Despite the Minister of Tourism, Daniela Carneiro, having earned a living, everything indicates that President Lula will end up heeding the appeals of the center and will replace her with Celso Sabino. If it is permissible to add some spice to the description, Lula would replace a first-time ally who has access to the evangelical public with a Bolsonarist. There is also a good chance that Embratur, currently chaired by Marcelo Freixo, an iconic figure on the left, will be transferred to Arthur Lira’s group.
It is known that ingratitude is a politician’s duty, but even so, I think it is worth asking how far a ruler’s pragmatism should go. As a good consequentialist, I am not opposed to negotiations, compromises and even some give and take. If everyone were to fight to the end for what they think is right, the result would be civil war. Democracy works because it brings key political actors into conversation, smoothing out rough edges and reinforcing commonalities.
It so happens that, also for consequentialist reasons, leaders and parties need to ensure a recognizable identity. If they give the idea that everything is for sale, they demoralize themselves and political activity itself. That’s what happened to the once combative MDB, who had faced the dictatorship. The PT itself experienced a bit of this after being involved in corruption scandals. Consequentialism cannot look only to immediate effects; it also needs to assess the more diffuse implications of the choices.
The best way to face the situation, I believe, is to reopen negotiations with the centrão, but preserving spheres of influence that will allow the government to keep a discernible face. My suggestion is that the environmental and human rights agenda be among the priorities. Although there is resistance in the center to this agenda, it has the advantage of aggregating international support and from sectors that go beyond the PT and the left in general.
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