Contribution to a proposal for reflection

My contribution to the reflection proposed by Stella Souzz, in the text Their Gods, Their Politicians, and Their Idolatry:

First of all, I want you to forget about parties.

Excuse me, but it's not possible to discuss politics while ignoring parties. It's through the organization of people with similar or related political views into associations called... matches that is how politics is practiced. No debate about politics has a chance of being conducted in the light through the deceptive path of prejudice. It recalls the motto of the fateful... June conferences: "No flag, no party!" (I dealt with the subject) in this chronicle August 2013). O non-partisan It brought us to Bolsonarism.

Left or right? Lula or Bolsonaro? But is politics really reduced to this dichotomy?

Yes and no. Yes, politics, in a very simplistic way, boils down to... left ou rightAnd so it has been since the French Revolution, when such designations emerged, but it has always been divided between those who hold power (economic, political, social) and those who do not.

No, when trying to promote an insane comparison across Squid e Bolsonaro. Squid He is a typical political agent. Bolsonaro It is an anomaly, a defect, a disease that needs to be eradicated from the political organism before it completely deteriorates it. Squidone can counter Michel Temer, Geraldo Alckmin, today his vice president, José Serra, Fernando Henrique, Itamar Franco, José Sarney. Bolsonaro never!

Idolatry in Brazilian politics.

It is a grave mistake to equate admiration for a politician, a party, or even affiliation with a particular ideological current, with... idolatry or to his twin brother, the fanaticism. SquidFor example, he is an admirable figure, for his trajectory, for his willingness to fight for the underprivileged in the country, for his faith in Democracy, for what he effectively delivered as president. To confuse admiration with Squid To idolize is to belittle the intelligence of those who are capable of measuring and weighing concrete data and results. I spoke of idolatry and its opposite, the odiolatry, in this 2012 article.

(…) while a teacher or doctor rarely receives recognition for what they do, a politician is treated as a savior, messiah, or even a god. And so, idolatry disguises itself as loyalty.

A teacher, a doctor, a lawyer, a football player receive recognition within their microcosm, which will certainly have greater or lesser scope depending on the circumstances concerning each one, individually or within the scope of their respective community. A politician, due to the very dimension of their responsibilities, necessarily has a much broader range of recognition. The comparison is like comparing apples and oranges.

Forget the applause! Because the truth is this: he's only doing the bare minimum. And that's his obligation. You don't need to kiss the feet of any parliamentarian for doing their duty; after all, that's what they were elected to do.

"The minimum" that Squid What he did was what thirty-four presidents before him, plus John VI and the Peter I e IIThey never did that. Reducing structural and fundamental choices, such as prioritizing assistance to the destitute to alleviate their historical hunger—a pressing and constant need, since the hunger that is alleviated today will be renewed tomorrow—yes, that is what they did. minimum obligationBut having the political will to confront this minimum is what differentiates the current president from his predecessors. And from his successors. To fear e Bolsonaro, who did everything they could to bring the country back to hunger map da ONU.

The War of the Hats. While the population has faced precarious conditions for decades, the major parliamentarians—both from the right and the left—are waging a war.

The question then becomes, like in a fight between high school students, to figure out who started it. It was the fifth grade that started it. Congress, the far-right's petty supporters, which expanded to include governors such as Tarcisio e Zema, who have been appearing in public wearing caps that display the ill-fated acronym "MAGA" (should be) "HURT", “make America great once again”I dealt with the episode. in this chronicle recent. The minister Alexandre Padilha He had a simple idea: a contrasting cap that would reinforce the true patriotism of Brazilians. A minor episode in the communications war, nothing more. Nothing that justifies bringing the case up as a cause for concern. matter of state or of political relevance.

There are parliamentarians, especially on the left, as well as the government itself, with its social inclusion programs (most of which have been dismantled in previous governments). To fear e Bolsonaro), who strive to combat such poor conditionswhich are not for decades, but have always existed in BrazilThis fight is called social inclusion It only gained relevance, visibility, and effectiveness from the federal government more than five hundred years after its discovery.

We work hard to support a country where taxes, instead of returning in the form of quality basic services, fuel privileges and enrich a few. The money that should be invested in health, education, and security becomes a bargaining chip in corruption schemes, as if it were an infinite resource.

