Why are they attacking Gleisi Hoffmann?

I did not vote for Gleisi Hoffmann. We are not part of the same political faction. I have disagreed with positions she has adopted on several occasions. Furthermore, Gleisi is not my future candidate for the national presidency of the Party. Therefore, I am completely free to protest against the attack she suffered today, particularly in articles published by the newspapers Valor and O Globo.

Gleisi Hoffmann is the national president of the Workers' Party. She has played an extremely important role in the opposition to the Bolsonaro government and in the fight for Lula's freedom. For this reason, she is a constant target of attacks from the far-right and the mainstream media. However, the attacks publicized this Ash Wednesday have a different origin.

The articles (some of which are reproduced at the end of this text) rely heavily on anonymous statements: "O GLOBO heard criticism of Gleisi from five parliamentarians or members of the PT leadership who are part of the CNB. None of them, however, agreed to speak publicly on the subject, demonstrating their fear of contradicting Lula."

If this is true, the conclusion is that there are people who find it reasonable to use the mainstream media for internal fighting, who find it acceptable to say things in public that they don't say internally, but are afraid to put their name on the criticism, not because of the damage caused to the Party, but because of "the fear of contradicting Lula".

Since tortoises don't climb trees, the publication of these articles reveals that some "leaders" have decided to launch a public campaign to destabilize the national president of the PT (Workers' Party).

Since the date for the election of the new leadership and the party congress has not yet been set, this campaign will have the practical effect of weakening the party's presidency, precisely at the moment when the Bolsonaro government wants to approve the pension reform.

In practice, who would benefit from this?

Important detail: articles published today also indicate that an operation is underway to change the PT's tactics in the fight against pension reform. The current tactic is to defeat the reform. The proposed tactic, according to the press, would be to defend "our" reform against their reform.

The practical effect of this will be to confuse the working class.

This double operation confirms that a new "strategy" is being built, a "strategy" that would only make sense to those who believe that the Bolsonaro government is falling apart, leaving room for a short-term exit, a kind of "national unity against general chaos" government, provided that the PT (Workers' Party) is willing to "tone it down."

In this scenario, Haddad would play an essential role, but only if he distanced himself from certain programmatic and rhetorical excesses that some attribute to Gleisi Hoffmann.

Among these excesses, in the opinion of these "leaders," would be the firm stance of support for Venezuela by the PT's national president. A position they know to be that of the PT and of Lula. And they know it is the only possible position for a party that truly defends democracy and national sovereignty, not just lip service, not as an academic abstraction. But this position of defending Venezuela is too radical for those who wish to transform the PT into a social-democratic party, with more European allies and fewer Latin American allies.

It is in this context, of the intended domestication of the PT (Workers' Party), that the proposal to make Haddad the new national president of the PT would make "sense." But since he himself has already made it clear that this is not his forte, the way forward would be to elect a "president-head-of-state" and a "secretary-general-head-of-government." And thus the dilemma of some sectors that cannot find an ideal name to replace Gleisi, but would have several names to occupy the aforementioned secretary-general position, would be resolved.

At this point in the narrative, we arrive at what the ancients called the "touchstone": for some "leaders," all this maneuvering has a single objective, which is to keep the national leadership of the PT (Workers' Party) controlled by a specific group. Everything else is just "paying the price," opportunistic arguments and tricks aimed at achieving that objective.

The bill to be paid starts from false assumptions, leads to wrong policies, and includes cowardly attacking the national president of the PT, not for her flaws, but for her qualities.

All of us, from Lula to the most anonymous member, are subject to making mistakes and receiving criticism, including harsh criticism, even publicly. And there is always the risk that this criticism may inadvertently weaken or confuse the Party's actions. That is why it is important that everyone puts their own stamp on what they say and do.

Those who hide behind the anonymity of an "off-the-record" statement, those who do not publicly assume authorship of what they say and think, know that they are acting against the interests of the Party, know that they are placing the interests of their group above the interests of the Party, know that they are acting no longer as a tendency, but as a "party within the Party".

Gleisi Hoffmann is right to distance herself from these "alleged figures who move in the shadows and hide in anonymity." It is up to the members to judge whether such "figures" deserve to be in the national leadership of our Party.

Below are some of the texts published by the mainstream press.

A faction is orchestrating the removal of Gleisi Hoffmann from the presidency of the PT (Workers' Party) - Sergio Roxo - O Globo. Concerned about the future of the PT, the majority faction Construindo Um Novo Brasil (CNB) has begun a movement to convince former president Lula to abandon his plan to help elect the current president, Gleisi Hoffmann, for a new term at the head of the party.

