Boulos wants to promote the MTST project in public policy

Federal deputy Guilherme Boulos (PSOL-SP) is trying to transform a social movement project led by him, the Homeless Workers Movement (MTST), into a public policy. This is the Solidarity Kitchens, an initiative that could be part of the law that will recreate the Food Acquisition Program (PAA). The MTST Solidarity Kitchens aim to distribute free food to vulnerable people.

Bill 2920/2023, reported by Boulos, provides for the recreation of the Food Acquisition Program, replaced in 2021 by the Alimenta Brasil Program during the government of former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL).

The proposal was presented by the federal government less than a month ago, after the failure of the provisional measure that dealt with the issue and which was never voted on. Now, the government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) has imposed an accelerated pace on the project’s processing. Taking advantage of the efforts of the PT administration to approve the PAA, Boulos included solidarity kitchens in the text and thus tries to promote and benefit the MTST initiative.

Furthermore, by proposing the transformation of the MTST Solidarity Kitchens project into a nationwide public policy, Boulos may create difficulties for the progress of similar projects that already exist in some municipalities. This is what Federal Deputy Adriana Ventura (Novo-SP) states in a proposed amendment to the bill’s text.

“We cannot forget that there are already several similar initiatives in different municipalities, under the protection of their constitutional competences”, he stressed. For her, with the national scope of the project, municipalities may lose administrative autonomy.

MTST project may receive public funds and be contracted without bidding

The text presented by the PSOL deputy provides for the waiver of bidding in the hiring of entities such as the MTST. In the project, Boulos proposes an amendment to the Bidding Law that includes the “hiring of non-profit private entities, for the implementation of the Solidarity Kitchens Program” in the bidding exemptions.

In a note, however, Boulos defends “that the kitchens be managed and operated through public notices, with broad competition, including the participation of different entities and institutions, including churches and neighborhood associations”. The public call procedure is mentioned in the project, but only in the article that refers to the regulation of the federal Executive branch on the organization and implementation of the Solidarity Kitchen Program, which will only be done after the approval of the law.

If the proposal is approved in the form of the substitute presented by Boulos, the Solidarity Kitchens of the MTST will also be able to receive public resources for the purchase of food and the payment of personnel.

In addition to the Solidarity Kitchens, Boulos also provides for the waiver of bidding for “implementation of cisterns or other social technologies for access to water for human consumption and food production”. The cisterns are also part of MTST projects. In March, Boulos recorded a video to publicize a project by the Quebrada Agroecológica collective, of the Homeless Workers Movement, in which he explained how a cistern works and treated the project as a great innovation.

The bidding exemptions proposed by Boulos were the subject of amendments presented to the text by parliamentarians. Deputy Adriana Ventura, for example, seeks to limit the waiver of bidding with regard to Solidarity Kitchens. Her intention is to keep the dispensation only for smaller municipalities, with up to 50 thousand inhabitants. “It is fundamental to have the bidding as a rule. It is the best way to achieve results for citizens and taxpayers. […] There is no reason to stop bidding in medium and large municipalities”, pointed out Adriana in her justification.

Deputy Sargento Portugal (Podemos-RJ), in turn, tries to remove the provision for exemption from bidding for the implementation of cisterns. “There will be greater insecurity in the execution of the program due to the non-completion of a bidding process”, pointed out the deputy in the justification of his amendment.

The parliamentarian also recalls that there have already been cases of scandals in the acquisition of cisterns by the federal government. “One of the most recent cases was disclosed by the Ministry of Development and Social Assistance, Family and Fight against Hunger (MDS), which is investigating the diversion of resources from the cisterns program in recent years, among the main problems pointed out are the lack of provision of bills, in addition to overbilling,” said Portugal.

For the political and economic analyst for FGV, Carol Curimbaba, bidding and inspection are important pillars in the execution of public policies that use public money. “Regardless of the program, inspection means must not be relaxed. Public money has to have a lot of supervision, it has to have a lot of transparency. When you don’t have a bid, things get more disorderly. There has to be a bidding process”, highlighted the analyst.

Boulos has support from the PT to implement the MTST project across the country

This is not Boulos’ first attempt to enact the Solidarity Kitchens project into a law. In February, at the beginning of his term as federal deputy, he presented a bill to institute solidarity kitchens at the federal level.

“It is an extremely successful experience of social initiative in recent years. Since the pandemic, solidarity kitchens have distributed millions of meals across this country, often without any support from the public authorities, to guarantee people’s food”, said the deputy.

Even before presenting the bill in the Chamber of Deputies, Boulos took the Minister of Development and Social Assistance, Family and Fight against Hunger (MDS), Wellington Dias, to visit one of the MTST Solidarity Kitchens. On the occasion, Dias commented on his intention to contribute to strengthening the project to transform the experience into public policy. “The idea is to make this model of solidarity kitchen, like this one in Sol Nascente, reach where people need it most. Nobody here lets go of anyone’s hand. We will strengthen this policy”, guaranteed the minister.

“I leave here even more committed. I know President Lula’s commitment and sensitivity. He doesn’t just want income transfer. He wants people to have good food”, emphasized the minister at the end of his visit to the MTST initiative, located in the Sol Nascente region, in Ceilândia (DF).

Project to strengthen possible candidacy of Boulos for mayor of SP

If the PAA project is approved in the Chamber with the section that deals with solidarity kitchens, it could guarantee national projection to the MTST and also strengthen the name of the PSOL deputy for next year’s elections. Boulos, who already ran for office in 2020, should run for mayor of São Paulo once again in 2024. He should have the support of the PT, which has signaled that the parliamentarian will be the candidate of the left.

Recently, members of the Workers’ Party (PT) began to admit that Ana Estela Haddad, secretary of digital health at the Ministry of Health and wife of Fernando Haddad, Minister of Finance, is a name that is under analysis to be the vice-president on the ticket of Boulos in the 2024 municipal elections.