Agro bench unifies search for signatures for MST CPI

Deputies of the Agricultural Parliamentary Front (FPA) will adopt a series of legislative measures to face the invasions of productive lands practiced by the Landless Movement (MST). One of them will be to unify efforts for the creation of the MST’s Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI) in the Chamber of Deputies. Three parliamentarians were collecting signatures for their requests on the subject – Lieutenant Colonel Zucco (Republicanos-RS), Ricardo Salles (PL-SP) and Kim Kataguiri (União-SP) – and now the strategy adopted will be to concentrate on seeking support regarding Zucco’s application.

The FPA is not the author of the CPI request, but supports the initiative. The three deputies are part of the bench related to agribusiness. Until 8 pm on Tuesday (14), Zucco’s application had 153 signatures. The minimum number required to file the request for the opening of the CPI is 171 supporters.

The president of the FPA, Pedro Lupion (PP-PR), highlighted that the support for the CPI of the MST is due to the need to investigate what motivates the recent wave of land invasions and who finances these actions. [As invasões] we are very concerned. It is something that is out of control. Someone is funding this. There is a political motivation behind this”, said Lupion, during a press conference, this Tuesday.

In addition to supporting the CPI, parliamentarians linked to the defense of rural producers claim that they will support other initiatives with the objective of combating MST actions. One of them is the request for PL 8262/2017, authored by Deputy Marcel van Hattem (Novo-RS), to be processed on an urgent basis. The text deals with the withdrawal of invaders from private property. The objective is to speed up the processing of this measure in the Chamber of Deputies.

In a note, the parliamentarian from Novo explained that the removal of invaders can only be done with judicial authorization and that the project wants to facilitate the removal of these people without the landowner having to activate the Judiciary. “Once we approve this project, the owner will be able to request that the police force remove the invaders, just by presenting the public deed that proves ownership of the property,” said van Hattem.

The FPA will also support bills that seek to remove people who invade productive land from the federal government’s social programs.

In addition, the entity accompanies an Inspection and Control Proposal and a request for information with the objective of clarifying who finances the invasions of rural properties.

MST criticizes PT governments and cites “war stage”

In a text about the invasion of an area in Bahia, in the municipality of Casa Nova, the MST stated on Monday (13) that “the fight is for the construction of a more just and sovereign country. Because he believes that through Agrarian Reform it will be possible to improve people’s quality of life, produce healthy food, protect nature and fight social scourges, in particular, fight hunger and extreme poverty”.

In another section, the MST criticizes the management of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) and the governor of Bahia, Jerônimo Rodrigues (PT), and even mentions that the lack of agreements for settlements makes the countryside a “stage for war”.

“The act turns the Brazilian countryside into a stage of war when agribusiness, large estates and large enterprises plunder territories of peasants, quilombolas, indigenous peoples, riverside dwellers and traditional communities, with the connivance and inertia of the Federal and State Governments”, said the MST in the publication made on its official website.