By LEONARDO SACRAMENTO*
Remove the minister less than 24 hours after the NGO's anonymous complaints me Too, the way it was involved in a bid blocked by the minister himself, is the pure essence of racism
The purpose of this article is not to choose sides and discuss the guilty and innocent in the Silvio Almeida and Anielle Franco case. An investigation should establish some truth, but it did not happen. The purpose of this article is to analyze the political process, its contradictions and the impact on the left.
Silvio Almeida was accused by a foreign organization of sexual and moral harassment. The correct thing to do would be to assume, before anything else, that there was a rigorous investigation, because if the accusation requires a quick resolution, it also requires absolute rigor. The formalization of the charges only occurred on Friday, when the director general of the Federal Police announced the opening of the investigation. The phrase “there are more questions than answers” is insufficient to represent the chaotic context that the government has found itself in.
Did Anielle Franco, as a Minister of State, report the harassment of an NGO? If there had been a report since 2023, why didn't the ministers intervene? Are there documents requiring an investigation beyond the official letters sent by the former Minister of the Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship (MDHC) to the CGU, the Ministry of Justice, the Ethics Committee of the Presidency and other state oversight institutions? Has any minister initiated any administrative proceedings?
When the ministers found out, was the president notified? Why did the minister switch from the presidency's institutional channel to an NGO? If she didn't, why wasn't there any progress? If the complaint was anonymous, why did the NGO leak the minister's name? If the minister didn't report it to the NGO, did someone else do it on her behalf?
These questions do not invalidate the object. The point is that the case should undergo some scrutiny. But it will not, because Silvio Almeida is not Fufuca, a man of only 35 years old who has dozens of complaints and investigations behind him. For Arthur Lira's protégé, Lula gave the presumption of innocence. At the Ministry of Sports, he is “regulating” the bets for bookmakers and for the Centrão.
For Sílvio Almeida, even with a note from the MDHC denouncing a serious lobbying action by the NGO me Too in a bid in 2023-2024, blocked by the minister, Lula did not give more than 12 hours between the report and his interview on a radio stating that harassment cannot be tolerated,[I] sentence with which there is no disagreement.
But it is necessary to analyze between the lines and what has not been answered or does not have an objectively reasonable answer up to now. It is necessary to meditate on the political process for the left.
According to MDHC, the NGO me Too entered into negotiations with the managers of the General Coordination of Disque 100 “requesting undue changes in the format of the current bidding process at MDHC”. It was against the division of the “Ligue 180” and “Dial 100” services, which followed the separation of the MDHC portfolios with the Ministry of Women. The NGO’s lobbying crystallized in a meeting between Marina Ganzarolli, the top leader, as evidenced on the entity’s Instagram, and the managers of Disque 100.
The NGO director sent an email to the managers “congratulating them on the work performed and inappropriately presenting requests for adjustments to the service catalog.” This is very objective evidence of lobbying, a registered email with the sender and recipient. The MDHC changed the format of the bidding process in accordance with the Special Internal Control Advisory.
With the changes, the process was now handled by the Executive Secretariat and the Undersecretariat of Planning, Budget and Administration of the Ministry, which found an “overbilling” of R$24 million. In February 2024, another lobbying action by the NGO took place, at which time allegations of harassment against Vinicius de Lara Ribas, who was monitoring the bidding process in dispute and had identified irregularities, emerged. It was discovered that the complaint had been made by Kelly Garcez, at the time general coordinator of Disque 100 and responsible for the irregularities, who was dismissed on March 15.
The NGO me Too responded. He said that “the note published by the Ministry diverts the focus from the serious accusation broadcast by the media: that the Me Too Brazil received reports from victims of sexual harassment perpetrated by a high-ranking federal government official.” He did not respond, resorting to moralism. The MDHC complaint is material and should be responded to.
