The main agendas of Brazilian society
Article in Folha de S.Paulo, on 16/05/2019, on the debate between pension reform and the anti-crime package in Congress.
Translated from the original.
The false discussion over the priority of bills moving through Congress – whether the pension bill or the anti-crime bill – actually reveals the backdrop of a debate about the role of Parliament in Brazilian democracy. It is for the Executive to send to the Legislature the bills it deems relevant from the standpoint of social interest, for debate and possible approval.
It is inevitable to note that both the Social Security reform and the fight against crime, in equal degree of importance, are essential projects, structuring a solid social agenda attuned to the population’s aspirations.
It is evident that Congress may filter topics, selecting the agenda. It may thus take the view that combating crime is not the greatest priority of the Brazilian nation, or that pension reform would not be the main need in the current historical context, just as it may alter the bills and redesign their contents, in accordance with social interests and the majority principle built in Parliament.
Indeed, Congress is sovereign in maintaining that combating crime or corruption is not among the most relevant agenda items and may get in line and await a better moment, so that the Social Security reform can proceed more quickly.
This was not, however, the message of the ballot boxes to the political agents elected in 2018, unless I am mistaken. The ideal would be for the proposals to proceed simultaneously. These agendas belong to Brazilian society, as can be gathered from a careful reading of the present moment. Respect for the will of the people is one of the important consequences of democracy. Indeed, political agents who disdain the popular ideals tend to reap baleful results.
One of the prerequisites of good politics, without doubt, is dialogue and the construction of consensual solutions. Consensus agendas can and should unite political parties across the most varied ideological spectrums, and there are State public policies that transcend party-political divergences.
Many reforms linked to criminal justice certainly attract the consensus of politicians of different ideological shades. Likewise, reform of the State, involving pensions or public spending, can culminate in agreements among parties and politicians of multiple and divergent strands, when demagoguery and superficial rhetoric are abandoned.
Demanding that the Executive and the Legislature work together, for the sake of the public interest, to pass the necessary reforms is a fundamental right tied to the expectation of good governance. Obviously, this union presupposes independence and harmony in the convergence of purposes in tune with the population’s aspirations.
A basic quality to be expected of public agents is effort and intensity in their work, as well as intellectual capacity and authenticity of purpose. The political game, in this Era of Authenticity, must be permeated by transparent dialogue grounded in the supremacy of the public interest over the private, without neglecting the proper forms, language and necessary rituals.
Fábio Medina Osório is a lawyer and former AGU minister