Lula tells ministers that phase for new ideas is over – 06/15/2023 – Politics

President Lula (PT) said this Thursday (15) that his government will end the phase in which ministers present new ideas and projects, to start a stage just to fulfill everything that was thought and planned. The speech took place at the opening of the third ministerial meeting of his government.

“We will have to launch this program [PAC 3], because you know that from now on we will be prohibited from having new ideas, we will have to comply with what we have been able to propose so far. The only thing that can change is the creation of schools, because every time a person asks for a school, I will say that we are going to do it”, said the president.

“[Que] this meeting can give us, especially for the colleagues of the Civil House, which receives the projects, that we can leave here with the certainty that the government already has on paper and in the head everything that we are going to do until the 31st December 2026.

The president added that previous meetings dealt with the country’s reconstruction and the “budget fight”. Now, he added, all that remains is to launch the Luz para Todos and Água para Todos programs.

Lula also asked for improvements in the disclosure of government policies by the ministers. In a harsh tone, she asked for “education” to the portfolio holders, so that they act together with the Presidency’s Communication Secretariat. And it also empowered the holder of that portfolio, PT Paulo Pimenta.

“Will have [na reunião] a discussion on the ministers’ relationship with Secom. It is important for us to know that we can publicize the things we do with much more professionalism if we have a minimum of education to do things collectively”, she said.

The president then repeated a charge to the members of his team, so that they treat the measures as a “government policy” and that they are not “the policy of each minister”.

The meeting takes place amid criticism of the political articulation and pressure from União Brasil for the dismissal of the Minister of Tourism, Daniela Carneiro. The representative did not address the minister’s situation in his opening speech, which was broadcast on official government channels. The remainder of the meeting will be closed.

Lula returned to mention that vice-president Geraldo Alckmin is going to start traveling abroad, so that she can stay in Brazil for domestic events and also to deal with political issues.

“I will not pass the floor to Alckmin, because today he will not speak as vice president, today he will speak as Minister of Industry and Commerce to talk about what he has already done and what he will do from now on, because he will have to do some little trips in my place for me [sic] stay here in Brazil anymore”.

The issue of Lula’s international travels became one of the points of criticism during the course of the provisional measure that restructured the Esplanada dos Ministérios, when there was a risk of defeat for the government. The president of the Chamber of Deputies, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), even suggested to the PT that he focus more on Brazil and worry less about Latin America.

In a more relaxed moment, Lula returned to comment on Minister Flávio Dino’s (Justice) obesity, even though he had already been criticized and accused of fatphobia in previous comments.

“This meeting will take at least 6 hours or a little more. We won’t have lunch. Lunch will be light food served here at the table, no one needs to get up. While one speaks, the others eat and so we take turns tasting at lunchtime,” he said.

“Flávio Dino too, but we’re going to bring him little food”, he added, while someone, unidentified, comments “this is bullying”.

Lula was elected with a narrow margin of votes and, at the same time, saw Congress formed by a conservative majority. Left-wing parties account for only about a quarter of the total seats in the Chamber.

That is why, since the transition, Lula has been trying to attract a coalition that will give him solid legislative support, but he has faced several problems and defeats in the Chamber, even having distributed nine ministries to the MDB, PSD and União Brasil.

There is great dissatisfaction with political articulation, including in left-wing parties. One of the main complaints is precisely related to the division of federal offices between these center and right-wing parties.

Following the meeting with his ministry this Thursday (15th), there is the expectation that he demands more commitment from his team in the relationship with Congress, in addition to explaining the need to attract to his base parties that are currently independent, as the PP of Arthur Lira, mayor.

In addition to the positions, congressmen complain about the lack of attention that government ministers pay to their requests, in addition to the delay in releasing amendments to the Union Budget, currently the main instrument of relationship between the Executive and the Legislative.