Lula’s leader criticizes the left and defends PP and Republicans – 07/20/2023 – Politics

Government leader in the Chamber of Deputies, federal deputy José Guimarães (PT-CE) says that the entry of the PP and the Republicans in the first echelon of the Lula government (PT) should bring peace to the relationship between the Planalto and the House.

He underscores the role taken by the Executive in giving greater solidity to the base in the Legislative, ensuring tranquility not only for a vote or the priority agenda, but rewarding the acronyms that always collaborate with the government.

Guimarães also poked the left wing that criticizes the alliance with the centrão.

“There are some voices from beyond that prefer defeat and isolation, because that’s a lot on the left, they prefer defeat to be able to carry out ideological proselytism. Those who govern have to have an institutional base”, declared the petista, responsible for political articulation in the Chamber.

Questioned whether PT and PSB will lose space in the first echelon in the reform, Guimarães replied that this will be decided by Lula. But he pondered that “if the government is willing to expand the participation of these parties [PP e Republicanos] on the Esplanade, obviously someone will have to lose”.

The government practically managed to liquidate the entire priority agenda in the Chamber in the semester, even without having a stable base. What explains this?
We approved very important matters, strategic for the government, which said at the beginning that we would not be able to vote because we had no basis to vote, such as the Transition PEC and the Tax Reform. In the midst of this, the vote on the reorganization of the Esplanada dos Ministérios [o centrão ameaçou derrubar a proposta] it gave us the conditions to restart a new cycle of dialogue and construction of the broad front. Our base has parties that are already in government –the left, PSD and MDB– and we add the PP, União Brasil, Republicans and 30 votes from the PL in the main polls.

What is the participation of the mayor, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), and the centrão in this balance of approvals in the semester?
President Lira’s participation was fundamental. There are some voices from beyond that prefer defeat and isolation, because that’s a lot on the left, they prefer defeat to be able to carry out ideological proselytism. Whoever governs must have an institutional base, and good leadership is one that manages to dialogue, firstly, with the President of the House and, secondly, with the House as a whole. That’s what I’ve been trying to do, and Arthur Lira has been very supportive of the government, he represents another political force, he’s not from the PT, but we know that nobody governs well and nobody exercises leadership if there isn’t permanent dialogue.

For you to have an idea of ​​how important this process was in the Chamber, at the beginning of the government, 229 summons of ministers were presented. Just imagine! In negotiation, we turn all these summons into invitations [quando os ministros não são obrigados a comparecer ao Congresso].

Talks about ministries are seen as a seam for President Lula’s alliance with the centrão, which is a group criticized by other political agents and is associated with negotiating positions and amendments in exchange for votes. As mr. see this approximation?
First, the position of negotiating amendments is not illegitimate. The amendments are in the budget law and the Constitution. I don’t see any illegality or anything ugly about it. The same thing is about participation in government. Which party does not negotiate? If the party supports the government, votes for the government, what is the problem with negotiating office?

This doesn’t have to be seen as a bad thing and it has to be done transparently, as we are doing now. We are not doing anything bargaining, because we represent a government with a broad front and these parties, in addition to the left field, can help and have helped a lot in building this new governability.

Behind the scenes, it is said that the vote on the Carf (Tax Resources Administration Council) project only took place in the Chamber because the government gave the green light for ministries to negotiate. Is that what happened?
We signaled to these parties that they would participate in the government. This is nothing to testify against the Republic, much less against the government. Because the success we are having is due to these two characteristics: Lula’s personality and the result that the Chamber gave. It is a legitimate, important construction and we are in tune. I, [Alexandre] padilha [ministro das Relações Institucionais]Rui Costa [da Casa Civil] and Fernando Haddad [da Fazenda] we already presented to Lula the idea that these parties, especially the PP and the Republicans, enter the government.

And what ministries should they assume?
Our role is to present the diagnosis to the president. I was in Brasilia, I talked with Padilha, with Rui Costa. we received the [deputado] Silvio Costa Filho [do Republicanos]Padilha received the [deputado André] Fufuca [líder do PP]. These are two names that the parties consider that, once the president defines them, they can contribute enormously to the relationship between these ministries and the Chamber and increase our institutional peace with the Chamber.

I defend the thesis that everyone needs to be incorporated by the government, even for what they have already done for the government. It is not fair that these parties have done so much with us and have no share in the government.

How was the conversation?
We inform these comrades that the thesis of expanding participation is consolidated. The government is convinced of this. And it will be up to the president to initiate dialogue and negotiations to which spaces these parties will go.

If these parties enter the government, how much does this represent in votes for the hard core of the Lula government’s base in the Chamber?
For me, what counts is the panel [de votação]. If without these parties in government we have already obtained such fantastic victories, imagine how it will be with them participating in the government. They are parties with different characteristics from the left field, and they have shown a lot of commitment to the country. [Em alguns projetos no plenário] Republicans gave 100% of the votes, the PP gave almost 100% of the votes. União Brasil voted 49 out of 59. Therefore, these parties helped the government a lot and it is legitimate for them to participate.

We have to expand the base, even keeping the characteristics of each party, because there are parties that are in government and that do not give 100% of the votes, such as União Brasil, MDB. Now the PP and the Republicans have some parliamentarians who do not vote with the government. But the majority votes. What matters to me is the panel [de votação].

We have to increase the participation of these parties, these political forces in government. Especially because the success of the government is very much related to the measures, the votes and the victories that we achieved in the House.

And the PL? Mr. Do you defend that the party enters the government, since it has given 30 votes?
Not the PL, the PL is opposition. We recognize that there are PL parliamentarians who vote with the government and we will know how to make this recognition in practice. But they don’t come because they are opposition. And the leader of the PL, Altineu Cortes, helps us, he has a good dialogue, he doesn’t go for all or nothing. And that is the role of Parliament. The extremes cannot set the tone for how the Chamber works, what has to set the tone is the commitment of the National Congress with the country.

With the entry of the PP and Republicans in the government, are the PT and PSB at risk of losing space in the first echelon?
If the government is willing to expand the participation of these parties on the Esplanade, obviously someone will have to lose. Who will say that is the President of the Republic. There is no prospect of creating new ministries. It’s a chess that only Lula will know how to move the pieces.

Mr. Do you consider this to be a ministerial reform?
No. I consider it an expansion of the participation of parties in government. These are political needs that arose from the results achieved in the Chamber.

Mr. said that the entry of the PP and the Republicans will bring institutional peace to the government in the Chamber. What does the government intend to do in this new scenario?
We have projects that complete this process that we went through in the first half, such as the end of the vote on the new tax regime. We will also have voting on the Unroll [programa voltado a pessoas que devem dinheiro no varejo]which is essential to remove millions of people from the negative register, in addition to the LDO [Lei de Diretrizes Orçamentária] and the 2024 Budget.

Doesn’t the entry of Fufuca and Sílvio Costa Filho cause an imbalance between the participation of the Chamber and the Senate in the government?
No. It’s all well articulated. The Senate has a good share in the government and so does the House. I think they are constructions that complement each other. Everything is being discussed a lot and our role is to build peace, a more lasting peace, not a peace just for a vote, respecting those parties that claim to be independent, but which, when it comes time to see, are those parties that have always helped us.

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X-RAY | JOSÉ GUIMARÃES, 66

With a degree in law, he is a PT federal deputy for Ceará in his fourth term. He is also one of the national vice presidents and a member of the party’s national executive. Chosen to be the leader of the government in the Chamber, he was one of the coordinators of Lula’s presidential campaign last year.