MST CPI will hear Lula’s ministers and deny PT requests – 05/24/2023 – Power

Parliamentarians from the CPI of the MST (Movement of Landless Rural Workers) approved in a session this Wednesday (24) invitations to ministers Paulo Teixeira (Agrarian Development) and Carlos Fávaro (Agriculture) to provide clarification on land invasions and on what measures the federal government has taken.

Initially, the two requirements were for ministers to be summoned — but there was an agreement with government parliamentarians to turn them into invitations, when participation is not mandatory.

Teixeira’s summons request was authored by Deputy Éder Mauro (PL-PA). The invitation addressed to Fávaro, prepared by Evair Vieira de Melo (PP-ES), provides clarification on the measures adopted by the ministry in light of the “announcement by João Pedro Stedile, leader of the MST, to promote land occupations throughout Brazil”, as well as “other matters involving the portfolio and other social movements”.

In this Wednesday’s session, 4 of the 6 applications submitted by PT deputies were also rejected.

The CPI is made up mostly of members of the Agricultural Parliamentary Front, one of the main forces of the House. In addition, the commission’s main posts are also in the hands of representatives of the agribusiness bench and linked to the opposition.

The president is deputy Lieutenant-Colonel Zucco (Republicanos-RS), and the rapporteur is Ricardo Salles (PL-SP), former Minister of the Environment in the Jair Bolsonaro (PL) government.

Of the 15 proposals that were considered in this Wednesday’s session (24), 7 were from parliamentarians from the allied base of the Lula government and 8 from opposition deputies —the 8 were approved.

Among them, an invitation was approved for former Minister of Agrarian Development Raul Jungmann to participate in a public hearing at the commission, authored by Messias Donato (Republicanos-ES); and invitation to the current Secretary of Public Security of São Paulo, Guilherme Derrite, to deal with the invasions that occurred in the state, authored by Kim Kataguiri (União Brasil-SP).

Gustavo Gayer’s (PL-GO) request for a technical visit by CPI members to “investigate the sites invaded by the MST” was also approved.

Lula’s allies, in turn, intend to bring to the CPI the discussion of themes such as conflicts in the countryside, land grabbing, invasion of indigenous lands, fires and deforestation.

PSOL deputies Sâmia Bomfim (SP) and Talíria Petrone (RJ), for example, submitted a request, which was approved, for an invitation to lawyer Luana Ruiz, former deputy secretary of the Special Secretariat for Land Affairs of the Ministry of Agriculture.

They justified Luana’s choice “because she has a familiar relationship with the development of agricultural production on large estates in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul and also with issues involving the demarcation of indigenous lands”.

PT parliamentarians presented four requests to request information from the Ministers of Finance, Fernando Haddad (PT), of Agriculture, of the Environment, Marina Silva (Rede), and of Justice, Flávio Dino (PSB) —of these, only the one aimed at Fávaro was approved.

The parliamentarians asked Fávaro for a copy of agreements and other instruments that had as their object “the release of public resources for holding national and international agribusiness events” in the period from 2018 to 2022.

According to them, this is essential information “to clarify the equity in the distribution and use of public resources in the promotion of the Brazilian agro”.

For Haddad, they intended to request amounts registered in the Union’s Active Debt, related to credits granted under the National Rural Credit System. For Marina, they would request information on the administrative processes for granting cancellation, revocation, amnesty for environmental violations and fines between 2018 and 2022.

And finally, they intended to ask Dino for records of inquiries and administrative processes to investigate irregularities and crimes committed by CACs (hunters, shooters and collectors). “This is essential information and documentation to clarify the rise of violence in the countryside”, justified the deputies.

However, all three applications were rejected. Also rejected was an application by PT parliamentarians requesting that a due diligence be carried out in the municipality of São Felix do Xingu (PA), in the Divino Pai Eterno Complex.