He continued with platitudes and phraseology, which are true, but inapplicable when faced with a material complaint (email): “This type of reaction is commonly adopted by those accused of harassment, who resort to campaigns to demoralize the victims, seeking to discredit them, in an attempt to divert focus and attack the messenger.”[ii] Lula decided to adopt the NGO's moralistic argument on September 07, showing a strange and disconcerting harmony.[iii] After all, was there lobbying or not? Will there be an investigation or not?
It's no secret to anyone in Brasilia that call center, advertising and information technology companies make a lot of money and are fought over with slaps, rug pulls and a lot of LOBBY.
In other words, there is a complaint with materiality of LOBBY, overbilling and evidence of instrumentalization of complaints with a view to redefining bidding processes. There is an email. In theory, the doubt is pertinent, at least regarding the origin of the reporting company. The moralistic argument that the former minister should not have used the ministry's profile and page is even correct, but it is meaningless in view of the procedural diatribes of a complaint that ministers supposedly knew about since the end of 2023. Using this argument now to exercise (what is left) the public and political right of defense is hypocrisy.
But there was no doubt among the palace ministers and the first lady. And, for now, this issue is resoundingly ignored. On the evening of the same day, a verdict was given on the embarrassing photo of Janja, not to mention some dose of messianism from the “white savior”. There is a Janja in the middle of the road.
Anielle Franco announced at the end of September 06 that she was the victim of “sexual harassment,” which raises a question. Hadn’t this already been done in 2023 to ministers and to Janja, the government’s eminence grise? Did she do it again? Did she confirm it again? Or did she not?[iv] If you did it again, what happened to the first complaint?
Anielle Franco was allegedly harassed/harassed in a meeting attended by the Federal Police Chief, Andrei Rodrigues.[v] He didn't say anything. No problem. As a victim, he may not have known how to react. He started talking to others months later and the fact reached the chief of police, who did not open an investigation. Why didn't the chief of police open an investigation ex officio?[vi] Did he prevaricate alongside the ministers? Did he inform the President of the Republic?
Silvio Almeida was voted out early Friday morning. He doesn't add anything to the coalition with the Centrão. It's also no secret that there was a civil war between Rui Costa, the black hater, and Janja, the prime minister. Rui Costa tried to fire him last year in a cabinet reshuffle (public information) and Janja wanted to change the direction of the ministry, just as she does in the Ministries of Women, Racial Equality and Culture. Aniele Franco's affiliation with the PT would be part of this game — and not only, it's true.
The photo that Janja posted has some messages, a perverse semiotics. In addition to wearing down the former minister, the photo of a kiss on Aniele Franco's forehead creates a relationship of superiority, as if Aniele Franco were a goddaughter, a sponsored child. Even though she is taller, the minister, with her body and head lowered, is the ward. Anielle Franco bends down (or bows) so that she can be kissed on the forehead. Janja is white.
An acquaintance said, upon seeing the photo, that she missed Dona Mariza. The photo is embarrassing. Janja, the First Lady, is placing herself as the decision-maker in a serious case between two black Ministers of State, in ministries not disputed by the Centrão. Would she place herself in a dispute between Fufuca and Simone Tebet?
Someone who is usually moved by Janja's empowerment could explain didactically the meaning of the publication of this photo, without phraseologies similar to the answers of the me Too when asked about lobbying on Disque 100? Politically, Janja positioned the government on the case before the orders of her husband, who only the next day requested the presence of the two ministers. Did Lula follow the orders of those in charge of the “social” area of the government?
The investigation must advance without sparing any effort to get to the truth, including the accusation, trial and possible conviction of Silvio Almeida in the event of any materiality. Including the other women who reported to the NGO and the others who have been making complaints since Friday.
But analyzing the political context, one cannot help but notice that removing the minister less than 24 hours after the anonymous complaints of a foreign NGO that began its political life in Brazil only in 2020, as it was, involved in a bidding process blocked by the minister himself, is the pure essence of racism, semiotically represented by the photo of Janja published a few hours after the first report. Lula has had enough of ministers with formal complaints and convictions.
