The Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI) investigating the Landless Workers Movement (MST) should reach its conclusion next Tuesday (26), with the vote on the report produced by the commission’s rapporteur, federal deputy Ricardo Salles ( PL-SP).
During the commission’s 130 days of operation, there was an open clash between progressive and far-right parliamentarians. Political scientists interviewed by Brasil de Fato analyzed the results of the CPI and the political impact of the MST’s months of investigative work.
For political scientist Rosemary Segurado, professor at PUC-SP, “the CPI never had a political fact, they just wanted to wear down the MST, in its legitimate fight for agrarian reform”. The professor criticized the performance of far-right parliamentarians on the commission.
“It’s great that this CPI comes to an end, because what worries me is not the erosion of Bolsonarism there, but how much we are eroding the image of the Chamber of Deputies with this CPI, people starting to think ‘wow, these are our deputies’ and turn their backs on democracy and politics”, considered Segurado.
Sociologist Rudá Ricci, from Instituto Cultiva, recalled that during the CPI, Bolsonaro supporters reached the majority in the composition of the seats and, even so, they were unable to advance or justify the existence of the commission.
“Bolsonarism was scorched. Several attempts to convene it were frustrated. In practice, the issue achieved what in politics is called ‘vaccine’: in the next attempt, the country will already be immunized, that is, it will see a revival, a ‘resurgence’ of the theme with the taste of reheated food”, said Ricci, who highlights the size of the social movement coming out of the CPI.
“The MST re-emerges on the political scene as a great collective producer, which defends agroecology and maintains left-wing and popular ideas. It changed its profile and adapted to the new century, in addition to adapting to Lulism. It couldn’t be better for this organization” , explains.
For Segurado, the low level of parliamentarians made life easier for the MST. “That’s their preparation, that’s the limit of their preparation. If they were to investigate the social movement, they would look for documents and evidence, but that’s not their modus operandi. So, their preparation was just to make their speech more aggressive and violent, to feed the most radicalized sector of them.”
Finally, Rudá Ricci regrets that major issues have not gained much space in the public debate, remaining confined to the left.
“It turns out that with the failure of the extreme right, the CPI was confining itself as a topic of the progressive bubble. Even the mainstream press stopped highlighting it as a hot topic, except to reveal the fragility of the extremist and ruralist group”, he states.
“It is still a demonstration of the political game through the narrative that explains the current moment the country is going through. Something like a lukewarm, average situation, which always remains in the middle of the road. The MST emerged unscathed, but the issue of agrarian reform and the violence of ruralism has not returned to the national agenda”, he believes.
Editing: Rodrigo Durão Coelho
