Government members ask for a view and postpone the vote on the MST CPI report

The CPI (Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry) of the MST (Landless Rural Workers Movement) postponed this Thursday (September 21, 2023) the vote on the final report after a collective request for a review (more time for analysis) from government deputies, allies to the president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT). Voting on the opinion of the CPI rapporteur, deputy Ricardo Salles (PL-SP), will be held on the 3rd (September 26th), the last day of the commission’s operating period.

Salles presented his report calling for the indictment of 11 people, including the former minister of the GSI (Institutional Security Office) Gonçalves Dias and the leader of the FNL (Frente Nacional de Lutas Campo e Cidade), José Rainha. Here’s the complete of the opinion presented by the deputy (PDF – 6 MB).

In the report, Salles states that Incra (National Institute of Colonization and Agrarian Reform) is the “largest unproductive landowner in the country”. It also states that there is “evident slave labor in camps and settlements”. And he argues that the State of Bahia is the “more conniving” with the MST.

Read below the names of those who were the subject of an indictment request:

• Gonçalves Dias – former minister of Lula’s GSI;
• Jaime Silva – superintendent director of Iteral-AL (Institute of Land and Agrarian Reform of Alagoas);
• Deborah Nunes – MST leadership;
• José Rainha – leader of the FNL;
• Oronildo Loures Costa – advisor to Valmir Assunção;
• Lucineia Durães do Rosario – advisor to Valmir Assunção and national leader of the MST;
• PC (Paulo Cesar Souza) – member of the MST;
• Diego Dutra Borges – member of the MST;
• Julia (Juliana Lopes) – member of the MST;
• Cirlene Barros – member of the MST;
• Welton Souza Pires – member of the MST.

Earlier, the president of the MST CPI in the Chamber, deputy Lieutenant Colonel Zucco (Republicanos-RS), regretted that the collegiate meeting had not been extended for more days. Zucco stated that with the postponement of the vote, the report could be “faceted” by Salles until the vote.

“We will have a report, which could be finalized by deputy Ricardo Salles by Tuesday. We are logically building approval”said the president of the CPI.

The CPI began in May, and during its activities, it underwent changes in members, with exchanges for and against the government. With the ministerial reform, government supporters once again became the majority in the commission and the approval of Salles’ report is uncertain.

In his opinion, the congressman withdrew the request for indictment of the deputy Valmir Assunção (PT-BA). The congressman’s objective is to get his report approved by the committee.

After the session this Thursday (September 21), Salles stated that “does not make sense” Brazil continues to insist on the agrarian reform agenda.

“Does it make sense to continue with the agrarian reform program in the country? The CPI responded to this question: it does not […]. The program, the agrarian reform model, is a failure. And it is serving as a political flag for these landless factions to comment on crimes throughout Brazil against agriculture and against the most humble”said the rapporteur.

In addition to asking for a view, government officials are preparing a parallel report and are still evaluating whether they will present it. “Our report, our version of the facts, demonstrating the irregularities that were committed in the investigations and also in the conduct of the work. Whether we perform or not will be a tactical question.”said the deputy Sâmia Bomfim (Psol-SP).

The deputy said that Salles’ report is “badly done” and that the main objective of Lula’s allies will be to reject the rapporteur’s opinion. Government officials are optimistic about getting votes against the final report.

“We will certainly defeat his report and end the CPI without a report”said the deputy Nilto Tatto (PT-SP) to journalists after the session.

The CPI proposal was presented by opposition deputies after land invasions were recorded in areas of southern Bahia and Goiás, in March. The collegiate targeted names of the president’s historical allies Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), including José Rainha (from FNL) and João Pedro Stédile (from MST).

Read Salles’ conclusions in his final report below:

• INCRA is the largest unproductive landowner in the country;
• The pretext of Agrarian Reform supports the land invasion industry throughout Brazil;
• MST and other acronyms are in no way different, except for their political differences;
• Trespassing is just the tip of the iceberg;
• Several other serious crimes are committed against rural producers;
• Within the factions, the most serious crimes fall on the members themselves;
• Leaders and activists abuse and prosper at the expense of those they lead;
• Evident slave labor in camps and settlements;
• Factions organized the MDA (Ministry of Agrarian Development) and Incra;
• Practices condemned in the past are returning with force under this government;
• Cooperatives and Associations are used as a front;
• Government programs (Pronaf, PAA, Pronera, etc.) feed the system;
• Close connection with FARC, Cuba, China, Venezuela and others;
• Bahia is the most serious case due to the collusion of the local government;
• Leaders do not want settlers to have titles;
• Definitive title represents freedom and emancipation of members;
• Agrarian Reform is anachronistic, expensive and inefficient;
• There is intense Marxist ideological indoctrination on adults and children;
• There is no concern about teaching children to produce.