Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva, popularly referred to as ‘Lula’ was fittingly conferred with Guyana’s highest national award, the Order of Excellence by President Bharrat Jagdeo at a grandeur ceremony at the National Cultural Centre.

President Lula rose from a humble working class background to become Brazil’s most powerful and popular trade union leader and this laid the foundation for his very successful and charismatic political career.

With his working class credentials, it is therefore not surprising that he has opted to return to a simple life when he demits office next January, having served two consecutive terms, perhaps as Brazil’s all time most popular president.

One of the striking features of President Lula’s political career is, unlike many leaders who came with working class and leftist credentials, he did not gravitate towards extremist positions and as such while maintaining his firm commitment to the upliftment of the poor with social programmes being a priority on his agenda, he was able to forge an amicable partnership with the business class as he did not implement political measures to aggravate and antagonise the latter.

This was a major factor for the political stability and the spectacular economic growth Brazil enjoyed during his presidency.

From a non-political standpoint, President Lula has reiterated the important lesson, which the youth of today should carefully study, that no matter from what background you have come you could rise to the top through persistence, dedication sacrifice and discipline and, in this regard, President Lula stands out as a model figure.

The saga of President Lula’s meteoric rise to the highest office in his country has been fittingly made into a movie.
From the most abject background of poverty and deprivation, even of a proper education, President Lula today straddles history as one of the most successful Heads-of-State for all times.  During the eight years of his leadership he has transformed Brazil into a force to reckon with on the global stage.
United States President Barack Obama has said, at a G20 summit, “I love this guy”; and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair recently told the BBC that Lula was “…one of the more remarkable leaders of the modern age.”
Brazil’s economy is expected to grow by about 7.5% and create some 2.5 million jobs in 2010. This is being achieved at a time when the world is in a financial crunch.  At an election rally in Sao Paulo, President Lula said that his 2010 Brazil enjoys “one of the lowest unemployment rates in the history of humanity,” — far lower than the USA, Germany and other first world countries.
Brazil’s middle-class is expanding at an accelerated rate, with more disposable income in the general masses.  Also, the educational standards are extremely superior, while the social services the government offers to citizens seeks to catch even the poorest Brazilian in its net.
The country is a primary exporter of key food products, such as sugar, poultry and beef, as well as a major producer of iron ore and other commodities much in demand on the world market. It has also become oil-rich with the recent discovery of offshore deposits.
Like Guyana’s President Jagdeo, President Lula is extremely conscious of the hazards of climate change and he guards the country’s environment, especially its rainforests, zealously.
In his address at Thursday’s award ceremony for Lula,  President Jagdeo said that, among the many duties falling on him as president, there are several that give him great pleasure, among which was the one being celebrated on that occasion – the conferral of an award to someone he hailed as a true South American hero, a global statesman, champion of the developing world, a dear friend of Guyana, and a leader of deep values driven by a sincere conviction that individual actions can create a better world.
Recounting President Lula’s rags to power life story, President Jagdeo said that his Brazilian counterpart’s life story is an inspiration for all.
President Jagdeo was therefore spot on when he remarked: “Above all, he is a leader of deep values who is driven by a sincere conviction that the actions of each of us can create a better world.”
So it was a magnificent and most fitting gesture by the Guyana government to have conferred upon President Lula, our highest national award.