Eliane calls for continued fight against Renan.
According to the columnist, the political maneuvering didn't bring down the Senate president, but it has a positive effect because it forces the congressman and the Speaker of the House, Henrique Alves, to "work hard to respond to the pressure and show that they are better than they seem."
247 – Columnist Eliane Cantanhêde encourages the continuation of the "Out with Renan!" movement. According to her, the movement didn't succeed in ousting the Senate president, but it is having a positive effect on his administration. Read the article published in Folha:
In the scream
BRASILIA - The organizers and protesters of the "Out with Renan!" movement, with thousands of signatures online, aimed at what they saw and hit what they didn't see.
The intention was, first, to prevent Renan Calheiros from taking office as president of the Senate, creating embarrassment for Henrique Alves as president of the Chamber of Deputies. Second, to undermine the "conditions for governability," especially of Renan, who was better known to the public and more emblematic.
It didn't work out, but it forces the presidents of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies to work tirelessly to respond to the pressure and show that they are better than they seem. There is, obviously, a strong marketing aspect to this. But there are also practical effects.
Renan promises to reduce appointed positions and transform the Senate's medical service into an emergency clinic, sending doctors to the public health system (SUS). Whether he will have the power to do it is unknown. But the promise is good.
And Henrique gathered the leaders one day, and put to a vote the next day the end of the 14th and 15th salaries for Their Excellencies. Instead of two extra salaries every four (or eight years) of their term, they will now be entitled to one extra salary only in two years, the year they arrive and the year they leave (even those who, if re-elected, leave without actually leaving).
This monstrosity meant an additional R$54 for each member of parliament and R$30 million less for public coffers per year. Since it was created in 1946 – almost 70 years ago – it was anything but simple to eliminate it. Only strong pressure from society could bring it about.
As, incidentally, happened with the scandal at the Federal District's Court of Auditors, which is attempting to increase its employees' salaries by 43,53% to 65%. The measure, vetoed by the Federal District government and approved by the District Chamber, has just been suspended by a preliminary injunction from the Court of Justice. After, of course, it ended up in the press.
Moral of the story: resisting, pressuring, and shouting are necessary, always and increasingly so. The struggle continues!