Planalto fears centrão and acts to keep MP da Esplanada – 05/29/2023 – Politics

Faced with the fear that the MP (provisional measure) that restructures the Esplanada dos Ministérios will be altered or, in the worst case scenario, lose its validity, political articulators of the Lula government (PT) act to keep unchanged the text approved last week in a committee mixed in Congress.

Although ministers Rui Costa (Casa Civil) and Alexandre Padilha (Secretary of Institutional Relations) have stated last Friday (26) that they would act in Parliament to return functions to the Ministries of the Environment and Indigenous Peoples, emptied in the commission, the assessment of allies is that any attempt to modify the MP would increase the risk of it becoming invalid.

This is because the mayor, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), considers that the proposal was widely debated and is not willing to give in on changes.

Opposition and centrão deputies sent messages to the Planalto Palace that there is dissatisfaction and that they can use the MP vote to wall the government. They mainly complain about the delay in releasing amendments, in addition to the slowness in appointments to regional positions.

The text will be appreciated in the plenary of the Chamber of Deputies this Tuesday (30) and will still need to pass through the Senate – the MP expires on Thursday (1st).

Padilha and Lira met this Monday (29) to align the perspectives for voting on the proposal. According to reports from allies, since last week the mayor has been sending the message to Planalto that the MP runs the risk of not being voted on and losing effect if the government insists on trying to change devices already approved in the commission.

Last Thursday (25th), Lula minimized the actions of the Legislative and said that “a game has started, let’s play, let’s talk”.

Other meetings to deal with the vote on the text in the House should still take place throughout this Tuesday. Until a few moments before the MP was considered in a session of the mixed commission, last week, government allies met with the rapporteur, deputy Isnaldo Bulhões Jr. (MDB), to fine-tune settings.

The mayor and the government are now working to prevent centrão members and even government deputies from disrupting the vote. Despite this, a possible focus of friction could come from some leftist parties and allies of ministers Marina Silva (Environment) and Sônia Guajajara (Indigenous Peoples).

The leadership of the ruralist group, one of the most powerful in Congress, did not intend until this Monday to try to change the text, despite the pressure to impose new defeats on the government.

Even with the prediction of party leaders that the provisional measure will be approved smoothly, the Planalto Palace does not minimize the risk of suffering new defeats. Members of the government claim that it could already be considered a “victory” if the text approved by the Chamber is the same as that considered by the joint commission.

Messages reached the government’s political articulators that the MP could lapse or be altered to the point that the government would be left with no room for maneuver to recompose the functions of the ministries via decrees or ordinances.

On Friday itself, as shown by the SheetLula admitted in the meeting with Marina and Guajajara that he is powerless in Congress and, therefore, needed to seek alternatives through internal government rules to recompose the ministries.

Marina Silva had already been the target of clashes within the government with the dispute between Ibama and Petrobras over the oil exploration plan at the mouth of the Amazon.

On the same day the proposal was voted on in the commission, Marina suffered new defeats in the Chamber. Deputies voted on an MP edited at the end of the Jair Bolsonaro (PL) government and resumed excerpts that loosen the rules for protecting the Atlantic Forest —items that had been withdrawn by the Senate.

The Chamber also approved an urgent request (to speed up the processing) for a Temporal Framework project, which limits the demarcation of indigenous lands to occupied territories until the enactment of the 1988 Constitution – the expectation is that the merit will be voted on this Tuesday.

PSD leader in the Chamber, deputy Antonio Brito (BA) told the Sheet who will work with the bench so that the MP does not expire. “The PSD’s position is to comply with the text agreed with the government and I will work for it to be voted on,” she said.

The report on the provisional measure withdraws from the Ministry of the Environment the CAR (Rural Environmental Registry) and the ANA (National Water Agency), in addition to a series of systems.

The first instrument goes to Management (by Minister Esther Dweck) and the second to Regional Development (by Waldez Góes); Sinisa (National Information System on Basic Sanitation), Sinir (National Information System on Solid Waste Management) and Singreh (National Water Resources Management System) go to the Ministry of Cities (owned by Jader Filho).

The recognition and demarcation of indigenous lands, now in the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples, go to the Ministry of Justice.

These changes generated a series of criticisms of the government, which was accused of abandoning the environmental agenda. The complaints led Lula himself to take the field.

The president called Marina and Guajajara to a meeting last week. After the meeting, the Chief of Staff stated that the text of the MP for the restructuring of the Esplanada dos Ministérios is “misaligned” with the government’s vision; and that he would work to reverse the changes in voting in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.

During the meeting, Lula discussed with the ministers the possibility of carrying out, for example, shared management of both the demarcation of indigenous lands and the CAR.

The original MP was edited by Lula right at the beginning of the government with the new organization of the Esplanada. It was she who increased, for example, the number of ministries from 23 to the current 37.

Understand the Esplanada MP and the controversies surrounding it

What is the Provisional Measure?
The MP for the Esplanada dos Ministérios was signed by Lula during his inauguration, in order to reorganize the top echelon and its functions —the PT increased from 23 in the Jair Bolsonaro (PL) government to 37 portfolios, and distributed some functions to the new holders

When does the act expire?
The Provisional Measure lasts for 60 days, with an extension for another 60. Lula signed the reorganization of the Esplanada on January 1, the day of his inauguration in government, but it only started to be processed in February, when the parliamentary recess ended. With that, it must be voted on by June 1, or it will lose its effects.

How is the MP processing going?
The mixed commission for analyzing the measure approved the report this Wednesday (24). The text must now be voted by the plenary of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, to become permanent.

Why is the measure important for Planalto?
The MP basically defines the organization of the federal government, which also interferes with the competences of each ministry, and, therefore, how far a portfolio can execute in terms of public policy

What are the controversies surrounding the reorganization?
The rapporteur for the Provisional Measure and leader of the MDB in the Chamber, federal deputy Isnaldo Bulhões Jr. (AL), dehydrated the government’s environmental policy — competences of bodies that are currently with the Environment and Indigenous Peoples will be transferred to other portfolios.
He also empowered ministries with centrão parties, which will have more functions under his purview. Marina Silva (Rede), holder of the Environment, is the one who loses the most attributions, while fighting an internal dispute over the exploration of the mouth of the Amazon River by Petrobras

What are the main changes?
Marina will lose some information systems on basic sanitation, solid waste and water resources to the Ministry of Cities. He will also no longer command the ANA (National Water Agency), moved to Regional Development, and the CAR (Rural Environmental Registry), transferred to the Ministry of Management.