A financial perspective on the relationship between citizen and state: I pay, I want results; if I don't see them, it's better not to pay taxes. BolsonaroWhile he was president, he repeated this ad nauseam and even gave personal examples to support it several times.

The money is indeed invested in health, education, and security. How does the Brazilian state—federal, state, and municipal—finance the inevitably bottomless pit of... SUSHow can the gigantic public education systems and public security forces be funded, if not through the taxes we pay?

Those who don't frequent public health clinics don't see what's done there; those who don't experience public school, likewise; those who don't witness the actions, for good and for bad, of public security forces, also don't see.

Corruption schemes must be analyzed soberly. Who made use of the public money we pay in the form of taxes? currency of corruptionIn the most recent scenario, it was Arthur Lira, was Eduardo Cunha, was Valdemar da Costa Neto, which they found in secret budget a mechanism for entangling and coexisting with Bolsonaro and they left this disgrace as a legacy to the government SquidAnd what we see today is a president trying to extricate himself from this trap, fortunately able to count on the luxurious assistance of... STF, in the person of the minister Flavio Dino, not by chance elevated to Supreme Court by the hands of himself Squid.

Yes, Operation Lava Jato did exist. At this point in the journey, you probably already have your thoughts set on me.

Yes. Unfortunately, the lava Jato It existed. It was formed by a group of federal prosecutors and a federal judge who had in mind not to combat corruption, but to attack the party and the leaders who governed the country and, incidentally, to enrich themselves by receiving bribes. returns of resources that should have been entirely allocated to the coffers of Petrobrasbut they turned bargaining chip for these highly ranked public servants, corrupt individuals who were never able to hide their true intentions, including and especially those of a political nature.

Believe it if you wanted to. I, from the beginning of the operations, have been tirelessly denouncing it, as in this e in this Chronicles of 2019. I must have been one of the first to call it... Organized crime group Lava Jato the criminal organization that actually formed around the designated republic of Curitiba, which, although self-declared republicThis group, which produced and was guided by its own decidedly un-republican legislation, not only persecuted political adversaries but also found ways to enrich itself through very well-paid lectures given to large companies, where they displayed the defendants in the cases they were involved in like exotic animals in a circus of horrors.

And then there was the episode of the payment of a generous agreement made by the government. To fear with such US investors, in a legal process that was underway in the United States, in which 2,5 billion reais would be returned to an insidious entity. foundation run by the wives of the prosecutors themselves.

Well, I don't even need to elaborate. Just look at the attitudes of characters like Deltan dallagnol e Sérgio Moro...what they did as soon as they finished the work, and where they are now. I'm talking about that. in this chronicle of 2021.

A lava Jato It existed and, more than being a source of political projection and personal enrichment for its creators, it was responsible for the downfall of the democratic rule of law in Brazil.

Lava Jato was the largest anti-corruption operation in Brazilian history, initiated in 2014.

But not at all! From the beginning, it was an operation that stemmed from a perennial and undeniable truth: that corruption exists in the country, just as it does anywhere in the world. Therefore, reasoned the far from innocent prosecutors and the judge who led them. "There must be corruption in Petrobras" And, by extension, it won't be difficult to implicate the president and the former president, who, being politicians—and here believed in their own prejudices— "They must all be corrupt".

"It will be easy"They imagined that. And they were wrong. They came face to face with at least two rocks of honesty: the citizens. Luis Inácio Lula da Silva e Dilma Vana RousseffAnd that's what happened. About SquidI dealt with in this chronicleAnyone who wants to refute me should point out concrete facts, figures, and evidence. Squid And everyone around him had their lives turned upside down, and nothing irregular was found, not a single illicit cent in accounts in Brazil or abroad, or in investments, or in the form of jewelry, paintings, real estate, or any other valuable assets.

The operation led to the arrest of dozens of businesspeople and politicians, including former presidents, and exposed how public money was being siphoned off to fund campaigns, favors, and illicit enrichment.

