Rui Costa gains strength after criticism for crises in 2024 – 02/14/2024 – Power

The Minister of the Civil House, Rui Costa, gained strength after being chosen by President Lula (PT) as the new government link with the President of the Chamber, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), but some setbacks made his reputation as “manager of the government” suffer shocks at the beginning of 2024.

Lula’s gesture in appointing him as Lira’s interlocutor comes amid increasing behind-the-scenes criticism of the minister who is responsible for coordinating the work of all the Esplanada’s portfolios.

Three episodes contributed to friendly fire.

The crisis triggered by the Federal Police’s operation against Abin (Brazilian Intelligence Agency), which is under its custody, the government’s difficulty in removing invaders from the Yanomami Indigenous Land and the announcement of the plan to leverage the country’s industry.

Although the police action at the intelligence agency targeted allies of the former president, investigators say that the current management of the agency tried to disrupt the investigations.

The operation led Lula to fire the deputy director of Abin, Alessandro Moretti, and left the president irritated by the fact that the organization had as its number 2 a man who had already held an equivalent position in the Security Secretariat of the Federal District under Anderson’s administration. Torres, former Bolsonaro Justice Minister.

The delay in Moretti’s dismissal is attributed to considerations by Abin’s general director, Luiz Fernando Corrêa, in favor of the permanence of his right-hand man, in an articulation supported by Costa.

The government’s difficulty in resolving the situation in the Yanomami Indigenous Land also damaged the government’s image, as Lula took the issue as a central issue in his management and harshly criticized the situation of that indigenous population, which suffered from malnutrition, malaria , the invasion of miners, among other problems.

The president embraced the cause and increased society’s attention to the case. This movement reinforced the attacks against Bolsonaro, accused on social media of promoting a genocide of the indigenous people.

On that occasion, a task force was set up in the Executive to resolve the situation, under the coordination of the Civil House.

A year after Lula went to the site, however, the traditional population continues to face serious problems, and illegal mining continues to be active in the region. The noise made by the Chief Executive on the issue at the beginning of his term then turned against the government itself.

The launch of a package of measures aimed at industry was classified as “clumsy” by members of the government.

In the meeting that preceded the launch that would take place on the same day, Lula complained that the project did not contain concrete points and gave rise to criticism that it was a reissue of old measures.

He also pointed out flaws in the document, such as problems with the deadlines for meeting the established “aspirational goals”.

Furthermore, the package of measures also heated up the dispute between Rui Costa and the Minister of Finance, Fernando Haddad. Both maintained a good relationship until the beginning of 2023, but, after the start of the government, they fell out on several occasions and began to establish animosity with mutual criticism behind the scenes.

Shortly after the presentation of the plan, called Nova Indústria Brasil, the head of the economic department lamented the lack of detail in the proposal.

In a meeting with party leaders from the Chamber of Deputies the day after the announcement, the Minister of Finance pointed to a panel that records economic indicators — such as the stock market and the dollar — to state that they suffer fluctuations every time impact measures are announced without due clarification. .

Haddad also told parliamentarians that he had not been informed until the day before about the launch of the package. Government members, however, remember that the Ministry of Finance is part of the council that discussed the plan.

With reservations, members of Palácio do Planalto state that Rui Costa is not easy to deal with and, frequently, is at odds with other departments due to the manner and intensity of demands for results in government programs.

However, he is still seen as a competent manager even by his enemies.

Its defenders argue that sometimes a firm hand is necessary to guarantee the progress of the PT administration. Furthermore, they say that criticism is natural because it is up to him to shield the president about Esplanada problems and reject ideas from other ministries.

Allies also say that the minister left for the Carnival holiday more empowered than ever after Lula delegated the task of talking to Arthur Lira to him.

This is not so much due to the minister’s qualities, but due to the disagreement between Lira and the person responsible for the government’s political coordination, Alexandre Padilha.

At the opening session of the year at the Legislature, Lira greeted Padilha in a formal manner. The president of the Chamber and Rui Costa, in turn, talked and had moments of relaxation, with laughter — without the participation of Padilha, who was looking at the plenary.

The previous week, Costa had paid a visit to Lira, at the official residence of the President of the Chamber.

According to members of the government, the competence of the head of the Civil House will also be put to the test with the threat of the outbreak of the dengue pandemic in the country, since joint actions to combat the disease depend on the coordination of the minister, and the execution of the PAC ( Growth Acceleration Program).