For those who visit him at the Federal Police Superintendency in Paraná, in Curitiba, Lula has been firm in his defense of Gleisi, one of the main enthusiasts of the "Free Lula" movement. The election for the presidency of the PT (Workers' Party) does not yet have a date, but it is expected to take place in the second half of the year.

CNB leaders accuse Gleisi of making decisions without consulting the other members of the board. They say this happened in January when she attended Nicolás Maduro's inauguration in Venezuela.

The episode even sparked a discussion with the party's defeated presidential candidate, Fernando Haddad, at the last executive meeting last month. Haddad was questioned about the criticisms he made of Gleisi in an interview and replied that he saw a problem in the fact that she hadn't listened to the party. Gleisi countered by saying that the PT already had a position on Venezuela.

In 2018, while trying to position himself to replace Lula as the PT's presidential candidate, Haddad, who has always acted independently, approached the CNB. Some of the faction's leaders advocate that he take over the leadership of the party. He resists.

In an interview with "Época" last week, Haddad once again stated that he has no interest in presiding over the PT because he intends to continue his life as a professor. He said that Gleisi is capable of leading the party, but before making a decision on that, the PT should discuss the direction it will take in light of the new circumstances.

Members of Parliament linked to the CNB complained about the actions of Gleisi, a federal deputy for Paraná, in conducting negotiations to support Marcelo Freixo (PSOL-RJ) for the presidency of the Chamber of Deputies. Part of the group wanted Alessandro Molon.

O GLOBO heard criticisms of Gleisi from five parliamentarians or members of the PT leadership who are part of the CNB. None of them, however, agreed to speak publicly on the subject, demonstrating their fear of contradicting Lula.

When questioned about the criticism, Gleisi's press office stated that she would not debate "with supposed characters who move in the shadows and hide in anonymity." In a statement, she said that the decision to attend Maduro's inauguration was a collective decision supported by Lula. She affirmed that the alliance with Freixo was decided by the coordination and leadership of the parliamentary group.

Imprisoned, former president arbitrates Haddad's future – Malu Delgado - Valor. The adapted room at the Federal Police Superintendency in Curitiba, where former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has been imprisoned for almost a year, has been the scene of frequent political meetings that will define the PT's direction in the coming years. Even deprived of his freedom, Lula manages to maintain influence over all the steps taken by PT members, and no internal movement is initiated without his consultation. In the last two months, the PT has discussed ways to regain Fernando Haddad's political prominence, and changes in the party's national leadership have returned to the agenda.

The former mayor, who faced Jair Bolsonaro in the second round of the 2018 election and finished with 47 million votes, has begun to consider the possibility of presiding over the PT (Workers' Party), according to party leaders who confirmed this to Valor. Haddad had rejected this idea immediately after the election campaign. However, for this to happen, it would be necessary to convince Lula himself and change the organizational structure of the party's presidency so that Haddad can dedicate himself to major issues and actions that project the PT's image externally, without having to deal with internal and bureaucratic party matters, which he refuses to do.

The party will begin Haddad's trips around the country in March. Some call the events "Petista Caravans," but the formats will be completely different from the tours Lula undertook from 1993 to 1996 with the Citizenship Caravans, when he traveled through 26 states, and also between 2016 and last year, after the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff. Haddad will travel from Thursday to Saturday and does not want to compromise his academic work schedule as a professor at Insper and USP.

"These won't be caravans, but debates," Haddad replied laconically to Valor. When asked about the purpose of these trips, he said the intention is to discuss the "political situation and projects."

So far, Lula has defended keeping federal deputy Gleisi Hoffmann (PR) as president of the party. However, there are sectors within the PT that consider Gleisi's stance sectarian and inadequate for the demands of unity within the center-left in the current political climate.

Gleisi's role in the PT (Workers' Party) is recognized by different factions within the party, even those less sympathetic to the parliamentarian. PT members unanimously affirm that she championed the party's defense during its most delicate moment, with Dilma's impeachment and Lula's imprisonment. However, the former minister under Dilma is seen as lacking skill in dialogue with governors, parliamentarians, and other parties. Some sectors of the PT consider her a good interlocutor "within" the party's rank and file and with left-wing social movements, but not "outside" the party.

