Assemblies make offensive against MST with sanctions and CPIs – 05/10/2023 – Power

The offensive against the MST (Movement of Landless Rural Workers) underway in the Chamber of Deputies at the beginning of the Lula (PT) government is being replicated in the Legislative Assemblies with bills and investigation requirements that target the group.

Since the beginning of the legislature, in February, at least 24 bills have been presented in 15 states and in the Federal District that create punishments for those who participate in land invasions. There are also proposals for fines and a project that seeks to accelerate possible repossessions.

In addition, state deputies proposed the creation of a CPI to investigate land invasions in the states of São Paulo, Bahia and Pará —in Brasília, a CPI to investigate the movement has already been created by federal deputies, leaving now the indication of members for installation and operation.

With a similar content, most bills prohibit invaders of rural properties from receiving benefits from social programs, participating in public tenders, being appointed to commissioned positions or signing contracts with public authorities at the state level.

A project was also proposed that provides for the repossession of invaded lands even without judicial authorization and another that imposes fines on people and entities that invade lands.

The bills, for the most part, came from supporters of former president Jair Jair Bolsonaro (PL). They are deputies affiliated with parties such as PL, PSDB, PTB and Podemos, although they also belong to some parties aligned with Lula, such as Avante and PSD.

The proposals have not yet been considered by the Assemblies. But the tendency is for these to be questioned, as pointed out by lawyer Pedro Serrano, professor at PUC-SP and specialist in constitutional law.

He argues that possible sanctions cannot restrict access to social programs, a measure that would deepen the vulnerability of already needy families, widening the inequality gap.

It also highlights that it is not possible to allow repossession without judicial authorization. “This is absolutely unconstitutional. Only the Judiciary can determine eviction using police power. Any action outside of that is barbaric, it’s taking justice into your own hands.”

In Bahia, in addition to proposing a project that creates sanctions for people who invade land, Bolsonarist state deputy Leandro de Jesus (PL) asked for the creation of the CPI of the MST, to investigate land invasions carried out by the entity in the state.

“I’m not against agrarian reform, as long as it’s done legally and respecting the property rights of rural producers. We want to investigate the invasions and find out who the executors, financiers and intellectual authors are”, says Leandro de Jesus.

Since the beginning of the year, seven areas have been invaded by the MST in Bahia. In February, 4 farms were invaded, including 3 belonging to Suzano Papel e Celulose, a company that owns large areas of eucalyptus plantations. In April, in the midst of struggles for agrarian reform, three new areas were occupied in the state.

In all, the MST carried out 18 land occupations in the country between January and April of this year. In the four years of the Bolsonaro government, there were 159 invasions, 37 of them last year.

The object of the CPI was questioned by the Attorney General’s Office, which considered that agrarian reform is an issue outside the purview of state deputies.

Deputy Leandro de Jesus went to court and on Thursday (4) he obtained an injunction favorable to the installation of the CPI. The Legislative Assembly indicated that it will appeal the decision.

The processing of the MST’s CPI in Bahia gained momentum amid the dissatisfaction of deputies with Governor Jerônimo Rodrigues (PT). The proposal was endorsed by 29 parliamentarians, 7 from allied base parties and 4 from the independent caucus, but who vote with the government.

Allies close to the PT in Bahia signed the request for the CPI, including the President of the Legislative Assembly, Adolfo Menezes (PSD), and Deputy Angelo Coronel Filho, who is the son of Senator Angelo Coronel (PSD-BA). The Bahian PT, in turn, issued a note defending the MST.

There was also pressure from agribusiness in favor of the CPI. Ten days ago, rural producers from 200 cities participated in the Legislative Assembly in a public hearing called “Zero Invasion” to discuss ways to prevent land invasions.

In São Paulo, the MST’s CPI was proposed by state deputy Danilo Balas (PL) and filed on March 28 after obtaining 37 signatures, but it has not yet been installed. The scenario is the same in Pará, where the investigation request was an initiative of Deputy Delegate Toni Cunha (PSC).

Within the MST, the offensive in the Legislative Assemblies is seen as an attempt to criminalize social movements fighting for land.

“The right is going to use the federal Parliament and the Legislative Assemblies of the entire country to confront the MST”, stated João Paulo Rodrigues, national coordinator of the MST in a recent interview with Sheet.

He also argues that the CPI to investigate the MST created in the Chamber of Deputies is unconstitutional because it is not based on a determined fact.

Throughout its history, the MST has already been the direct object of at least two CPIs in the National Congress, which were the scene of ideological disputes and had little practical effect.

The Land CPI was established in 2003 and aimed to investigate illegal actions, “with successive and violent land invasions”. The investigation broke 21 bank, tax and telephone secrecy of persons or entities, including the UDR (União Democrática Ruralista) and two cooperatives linked to the MST.

The second time the movement was in the sights of Congress was in 2009, during the second Lula administration, in a CPI proposed by then-deputy Onyx Lorenzoni, at the time in the DEM. The investigation lasted a year and was reported by Deputy Jilmar Tatto (PT-SP), who said that the commission was unnecessary.

Two other CPIs indirectly targeted the MST: the CPI of NGOs, held in the second Lula administration in 2007, and the CPI of Funai and Incra, started in 2017 during the Michel Temer (MDB) administration.