PSDB targets Bolsa Família program to undermine government.

247 - The still nebulous origin of the rumors about the end of the Bolsa Família program is the opposition's new strategy to weaken the federal government. These rumors were fueled by Minister Maria do Rosário's hasty insinuation that the source of the rumors would be... "the opposition's news center"The members of the PSDB party do not seem willing to forget the accusation, even after the Minister of the Secretariat of Human Rights backtracked.

The PSDB leadership in the Chamber of Deputies filed a complaint this Friday with the Attorney General's Office (PGR) requesting an investigation into possible irregularities and potential administrative misconduct by federal government authorities in the episode, since the president of Caixa Econômica, Jorge Hereda, admitted an error in the case and apologized. Only after a report by Folha de S.Paulo indicated that Caixa had changed the system for releasing benefits did the bank admit the alteration, which had been concealed.

The rush to Caixa bank branches occurred on May 18th and 19th, and the bank had made changes to the system on the 17th. The PSDB leader in the Chamber of Deputies, Congressman Carlos Sampaio (SP), also submitted a request to the Federal Police asking for immediate access for opposition parties to the investigation opened to look into the case. In the representation, the congressman argues that there are indications of political use of information about the program, leaks of confidential beneficiary data through telemarketing, and the dissemination of incorrect information by Caixa Econômica Federal.

The document filed by the PSDB (Brazilian Social Democracy Party) also mentions Minister Maria do Rosário. According to the PSDB leader, the facts warrant the initiation of a civil or criminal investigation. Meanwhile, in a request sent to the Director-General of the Federal Police, Leandro Daiello Coimbra, the opposition demands access for its lawyer to the information gathered by the police so far. According to the party, the Federal Police allegedly committed to granting opposition parties access to the case files.

Aécio

A day before the formal demands, the national president of the PSDB party, Senator Aécio Neves (MG), had reinforced the demand for an apology from the federal government. In a press release, the senator lamented the statement made by the Minister-Chief of the General Secretariat of the Presidency, Gilberto Carvalho, regarding the case. The minister said that President Dilma Rousseff did not owe the country an apology.

Read the statement from the senator and national president of the PSDB:

I regret the position of the federal government regarding the Bolsa Família withdrawals, expressed today by the Chief Minister of the General Secretariat of the Presidency, that the President of the Republic owes no apologies to the country, and by the Ministry of Social Development, that the government owes no explanations about the matter.

Apologizing to the country is not humiliation, it is a gesture of greatness and responsibility. It would also be fitting to publicly reprimand the government members who recklessly attacked the opposition and those who lied – and maintained the lie – to the country about the episode.

I especially regret the difference in attitude.

While suspicions were being cast on the opposition, the matter was considered of the utmost gravity, to the point of warranting a public statement from the president who deemed it criminal and inhumane, in addition to disastrous statements from members of the government's top echelon and PT leaders.

Now that the federal government's own responsibility in the episode is clear, and it's evident that the head of one of the country's most important institutions lied to Brazilians, it's being treated merely as a third-tier misunderstanding. The president suddenly has nothing more to say on the matter, the minister in charge is on vacation, and the minister who accused the opposition remains silent.

If the opposition were responsible, it would be a crime. If it's the government's fault, it's merely a technicality, without major importance.

The country would also like to know the federal government's opinion on the allegations that a member of the PT party, councilman Juscelino do Carmo from Maranhão, is irregularly receiving Bolsa Família funds.

Despite knowing, many days in advance, that the position released by Caixa was not true, its president only told the truth to the country after a national media outlet revealed the lie.

This is yet another concrete example of the important service provided by the press to the country, and of the reasons why we cannot allow the implementation of media control advocated by the PT (Workers' Party).

Aécio Neves, national president of the PSDB.