By LUIS FELIPE MIGUEL*
Comment on the political performance of the President of the UNE
It could just be my misinformation, but it seems that the National Union of Students (UNE) is going downhill. The president of the entity is gaining visibility from the newspaper Folha de S. Paul.
A few days ago, she starred in a full-page interview to denounce a supposed “leftist hate network” – because of the attacks she was suffering on social networks, from people who disagree with her political positions.
Then, she appeared as co-author of an opinion article, in defense of the “female role” in the formation of the “broad front”. The other authors were Simone Tebet, Isa Penna and Tabata Amaral. Belaz, the UNE president, is the only one of the four who does not hold a parliamentary mandate.
I just skimmed through the interview enough to think the highlight was out of place. The “hate network” is the heated debate, with possible excesses, it is true. Generalizing excess as if it were the rule seems to be a way of promoting silencing.
But I read the article eight hands, which was exactly what I could expect: a veneer of identity representativeness covering the defense, little articulated and little argued, of a capitulation policy. The confluence between emedebismo, Fundação Lemann and even pecedobismo (in the figure of the UNE president) is not enough to cause any kind. The presence of PSOL, yes.
For today, behold, Belaz is again in the Sheet. Article of more than half a page talking again about the "attacks" suffered on the networks - after the interview on the Sheet. The report says that she was the target of threats, incitement to physical aggression, racism and sexism. Yes, this sort of thing happens with disturbing frequency. Sometimes part of people left. It must be fought vehemently.
But what the report concretely presents is a post by José de Abreu (he insists on adding that he “intends to be a candidate for the PT”), who shared the interview and commented: “Shame”. He also cites the tweet of an (at least for me) anonymous person and an article on the PCO website, which said that the UNE president is “at the service of the big house”. And that's all.
José de Abreu and PCO have a history of excesses. But, in this case, from what is written in the report and as far as I can see, they are legitimate critical manifestations, whether you agree with them or not. Building on them a denunciation of the “intolerance” of the left is to deny the possibility of debate – as well as taking refuge in identity belonging to gain immunity from any type of criticism.
It seems to me that the president of UNE is walking along the fence. The name of the thing is opportunism.
By the way, Isa Penna too. We already knew that there is a PSOL wing wanting to support Lula, another in favor of his own candidacy. But apparently there are those who are also in love with the idea of a “third way”…
* Luis Felipe Miguel He is a professor at the Institute of Political Science at UnB. Author, among other books, of The collapse of democracy in Brazil (Popular Expression).
