Yes to PEC 37
Few issues have been as distorted and manipulated as the debate surrounding the constitutional amendment that regulates the actions of the Public Prosecutor's Office.
(This Tuesday, cornered by pressure from the Public Prosecutor's Office and Globo, the Chamber defeated the PEC)
"The 'PEC of Impunity,' defended only by criminals, 'petralhas' (a derogatory term for members of the Workers' Party), those involved in the Mensalão scandal, and the like. Thus, in an efficient marketing ploy, Constitutional Amendment Proposal 37, which regulates the powers of the Public Prosecutor's Office, was labeled. If that weren't enough, the detractors of the measure even tried to appropriate the demonstrations that took to the streets of the country, seeking to sell the idea that Brazil is experiencing a popular revolt against the PEC – something that 99,99% of the people who took to the streets are unaware of."
Introduced in 2011, the measure aims only to regulate the actions of the Public Prosecutor's Office, preventing prosecutors from overstepping their bounds. According to the Federal Constitution, public security is an activity carried out through investigations initiated and presided over by the Federal Police and the civil police. The Public Prosecutor's Office has the extremely noble role, in a democratic state governed by the rule of law, of monitoring the investigations and overseeing compliance with the law – even to prevent abuses against citizens from being committed by the police.
However, the forces that control public debate in Brazil seek, at any cost, to demoralize political activity – which also means weakening democracy itself. And PEC 37 is presented to society as an attempt, orchestrated by white-collar criminals, to prevent investigations. The fact is that the Public Prosecutor's Office currently has the power to request investigations from the judicial police – who are obligated to comply with those requests. What the constitutional amendment prevents is the Public Prosecutor's Office from also presiding over such investigations.
What also stands out in this debate is the intense pressure from media groups, especially Rede Globo, for the PEC to be rejected. Why? When political activity is criminalized and the power that emanates from the people – and therefore from the ballot box – loses its legitimacy, whoever is most capable of manipulating the cries of the street gains strength. That is all that is at stake.