How Suplicy built his isolation within the PT (Workers' Party).
Senator Eduardo Suplicy embarks on a nearly impossible mission: he wants to convince former President Lula and the PT leadership to guarantee him the party's nomination to run for the Senate in 2014; but did he need to give a speech honoring Roberto Civita?; did he need to support the Postal Service CPI in 2005?; did he need to invite Lula to Congress to "tell the whole truth" about the so-called mensalão scandal?; the concrete fact is that the PT no longer wants him.
247 Depending on the mood within the PT leadership, Senator Eduardo Matarazzo Suplicy will not run for his fourth term in 2014 under the party's banner. Despite having three consecutive victories on his record, he himself is aware of his isolation. So much so that, after dramatic gestures such as an open letter to former President Lula explaining his reasons for running, Suplicy is now trying, in a personal conversation, to obtain the party leader's approval. It will be an impossible mission.
The senator built his own isolation within the party during the pivotal year of 2005, when media reports surfaced regarding the so-called "mensalão" scandal, which resulted in Criminal Action 470. That same year, the Chief of Staff, José Dirceu, was removed from office after being targeted for alleged misuse of public funds. Subsequently, after being tried by the Chamber of Deputies, Dirceu had his mandate revoked.
In that turmoil, when even Lula's presidency was being questioned, Suplicy, from the Senate rostrum, invited the then-president to appear before Congress "to tell the whole truth." In interviews, he doubted that Lula was unaware of Dirceu's machinations, as he claimed.
"Since the investigations into these events began, the president has had the opportunity to speak with many people from the party, including ministers and former ministers, and certainly has a very high level of knowledge of the facts," the senator said at the time to the prestigious specialized publication Congresso em Foco.
In addition to posing a genuine challenge to Lula, Suplicy went against the party line and was the only member of the PT to support the convening of the Postal Service CPI, which aimed to investigate irregularities in the agency's management.
Back in 2006, when Suplicy ran for and won his third election, the PT (Workers' Party) wanted to remove him from the electronic ballot. But the situation was very turbulent due to the repercussions of Dirceu's downfall and all the corruption allegations against the party. The national leadership, resigned, gave the party nomination to Suplicy, who, even with a scare due to fewer votes than expected, fulfilled the mission.
But 2014 will be different. Lula considers this the best moment for the party to reach the government of São Paulo for the first time. To that end, he is betting on a coalition with the PMDB, reserving the Senate candidate nomination for his allies. In a second scenario, the nomination could go to a politician from the PSD, such as former mayor Gilberto Kassab. Only in a third case does the PT intend to have its own Senate candidate. Suplicy is the option after this. Within the party, the nomination is coveted by many other politicians who consider themselves to fit the mold of renewal successfully launched by Lula in the election of Mayor Fernando Haddad in 2010. The senator's gesture today, in seeking Lula as his savior, tends to end with the reminder of the quid pro quo support for Lula that he did not give in 2005.
In this context, the speech given by the senator yesterday in honor of the late president of Grupo Abril, Roberto Civita, did not help to bring Suplicy closer to his political group. Seen as a personalist and independent, once again he acted out of step with the party. Even Lula did not comment on the death of his adversary, who dedicated a Veja magazine cover to him with a photo of his back and a footprint on his backside. Suplicy, had he remained silent, would have said more in his favor.