PL deputies discuss in WhatsApp group – 07/10/2023 – Power

The day after the conclusion of the vote on the Tax Reform in the Chamber of Deputies, parliamentarians from the PL staged a heated discussion in the WhatsApp group that brings together the deputies of this legislature.

The background was around the 20 votes in favor that the party gave to the reform, even after the party’s contrary orientation and pressure from former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL).

But the debate also ended up addressing criticism of the articulation of the PL with the CPI of January 8 and the behavior of some party deputies against Governor Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicanos-SP) in a bench meeting last week.

The discussion had an exchange of insults and even a request for deputies to leave the caption, putting on one side a group more aligned with Bolsonaro and on the other parliamentarians who are part of the centrão and not the so-called “root Bolsonarism”. A Sheet had access to the exchange of messages, revealed by the newspaper O Globo.

The discussion caused the leader of the PL in the Chamber, Altineu Côrtes (RJ), to intervene on Sunday afternoon (9) to calm the mood. He temporarily blocked the group (making it so that no one else could send messages) and stated that he would seek out Bolsonaro and the president of the party, Valdemar Costa Neto, to “establish the limits” of the bench.

“We are not going to get anywhere with these offenses side by side!! I think we need to have a dialogue and establish the limits of each one who represents the PL! I will talk to President Bolsonaro and President Valdemar so that we can work together with the bench to discuss and establish our limits”, wrote Altineu.

“Let’s keep calm, with aggression we won’t solve anything!”, continued the party leader.

Deputies heard by the report claim that these noises in the party, which has the largest bench in the Chamber (99 seats), have been dragging on since the vote on the new fiscal framework in the Chamber – when the PL gave 30 votes in favor of the matter.

The trigger, now, was because parliamentarians who voted in favor of the reform claim to have been criticized on social networks by colleagues because of their votes.

Samuel Viana (MG), who voted in favor of the reform, stated that this type of behavior is “political cannibalism”. “Publishing names, whipping each other’s electorate to go against it? This is, in practice, sustaining and feeding disunity with attitudes,” he wrote.

In another message, he criticized the bench’s disunity and cited as an example the January 8 CPI that “started here, with the PL” and “due to a total lack of political skill”, the party’s parliamentarians “lost control and the left dominated “. “Our weakness.”

“Who of those who sometimes vote with the government published something against this group and saying that? Unnecessary,” he continued.

Viana also stated that since 2018 Bolsonarism has had a characteristic: “either it is totally in favor, including mistakes, or else it is ‘PT, thief’ and burns everyone who thinks a different comma”. At that moment, he criticized the behavior of colleagues with the governor of São Paulo and Bolsonaro’s former minister (“they even booed and criticized Tarcísio”).

In a meeting of the PL bench last Thursday (6), Tarcísio was harassed by parliamentarians when he defended the approval of the reform. On the occasion, Bolsonaro even interrupted the former minister, when he defended the participation of the right in the reform.

“As I said, they took the turn in the CPMI on January 8 for lack of political ability. They lost the chance to have worked for Brazil in the reform and with that I think it came out smaller. It was very ugly to boo and criticize Tarcísio when he was there exposing what he thought thoughtfully”, continued Viana.

Vinicius Gurgel (AP), who also voted in favor of the Tax Reform, even suggested that the party have two leaders in the Chamber, “because the radical right does not represent everyone!!!”. The deputy also said that, if they had to expel him from the party or remove him from the committees in which he participates in view of the criticisms he has been making, “no problem”.

In response, congresswoman Julia Zanatta (SC), linked to Bolsonaro, criticized the use of the term “radical right” and asked her colleague for respect (“it would be good to gain respect by respecting”).

Leader of the opposition, Carlos Jordy (RJ) also joined the discussion, claiming that Gurgel is “incoherent” in saying he is conservative, but not right-wing. “The big problem is that you want to justify your votes by saying that you are from the center and saying that those who demand a coherent position are the ‘radical right'”.

Jordy also stated that the PL became “this huge machine thanks to Bolsonaro” – and defended the departure of parliamentarians. “The PL will not retroact, the path is to consolidate itself as the largest conservative, right-wing, opposition party in Brazil. And those who do not accept this position must leave the party”, he wrote.

There was also a clash between Gurgel and André Fernandes (CE), author of the CPI request on January 8th. Gurgel wrote: “How sad that you came to the PL”, to which Fernandes asked who he was referring to.

“You, friend, are one of them, ask for expulsion, do not respect! I would prefer you in another party”, said Gurgel.

“Don’t call me friend. I didn’t give you that freedom”, replied Fernandes. “The PL is not divided (…) in the voting we saw that there were 80 on one side and 20 on the other (…) 80/20. Do you think it’s bad? Ask to leave.”

A Sheet, Gurgel said that he has been in the PL for 13 years and that he does not intend to leave the subtitle. He stated that he was not elected on the wave of Bolsonarism and that his leadership, from the beginning, is that of Valdemar.

“The solution he decides to take I will accept. I’m sure he will handle this crisis well. Big parties are like that, I don’t really know how it will turn out [a situação]. Sometimes, after friction, people start to respect others more,” she said.

He criticized that a “party minority” has encouraged attacks on colleagues on social media. “They incited militancy hatred against us, to gain notoriety. But not all are like that. You don’t need to step on others to grow, sealing to gain like.”

Viana told the report that he was clear in his positions in the WhatsApp group and that he values ​​dialogue and consideration. “The ideological agendas and the profile of extremism that some parliamentarians are prioritizing cannot be superior to the agendas of interest to Brazil”, he said.

Zanatta said that he considers it normal for a large party to have disagreements and that it was an episode. “Honestly, I think it’s natural [não ter consenso] in a big party. For me it’s life that goes on, I just don’t think it’s cool to throw offenses like it was done by some in the group, we need to harmonize. I saw there that many were uncomfortable with our presence and not us with theirs.”

Carlos Jordy, André Fernandes and Altineu Côrtes were approached, but did not respond.