Servers form a queue and sleep at Alesp to open CPIs – 03/22/2023 – Politics

More than 72 hours before the opening of the protocol of the Parliamentary Commissions of Inquiry (CPIs) in the Legislative Assembly of São Paulo, civil servants formed a long line and spent the night in a corridor of the House to present the themes defined by their deputies.

The protocol only opens on Friday (24), at 9am. As shown to Sheetthe CPI queue, which has become a tradition at Alesp, happens because the commissions are installed in the order in which they are filed – and only five can work at a time.

The result is a race between base and opposition for their issues to prevail – deputies allied with Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans) want to propose any issue that does not wear him down, while the left seeks just the opposite.

In addition to CPIs that target previous Toucan governments, the opposition bench also has investigation proposals that affect Tarcísio specifically, such as an investigation into the shooting in Paraisópolis during the campaign and the connection between the Secretary of Education, Renato Feder, and the company Multilaser – both ideas from Deputy Reis (PT).

As expected, allies of the governor were first in line. “Parliamentary members had access to information and queued up before us. We agreed with the queue here”, stated Mônica Seixas, PSOL leader.

The president of the Assembly, André do Prado (PL), who is an ally of Tarcísio, decided that the protocol of the CPIs will be done in a physical and not digital way – as has normally happened in the House since the last legislature.

Last week, the previous president, Carlão Pignatari (PSDB), had decided to close the protocol of any matter between the 15th and the 23rd, which would allow time for new deputies to have access to the digital system.

But even so, the specific registration of CPIs must be done physically. Tarcísio’s allies admit that only the queue would guarantee that the base would arrive first – in the digital protocol there would be no way to exercise this control.

The queue began to form this Tuesday morning (21) and is headed by servants of deputies from parties such as the PL and the Republicans. PSD and PSDB are also in the queue. After them, PSOL and PT.

It takes 32 signatures of deputies to file a CPI, and parliamentarians have spent the last few days in pursuit of this goal.

Even on Tuesday, the queue already had more than 50 parliamentary advisors – each one can file a CPI. A password was distributed to the members of the queue in order, but the guidance is that, even so, they do not leave the place. As in 2019, there must be a rotation of servers, who will have to sleep in the corridor adjacent to the plenary.

On that occasion, Toucan servants spent 63 hours in line to shield Governor João Doria (PSDB) and push Dersa’s CPI, proposed by the PT, to the end of the line.

The climate is tense among the deputies in the Assembly, who complain about having to leave their employees in a condition that they consider inhumane. André’s allies say that the situation bothers the president, who called a meeting of leaders for the morning of this Wednesday (22) in an attempt to find a solution and prevent the queue from extending for more dawns.

Opposition deputies also claim that they seek an agreement between the parties to get space for their CPIs and avoid the wear and tear of the queue for employees. Despite talks throughout Tuesday, there was no agreement between the leaders – which made the queue last until dawn and the new meeting was called.

“The queue starts with deputies allied with Tarcísio. This demonstrates a little how the government will want to treat dialogue within the Assembly”, says Luiz Claudio Marcolino (PT).

The reason for the anticipation of the queue, he says, was the government’s desperation with the themes of the opposition’s CPIs.

“Everyone is there without a mask, in the heat, there is no food structure. It is absurd that the president who took over [André] put the employees in an unhealthy condition. It is very bad for the beginning of the legislature”, he adds.

The PT also wants to propose CPIs regarding DER contracts, resources from the Butantan Institute, concessions and operation of the subway and CPTM, among others. PSOL aims at cleaning up the Tietê River.

The toucans, in turn, propose CPIs on fraud at Lojas Americanas and supply problems at the energy company Enel. Bolsonaristas want to investigate gender transition treatments for minors.

wanted by Sheetthe management of the House issued a note stating that “the protocol service is suspended” and attributes the queue to an attitude of party leaders, without the management being able to interfere in it.

“In a democratic House, there is no restriction or value judgment on the actions and ways of working of party leaders. The responsibility of the House’s administration is to guarantee safety and order for the work, which will be ensured”, he says.

Four years ago, the CPI queue began on March 15, a Friday, and lasted until the following Monday. Advisors took turns with improvised chairs in a wait that had at least pizza and soda.

PSDB and allies, once in the number one position in the queue, filed 11 CPIs, pushing the opposition to at least the following year.

The Legislative investigations have a period of 120 days and may be extended once, for 60 days, adding up to a maximum period of six months.

The topics ranged from the illegal sale of animals, fake news, the situation of the Salto Grande dam, sexual violence in universities, air taxis and others. With that, the toucans achieved the main objective of blocking a Dersa CPI, which would target the corruption scandals carried out by the engineer Paulo Vieira de Souza, known as Paulo Preto.

The mere protocol of the CPIs, however, does not guarantee their functioning. This depends on the president of the House creating the commission, the parties defining their members, the oldest member calling the first meeting, the members electing the president and rapporteur, and that there is a quorum for the other meetings. All of these steps usually face obstruction from the base or the opposition, depending on the topic of the CPI.