Simon and Paim advocate for open voting in Congress.
Both senators lamented the Chamber of Deputies' decision to uphold the mandate of federal deputy Natan Donadon (PMDB-RO), even through a secret ballot; the parliamentarian was convicted by the Supreme Federal Court for embezzling R$ 8,4 million from the Rondônia State Assembly.
The Senate Agency - In a speech this Friday (30), Senator Pedro Simon (PMDB-RS) lamented the decision of the Chamber of Deputies to maintain the mandate of the convicted deputy Natan Donadon. He defended the approval of a proposed amendment to the Constitution that makes voting open in Parliament. Senator Paulo Paim is the author of PEC 20/2013 which provides for the adoption of open voting for all decisions of the National Congress.
Simon expressed concern about how the Supreme Federal Court (STF) will resolve the issue arising from the fact that the Chamber of Deputies has a congressman who is imprisoned and convicted.
According to Simon, the Chamber "acquitted the prisoner wanting to pave the way for the other deputies" convicted by the Supreme Court in the Mensalão scandal – Pedro Henry, João Paulo Cunha, and Valdemar Costa Neto. In this way, according to Simon, they will be able to follow the same path and avoid having their mandates revoked in plenary session when the criminal case 470 becomes final.
Donadon was removed from office by the Speaker of the House, Henrique Alves, and his substitute, Amir Lando, assumed the mandate. A former senator, he was the rapporteur for the impeachment process of former President Fernando Collor. Simon praised the newly appointed official and lamented that he comes in a "tragicomic" situation.
Pedro Simon also commented on the popular demonstrations across Brazil and praised the strength of the protesters, who ensured the approval and application of the Clean Slate Law and the Supreme Court's review of the Mensalão scandal. He appealed to the protesters to insist on the approval of changes to the electoral and political system.
"Don't expect anything from the National Congress, the Executive branch, President Dilma, anyone else, or the Judiciary. If the people don't take up this cause and carry it forward, nothing will happen," he said.
He also issued a warning for society to prepare for the demonstrations scheduled for September 7th:
"Launch a counter-attack to separate your actions from those of the agitators, those who want confusion and to nullify the fight," he declared.
In the case of Senator Paulo Paim (PT-RS), two themes predominated in his speech this Friday (30) in the Plenary: the decision of the Chamber of Deputies not to revoke the mandate of Natan Donadon and the need for greater regulation of health plans.
From the podium, the parliamentarian also paid tribute to Brazilian judoka Rafaela Silva, gold medalist at the world championships in the sport, and celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Unified Workers' Central (CUT).
Open vote
Regarding Donadon, Paulo Paim stated that the immediate vote on Constitutional Amendment Proposal (PEC) 20/2013, authored by him, which provides for open voting for all decisions of the National Congress, would help avoid embarrassing situations for the Senate and the Chamber, such as maintaining the mandate of a parliamentarian convicted in the final instance.
"It's the secret ballot that allows this kind of barbarity. How come we don't have the courage to end the secret ballot once and for all?" he questioned.
Health insurance Plans
Another topic that caught the senator's attention this Friday (30) was the dissatisfaction of users of the supplementary health system with the services of private health plans. This year alone, 46 thousand complaints against health plans were registered with the National Supplementary Health Agency (ANS).
According to Paim, the main problems faced by beneficiaries are lack of plan coverage, non-compliance with contracts, and price adjustments.
"The only thing that increases more than the price of the plans are the complaints from users," criticized the senator, who also pointed out problems in the relationships between operators and service providers, such as low fees and interference in diagnoses and treatments.
Paim noted that at least 20 bills dealing with the regulation of the sector are currently being processed in the Senate. The senator advocates for a thematic session to discuss these proposals.
Racism
Paim presented a motion of applause for judoka Rafaela Silva, who became the first Brazilian world champion in the sport, after applying an ippon over American Marti Mallori in the final of the under 57 kg category held last Wednesday (28) in Rio de Janeiro. Paim said that in addition to overcoming her opponent, the 21-year-old from Rio also had to face prejudice to win in the sport. The athlete reportedly stated in an interview that she was discriminated against at various points in her career because of the color of her skin.
– Rafaela gave a response of the highest caliber by kissing the medal and showing the color of her black skin. There is no more room in the world for prejudice – said Paim.
CUT
In the same statement, the Workers' Party member welcomed the holding (from August 24th to September 1st) of Expointer 2013, an agribusiness fair held in the municipality of Esteio (RS), in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre, and congratulated the Central Única dos Trabalhadores (CUT) on its 30th anniversary, celebrated on the 28th. Paim was part of the first leadership of CUT.