaningful place in democratic societies. But its success cannot be taken for granted.

The language of reform, social justice and inclusive development will mean little if it is not reflected in government decisions, public policies and the daily experiences of citizens.

For Malaysia, the task is to ensure that the spirit of reform remains alive not merely in political rhetoric, but in the way we govern and serve the people.

This requires the courage to make difficult decisions, the discipline to implement policies effectively and the humility to listen when the public raises legitimate concerns.

It also requires a clear understanding that political leadership is ultimately a responsibility, not a privilege. The purpose of public office is not simply to secure power or preserve political alliances, but to improve the lives of the people and build a country in which every Malaysian has a fair opportunity to succeed.

Progressive politics must therefore be judged by its outcomes: whether families can afford a decent standard of living, whether young people can look forward to meaningful employment, whether public institutions can be trusted and whether economic progress creates opportunities for all.

The Brazilian experience does not offer a blueprint that Malaysia can simply copy. Our histories, institutions and social realities are different. Nevertheless, the principles of social justice, institutional accountability, political inclusion and perseverance remain relevant across national boundaries.

The ultimate test of reform is not how convincingly we speak about change, but how consistently we deliver it.

Malaysians deserve more than promises of a better future. They deserve a government and a political movement prepared to turn those promises into meaningful, measurable improvements in their lives.

That is the challenge before progressive politics in Malaysia — and the responsibility we must continue to uphold.

Photo credit –AP