Waldez Góes, Luiz Marinho and Luciana Santos have been convicted and are appealing in the second instance. Rui Costa and Camilo Santana have been accused of overbilling and misappropriation of public funds. In all, there are 12 ministers. The guarantee system is for the lucky ones. Not even the Genoíno solution was offered: step down to prove your innocence and then come back. And he couldn't. The opportunity was taken to make room for a ministerial reform that should have been done in 2023, according to Rui Costa.
Silvio Almeida is leaving because he is black, has no affiliation (umbrella) and does not count in the coalition that the PT believes exists with the Centrão. The accusation was secondary to the political dynamics of the civil war between Rui Costa, Janja and Silvio Almeida.
Arthur Lira is being considered by Lula to be minister in 2025,[vii] next to Rodrigo Pacheco. He is accused of rape against Jullyene Lins, his ex-wife.[viii] There are witnesses and a medical report attesting to the rape. The government's ambiguous position depending on the person is curious. At no point did Lula consider not naming him for the rape complaint. On the contrary, it is something that has been completely ignored for the sake of the "governability" that the government believes it has. The left, structured around the government and its premises, ignores this by osmosis.
Alexandre de Morais censored the Public Agency, ordering that reports and videos about the case be taken down. According to the minister, who was applauded by the current “democratic left”, the removal of the report is justified because keeping it up would mean “using freedom of expression as a protective shield for hate speech, anti-democratic speech, threats, aggression, criminal offenses and all sorts of illicit activities”.[ix] The election for the presidency of the Chamber of Deputies will be full of messages for the left. Including whether it should continue to be classified as left.
Some social movements, especially the black movement, as far as I have seen, are perplexed and frustrated with Lula. There is agreement that harassment is unacceptable and should follow a different procedural structure, based on the woman's account. But the process was a steamroller that clearly involved the actions of organizations, ministers, the first lady who acts like a prime minister, and a more right-wing media.
Was it an agreement between the palace ministers? Was Anielle, with a legitimate demand, used? These are legitimate questions. Will the black movement continue in the government? Will there be a stampede, with the government appointing someone closer to the PT without much political representation and social base? Will this distrust remain until 2026, since all people think about is the presidential election so that “fascism will never return”?
For now, what can be seen is that Janja politically conquered the Ministry that she was missing, taking into account that she has no interest in the Ministries given to the Centrão (right), nor any criticism.
Leonardo Sacramento is a teacher of basic education and pedagogue at IFSP. Author, among other books, of Discourse on White: Notes on Racism and the Apocalypse of Liberalism (Mall).
Notes
[I] Available in https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/articles/cze5kxyy6kko.
[ii] Available in https://noticias.uol.com.br/politica/ultimas-noticias/2024/09/06/me-too-silvio-almeida-governo-canais-oficiais.htm.
[iii] Available in https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2024/09/lula-criticou-silvio-almeida-por-usar-ministerio-para-se-defender-de-acusacao-de-assedio.shtml.
[iv] Available in https://g1.globo.com/politica/blog/daniela-lima/post/2024/09/05/integrantes-do-governo-lula-admitem-que-informacoes-sobre-suposto-assedio-de-ministro-silvio-almeida-circula-desde-o-ano-passado.ghtml.
[v] Available in https://www.metropoles.com/colunas/igor-gadelha/silvio-almeida-mao-anielle-reuniao.
[vi] Available in https://noticias.uol.com.br/politica/ultimas-noticias/2024/09/06/pf-ja-sabia-de-acusacoes-sobre-silvio-almeida-saiba-como-sera-investigacao.htm.
[vii] Available in https://www.band.uol.com.br/bandnews-fm/noticias/lula-cogita-ter-arthur-lira-e-rodrigo-pacheco-como-ministros-em-2025-202409040745.
[viii] Available in https://www.cartacapital.com.br/justica/ex-mulher-de-arthur-lira-o-acusa-de-violencia-sexual/.
[ix] Available in https://www.infomoney.com.br/politica/moraes-barra-reportagem-sobre-acusacao-de-agressao-feita-por-ex-mulher-de-arthur-lira/.
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