Militants call Bernardo a "traitor, privatizer"

247 – The statements made by the Minister of Communications, Paulo Bernardo, against a resolution passed by the Workers' Party (PT) earlier this month have caused repercussions among PT parliamentarians, journalists, and internet users, who argue that what the PT is asking for is not censorship and that telecommunications companies should not receive subsidies from the federal government. "Bernardo: regulatory framework is not press control," wrote journalist Luis Nassif, in [publication name]. your blog.

"Private companies shouldn't receive subsidies; they should be regulated by the market. And I am in favor of the democratization of the media," stated Congressman Dr. Rosinha (PT-PR). An interview with the president of the PT, Rui Falcão, for the National Forum for the Democratization of Communication (FNDC) published this Wednesday, the 20th, by Brazil Post It also had a major impact on social media. In it, Falcão says that the government has a debt to society and that discussing the regulatory framework represents expanding democracy.

"All countries have some type of regulation regarding electronic media, and it's not censorship; on the contrary, it seeks to reflect the fact that the right to information, to freedom of expression, is also an individual right. But, with modern means of communication, with media convergence, this right is increasingly interactive, collective, and social. It is necessary for the State, in the name of society, to establish parameters and rules that do not imply content restriction, but rather operating norms for these media, which are increasingly powerful, shape opinions, and disseminate interests. In all countries there is some regulation for electronic media," states Rui Falcão.

In the comments section of the report "Government clashes with PT over telecoms and media.", published in 247 On Wednesday, readers called Paulo Bernardo "Globernardo," "the minister of telecoms," or "the Telefonica minister." Other criticisms accuse him of being a "traitor" and a "privatizer," comparing him to the former PSDB president Fernando Henrique Cardoso. Comic strips circulated on Facebook and Twitter with dialogues between the minister and FH, in which the former president says he has "a little bit of envy," and the former president replies: "I privatize, so what?"

According to the minister, the Workers' Party (PT) confuses regulatory framework with investment.

The Minister of Communications criticized the document "Democratization of the media is urgent and cannot be postponed."Approved by the PT during a convention held in Fortaleza in early March. He believes it is "incomprehensible" that the party "mixes" two issues that, for him, are separate: the regulatory framework for the media and the tax breaks for telecommunications companies - in this case, the party attacks the subsidies granted by the government to telecommunications companies. "It is incomprehensible that a party that has been in government for ten years is against the tax breaks and criticizes our efforts to lower taxes," he says.

Paulo Bernardo, a member of the Workers' Party (PT) for 28 years, also says it is very important not to confuse regulatory frameworks with press control and assures that "there is no, and never will be" a regulatory framework for newspapers and magazines. The government's announcement of tax breaks for telecommunications companies, which has been the target of criticism from party activists, foresees subsidies of R$ 6 billion for the telecommunications sector over the next five years. The plan is for companies to invest approximately R$ 18 billion in the country over the next three years.