On February 15th, Haddad was in Ceará. The trip was a "pilot" for future meetings. The Workers' Party candidate met with Governor Camilo Santana, from his party, and gave a kind of lecture to social movements and leaders of the state. The proposal of these events is that Haddad always has an agenda with local political leaders, especially left-wing governors, gives interviews to the press, makes contact with activists, university students, religious leaders, opinion leaders, and local economic groups.

"The idea is to travel around the country again, but we don't have the details yet," said Congressman Paulo Pimenta (RS), leader of the PT in the Chamber of Deputies. Congressman José Guimarães (PT-CE), who helped define Haddad's agenda in the state, assures that the trip was the starting point of a major mobilization campaign and the PT's renewal calendar. "Haddad will follow the path that Lula taught us. It's time to hit the road," emphasized Guimarães.

According to former congressman Márcio Macedo, a member of the PT's National Executive Committee and one of the organizers of Haddad's new agenda, the model will be completely different from the caravans. "The caravans belonged to Lula, it's difficult to fit anyone else's agenda into it."

Lula wants the former mayor to use these meetings to denounce his imprisonment. The former president considers himself a political prisoner. Members of the Workers' Party and lawyers who frequently meet with Lula say his resilience is impressive, even though he has clear moments of dejection. Lula emphasizes in all meetings that he trusts history to uphold his biography and prove his innocence. The loss of his 7-year-old grandson Arthur last Friday was a profound emotional blow to the former president, who last month lost Vavá, one of his closest brothers. At his grandson's farewell ceremony, he said he will prove his innocence.

The Workers' Party (PT) wants to keep the "Free Lula" campaign alive, but the central objective of Haddad's trips is to strengthen his own image for future electoral contests. According to Macedo, the former mayor will obviously be a spokesperson to denounce Lula's situation throughout the country, but within this "umbrella" several other debates fit, such as pension reform, the contradictions of the Bolsonaro government, and the reduction of workers' rights. "The idea is that the debates are not only with the PT, but with other political forces, other parties," says Macedo.

Haddad will also be directly involved in formulating the Public Policy Monitoring Centers (Napps), a kind of study laboratory organized by the party that will encompass different sectors: economic, legal, political, environmental, educational, health, security, among others. These centers will monitor measures taken by Jair Bolsonaro's government, develop in-depth analyses, and also create alternative projects distinct from the right wing currently in power. The studies and projects will provide support to parliamentarians, governors, and future candidates.

In addition to Haddad himself, former minister Aloízio Mercadante was called upon to assist in formulating Napps, alongside Ricardo Simões, former secretary of political training and popular movements for the PT (Workers' Party).

Leaders of the Workers' Party (PT) have been alternating visits to Lula. Earlier this month, former PT president Rui Falcão and Mercadante were in Curitiba. At Lula's request, Rui Falcão will have power of attorney to visit him as a lawyer. Haddad had his power of attorney revoked because he registered as an electoral lawyer. A new power of attorney has already been drawn up, and he will be included in the list of criminal defense lawyers. The former president also received Senator Jaques Wagner and Governor Wellington Dias. Among the group of PT members who want changes in the party's leadership, there is strong support for a candidate from the Northeast to take over the party alongside Haddad.

If Lula agrees to this format, the PT could return to a leadership model where the secretary-general handles internal dynamics and the president leads the public debate, as worked with the Lula-José Dirceu partnership. Only then would Haddad agree to assume the presidency. But first, Lula needs to say yes.

*PANEL COLUMN - PT'S POSITION ON THE REFORM*

The Workers' Party (PT) has advanced in the debate about the position it should take during the discussion of Jair Bolsonaro's pension reform. It is practically decided that the party will defend a proposal with its own brand, different from that of the president. An important wing of the party advocates that its deputies adopt the measures that were in Fernando Haddad's government plan in 2018: first, a change in the special pension systems, focused on public servants, based on the discourse of cutting privileges. Members of the party say that there is an understanding among its main leaders that it is not enough to simply oppose the model defended by Minister Paulo Guedes (Economy). The PT will bring together its leaders, governors, and parliamentarians in a seminar in Brasília on the 14th to discuss the changes in retirement rules. The day before, the PSDB will also discuss the reform proposed by Bolsonaro with economists Paulo Tafner and Felipe Salto.

*PANEL COLUMN – ELECTIONS IN THE PT:
Leaders of former President Lula's party are already considering postponing the election of the party's new leadership. The group advocating for the replacement of Gleisi Hoffmann (PT-PR) acknowledges that it has not yet been able to find a competitive candidate for the position.