Another deception. Yes, the operation led to the arrest of dozens of businessmen and politicians, but the only former president was imprisoned at the cost of a poorly orchestrated farce, denounced from the beginning by countless respected jurists (I myself, although a modest lawyer with 37 years of experience, have been denouncing it since 2014, telling those I could reach that the judge was incompetent, that he acted with bias, that what was pointed out as a crime did not hold up under criminal law).

As if the evidence exposed to the light of day wasn't enough, the operation spoofing It revealed everything that was being plotted in the underground sewers of social media, including expressions of hatred and prejudice from the judge, the prosecutors, and even the docile and beautiful federal prosecutors. And, in the end, what was deliberately confused was deliberately blurred. box twoThis is undoubtedly an electoral crime, committed by those responsible for raising funds for election campaigns of various parties, from left to right, with corruptionwhich was intended to tarnish the honor of certain political leaders. It suffices to recall that the same donations made to PSDB were treated as off-the-books, while any suspicion of donation to PT It was already being proclaimed as corruption. I dealt with it. box two in this chronicle from 2006 e in this of 2015.

Lula vs. Bolsonaro, Two sides of the same coin

Not even close. I feel sorry for the narrow-mindedness of anyone who would allow themselves the shame of making such a comparison. As I said above, Squid It embodies, in fact, the fight against hunger, against poverty, in favor of social justice. Bolsonaro What does it represent?

My biggest political misjudgment was saying, in this chronicle of 2018, which Bolsonaro it was the bubble myth...a bubble that, I supposed, would inflate and burst. I was wrong, I admit. But, deep down, the bubble only crystallized because it represented and continues to represent the class hatred harbored by a part of Brazilian society towards the poorest, including among unsuspecting members of the same class, those who... Jesse Souza named poor right-wingers.

Aside from representing this hatred, which is clearly not a political categorization, what else does it represent? It's not even possible to say that it represents... neoliberalismAlthough neoliberals view it as a far from innocent and useful tool.

Lula (2003-2010, 2023-present). (...) his government was marked by a growth model based on consumption and easy credit, without sustainable planning. And worse: institutionalized corruption.

This is just repeating what the old media, which represents the country's economic power, insists on saying. What on earth does that mean? institutionalized corruptionThe one mensalao, a striking word born from the purulent mouth of Roberto Jefferson...who is now rotting in jail? monthly allowanceTherefore, the practice of monthly bribes paid to parliamentarians to vote in favor of government proposals never existed. Considering that only half a dozen deputies were convicted by the courts—including himself. Robert Jefferson (PTB-RJ), Valdemar da Costa Neto (PL), José Janene (PP-PR), Bishop Rodrigues (PR-RJ), Peter Henry (PP-MT) and Romeo Queiroz (PTB-MG) — how could the federal government get bills and constitutional amendments approved, especially unpopular ones like the reform of Foresight, corrupting half a dozen deputies, literally and numerically, when necessary. 308 votes from deputies (3/5) for approval of any amendment?

And why on earth wasn't any member of the... investigated? Senatewhere the requirements of quorum Are the procedures for approving bills and amendments exactly the same?

This is a mathematical equation that doesn't add up and can only be explained by a desire to tarnish a federal government that, using the tools available to it and inherent in political negotiation, managed to impose itself democratically in parliament.

Institutionalized corruption, then, would not have been what guaranteed the re-election of Fernando Henrique CardosoWould the corruption that was practiced in [the past] cease to be institutionalized corruption? Petrobras, during the same PSDB (Brazilian Social Democracy Party) government, which led to the death of the journalist Paulo Francis, who denounced the scheme and was prosecuted in United States What led to the heart attack that killed him, according to the company's president at the time? Incidentally, it was the same corruption, the same scheme that characterized the relationship between construction companies and the military governments.

Corruption is, in fact, an institution, in Brazil and throughout the world. It transcends governments and resists even the most effective systems of investigation and punishment. What Squid e Dilma What they did institutionalize, however, was an unprecedented fight against corruption, with the institution of... Comptroller General of the Union, with the institution of the selection of the Attorney General of the Republic by the prosecutors themselves, with the institution of policies and resources for the empowerment of Federal police and out of respect for judiciaryMeasures and institutions that, in a sad but understandable irony, turned against both presidents, their party, and allies.

