Janja’s agenda exposes omission of meetings with ministers – 08/01/2023 – Power

The first lady, Rosângela da Silva, Janja, accumulates omissions in her official agenda in the first six months of this year, despite her constant presence at public events alongside President Lula (PT) and on state trips.

As Janja does not hold an official position, she is not legally obliged to release a public agenda on a daily basis like other officials. But this is the first time that a first lady works daily at the Planalto Palace and participates in political work meetings of the Executive.

The day-to-day record was obtained by the Sheet by LAI (Access to Information Law) and encompasses the period from January 1st to June 28th of this year.

There were 86 commitments registered, from meetings with ministers to meetings with parliamentarians and influencers. Many of the meetings with members of the top echelon of the Executive, including members of the core of the government, were not registered in the agendas of the ministers.

Janja is a constant presence at ceremonies at the Planalto Palace, such as inaugurations and launches of government programs. She was also present on all of Lula’s international trips.

Appearances at events in Planalto are the moments in which she is similar to the last first ladies, Marcela Temer and Michelle Bolsonaro.

Janja contrasts, however, in political action, especially in the Planalto. She uses a room on President Lula’s floor every day, just as her predecessors had and didn’t make as much use of it.

According to LAI records, the first lady had meetings with at least seven members of the top echelon of government: Margareth Menezes (Culture), Anielle Franco (Racial Equality), Cida Gonçalves (Women), Esther Dweck (Management ) and the palatial Paulo Pimenta (Secom), Alexandre Padilha (Secretary of Institutional Relations) and Rui Costa (Civil House).

Of these, only Dweck recorded the meeting with the first lady in his public agenda.

A Sheet the advisory of the Minister of Women said that the commitment is included in her internal agenda and that it is not published in the public system because the portfolio is still filling out all the retroactive commitments for the year. According to the ministry, the meeting dealt with femicide.

Secom said that the minister’s agenda “can be updated daily, as needed due to any commitments that arise during the day” and that, therefore, the agenda is out of date.

The MinC recognized the omission and said that the insertion of the commitment in the agenda had already been provided. He also stated that the meeting was recorded on the folder’s Instagram.

The Civil House stated that the meeting was recorded in Rui Costa’s agenda after “an error was found in its entry”.

In addition to the ministers, Janja also met with the president of Banco do Brasil, Tarciana Medeiros, on two occasions: in January and February —but only the second appears in the list of meetings sent to the Sheet through the Plateau. The other was released by the first lady on social media.

At the time, Janja says that Tarciana presented her with a new diary from the bank, because her previous one was stolen in the January 8 coup attacks, which destroyed the headquarters of the three Powers.

Just like the meeting that was published on social networks, but not on the agenda released via LAI, there are other moments that denote informality in the recording of the first lady’s commitments, such as “conversation with Silvana”, without further details about who it is. In another, she received a visit “from Mr. Gensio, to deliver new glasses”.

Most of the registered commitments were also not accompanied by the agenda of the meeting.

On January 17, for example, Janja shared photographs of an audience with Rogério Carvalho, curator of the presidential palaces, on social networks. “Putting the house in order with the help of Rogério Carvalho. If there’s anyone helping me to put Alvorada back together, it’s this dear and competent architect”, she wrote.

More recently, the first lady published a video, straight from her office, to talk about Enem (National High School Examination) registrations, on June 13, but her entry into the palace that day was not registered in the Planalto list.

Such as Sheet showed, Janja acts as a sort of “algorithm” for Lula. He does not use a cell phone and is little connected to the instantaneousness of current news, but he receives information from the sociologist, who participates directly in the president’s reactions to events in Brazil and in the world.

Janja also accompanied Lula to three ministerial meetings: on March 14, April 10 and June 15. However, her presence at Lula’s first meeting with his assistants, held on January 6, is not recorded. On the occasion, she entered the room to hand each of the 37 ministers photos taken during the PT’s inauguration.

She also participated in a meeting between the president, ministers, governors and representatives of the Judiciary and Congress to address the fight against violence in schools in April. Another meeting with governors, in January, however, is not included in the released records.

Close to the cultural sectors of society, Janja has received from former BBB and nurse Cezar Black to singer Fafá de Belém, in addition to having organized a meeting with influencers in Planalto who supported the president in the campaign.

From Congress, Janja met with PT deputies, such as the party president, Gleisi Hoffmann (PR), and Benedita da Silva (RJ). The first lady herself defines herself on social media as a “Cartoon PT”.

On January 11, he received a “courtesy visit” from former president Dilma Rousseff (PT) — in the agenda sent to the report, Dilma is identified as “former president”.

The first lady, who doesn’t like to be called by her title, but by the nickname of Janja, said from the beginning that she wants to redefine that role.

Her performance in the government has not been as present as in the electoral campaign, but she still has a prominent role in the Planalto and alongside the president, which still generates some discomfort from allies.

Janja’s allies and palace aides, however, minimize his interference.

In general terms, there is a perception that members of the government have become accustomed to their participation, even if its limits are not clear. Lula’s interlocutors are also careful not to buy any wear and tear involving her performance.

There is still a defense that she has the right to participate wherever she is invited, as they say is the case of ministerial meetings and events alongside the president.

A widely used argument is also that of misogyny and the fact that people are not used to seeing a politically active first lady.

This year, the government considered creating an official position for Janja. The initial idea was that it would be an office for strategic actions in public policy, a new post that would monitor priority agendas for the Chief Executive. Without remuneration, it would have no power to propose or formulate public policies.

Planalto dropped the idea after receiving signals that it could be interpreted as nepotism. In addition, it could generate a new political problem: the first lady, with an official position, could be summoned in Congress.

Some details of Janja’s agenda

Meetings outside the ministerial calendar:

• Jan 10, at 10 am: Margareth Menezes (Culture)
  Reception of the delegation from the Ministry of Culture to inspect the damage left by the terrorist acts of January 8 to the collection of the Palácio do Planalto; there was a post on Instagram
• Jan 16, at 2:30 pm: Paulo Pimenta (Secretary of Communication)
  On his agenda, at the same time, there is a meeting with Luis Costa Pinto, representative of the Brazilian Association of Digital Media
• Jan 27, at 4 pm: Alexandre Padilha (Secretary of Institutional Relations)
• March 2nd, at 10am: Cida Gonçalves (Women) and Anielle Franco (Racial Equality)
  Meeting with Cida Gonçalves and federal deputy Reimont (PT-RJ); there was a publication on Instagram, with the presence of Anielle Franco
• March 17, at 2 pm: Rui Costa (Civil Staff)

Meeting on the minister’s agenda
Only Esther Dweck (Management) recorded meeting with Janja on March 6th at 10am; there is also post on instagram

Events where Janja was present:

• 17.jan: No registration on the agenda LAI, but Janja posted on Instagram a photo of a meeting with Rogério Carvalho, curator of the presidential palaces
• 20.jan: No record in the agenda LAI, but posted a photo with Tarciana Medeiros, president of Banco do Brasil, claiming to have won a new agenda from the institution
• 10.feb: Emblematic photo between Lula and Biden
• 10.mar: No record in the agenda LAI, but posted a photo at the launch of the Mulheres de Favela program
• 2.May: He posted a photo during a meeting with the United States representative at the UN (United Nations), Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield
• May 26: Posted a photo in a meeting with Cida Gonçalves at the Ministry of Women, about policies to combat misogyny