Lula da Silva government ministers do not understand each other on Social Security Reform
Brazilian chief minister of the Civil House, Rui Costa, denied the information that the new government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) is planning a new Social Security Reform.
Speaking to journalists this Wednesday, the 4th, after vice-president Geraldo Alckmin took office at the Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services, Costa dismissed the proposal.
“There is no proposal being analyzed or considered at this time for a reform review, whether social security or otherwise. At the moment nothing is being elaborated,” said the minister. He completed by reinforcing that any proposal, if it exists, must go through the Civil House and “it is evident that whoever had 60 million votes is the one who decides.”
“Any proposal will only be forwarded after the approval of the President of the Republic. He just told me and said that I could explain that any proposal will necessarily go through the Civil House before its analysis,“ added the minister.
Costa’s statement represents the first “headbutt” between members of the new government. This is because the speech takes place a day after Carlos Lupi, now Minister of Social Security, denied the existence of a social security deficit and signaled that he could discuss the issue again, calling the text approved in 2019, in the first year of the Bolsonaro government, “anti-reform” and promising to create a commission with representatives of employers’ unions, retirees, the government, union centrals to debate the matter.
“We need to discuss in depth what this anti-reform was. We want all the collection constitutionally destined for Social Security to be on the Social Security balance sheet because it is not a favour,” said Lupi this Tuesday, when taking office.
With information from Jovem Pan
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