The Mensalão, Petrolão, and Lava Jato scandals revealed a government deeply involved in schemes to embezzle public funds.

Really? What are the concrete results of this? OperaçãoWhat was that? oilOtherwise, it's a continuation of historical corruption schemes aimed at the personal enrichment of corrupt directors and career employees of the company—schemes that have been in place since previous governments, probably since the... Petrobras How was it created?

A gigantic company like this involves stratospheric contract figures, so any percentage with the possibility of embezzlement makes the eyes of any corrupt individual, whether from the public or private sector, light up. I addressed this topic. in this chronicle.

What should be analyzed, for the purpose of comparing successive governments, is what each one did to combat, to try to prevent, to mitigate the incidence of crime, and to punish those involved. It was with Squid that arose Comptroller General of the Union, reduced to almost nothing by the government To fearIt was with Lula, Tarso Genro e Márcio Tomaz Bastos that Federal police began to act against public servants, politicians, and members of judiciaryI wrote about it in this chronicle from 2013in the heat of June conferences.

Bolsonaro rode the anti-PT wave and the promise of renewal, but delivered a government as chaotic as his predecessors. Under his administration, we witnessed a disastrous handling of the pandemic, with denialism, misinformation, and a childish insistence on attacking vaccines and sanitary measures.

God-feu… Once again, the futile attempt, repeatedly made by the old media—the same media that defends economic power tooth and nail—to create a false symmetry between the PT governments and BolsonaroIt's impossible to even consider comparing the absolute disaster of the now ineligible government to any other, because chaotic that it may have been, not even with the period colorI dare say, not even with that of the bland one, though no less disastrous, Michel Temer.

In short, the facts are there, as I mentioned above, and each person can choose which form of denial they want to practice.

While Lula and Bolsonaro alternate in power and polarize the population, Brazil remains stagnant. Political debate has become an irrational "us versus them" rivalry, where mistakes are ignored by even their own supporters and idolatry replaces criticism.

Squid e Bolsonaro "They alternate in power" Since when?

Squid He was president twice, and he chose his successor, who was re-elected—always in competition with the PSDB —, until it came Bolsonaro, riding an anti-PT wave that doesn't explain everything, elected by forces hidden-but-well-known that they put Squid They imprisoned him and removed him from the election in which he was considered the favorite, and subsequently financed the massive dissemination of... feiquinius (of the most bizarre, such as the gay set and erotic baby bottle, including serious accusations (such as pedophilia) against his last-minute replacement, Fernando Haddad, and the reinforcement of a very timely [opportune moment]. feiqueada that humanized The individual who advocated for coups, dictatorships, torture, and torturers, and who spewed prejudices left and right, removed him from the debates he feared and made him news at all times as the... poor thing, a character he would reuse during his time in government whenever severely questioned about some serious diatribe or accusation.

Bolsonaro He is currently ineligible and there is no indication that this will change. polarization This will be repeated in next year's election. It does not seem plausible to me, therefore, to speak of... alternation between one and the other because of a single time that BolsonaroBy a historical accident, he came to the presidency — incidentally, the only president of the post-military era who failed to be re-elected.

Polarization is inherent to any political scenario, if only because it will always represent the duality between competing political forces, as was the case with... PT e PSDB for a long period in the recent past, at least because in a presidential election, in Brazil And I believe that in most parts of the world, popular forces will always be in dispute. versus economic power. This is the real polarization. And the PTPresent as a persistent force in first or second place since the first presidential election in which it participated in 1989, it represents and will continue to represent, whether political analysts and opponents like it or not, the popular forces.

O Fla-Flu The term "irrational" is used precisely by those who, instead of engaging in a political debate focused on understanding the real differences between parties, leaders, interests at stake, and each party's governing styles, opt for reductionism to a false symmetry that, in the end, aims to stigmatize and disqualify the actions of... Workers Party and to diminish its representation and undeniable achievements.

As long as we are incapable of engaging in serious political debate, we are doomed to reduce everything to common sense. idolatry and from the financial interests of those who insist on reminding us that "I pay my taxes, and that's where my rights come from."Nothing could be further from the truth.