Forgotten investigation?

The disparity in treatment and investigation of scandals by the press and the authorities responsible for investigations is glaring when it comes to governments and opposition politicians. This is a dangerous vice that must be combated in the pursuit of equal treatment of scandals.

The most recent example of this is the denunciation of the sale of parliamentary amendments in the Alesp (Legislative Assembly of the State of São Paulo). This practice, according to the whistleblower, state deputy Roque Barbiere (PTB), a member of the PSDB's own government base in the state, has become common.

Last week marked exactly six months since Barbiere's accusation that some deputies from the pro-government PSDB party in São Paulo were selling amendments to NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations), construction companies, and city halls. To this day, there is no news of the actions the state government has taken to investigate these very serious accusations.

On the contrary: the work of the Ethics Committee of the Legislative Assembly of São Paulo (Alesp), which could have investigated the case, was terminated. A Parliamentary Inquiry Commission (CPI) could have been created to investigate the complaint, but they put a stop to it. It is also worth remembering that it took the Supreme Federal Court (STF) ordering the immediate installation of CPIs in Alesp for them to begin their work, because the practice established by the PSDB (Brazilian Social Democracy Party) government is to prevent the installation of investigative commissions.

The lack of attention to the case is even more embarrassing given that the PSDB governors—the current one, Geraldo Alckmin, and his predecessor, José Serra—acknowledged that, before the public denouncement, Barbiere reported the fact in an official letter to the Palácio dos Bandeirantes (São Paulo state government headquarters) on December 26, 2010.

Serra and Alckmin also helped the Secretary of State and congressman Bruno Covas (PSDB) avoid explaining the bribe offer he received, as he confessed in an interview with Estadão — this same Covas gave up his candidacy in the PSDB primaries to support Serra.

Six months after the complaint, all that remains is the drawn-out investigation by the Public Prosecutor's Office of the State of São Paulo.

In the press, the case was completely forgotten, creating a "make-believe" scenario as if the complaint never existed. This silence and the little importance attributed to the case is a behavior that needs to change, and we need to demand it. Today, there is no oversight of the São Paulo state government in proportion to its importance and impact on the lives of citizens. Journalistic coverage is entirely focused on the federal government, which ends up distancing the population from state issues—such as responsibilities in Education, Security, Health, and Transportation, among others.

The question posed to the media and society, beyond the investigation into the parliamentary amendment purchase scandal, is: how long will this "forgetting" of state issues last?

José Dirceu, 66, is a lawyer, former Chief of Staff, and member of the PT's National Directorate.