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Dr. Alexander Stefanutto holds a law degree from Mackenzie University from São Paulo, is a Mediation and Arbitration Specialist from Getulio Vargas Foundation -2017, Master in Management and Social Security Systems from University of Alcalá de Madrid from Spain, has a postgraduate diploma in Project Management from FGV – São Paulo and is a Master’s student in International Law at University of Lisbon.
To talk about your participation in the transition team for the new government, highlight the key moments of this change of government, assess the scenario left by the current government, and address other issues related to the Social Security portfolio, which I interviewed. exclusively, Dr. Alexander Stefanutto.
What is your analysis of the work done by the transition team regarding social security?
R: In my opinion, what was verified was a serious problem with the help of Brazilians with INSS. The numbers of outstanding claims are unacceptable, Brazilians cannot receive this treatment, especially the poorest who are the most vulnerable. All other findings even shrink in the face of the uncertain outcome of service to Brazilians, which needs to be remodeled to be humanized.
The Transition Team, first shown, was quite plural, heterogeneous, and the work reflected this heterogeneity. The search for reliable data and verification of some of the problems that the final team of the future Lula-Alckmin government will face was done as much as possible, due to the shortening of the borrowed time for the transition period, which which makes the work limited. but, even with all these limitations, what attracts the most attention is the disregard for Brazilians, putting faith in the system at risk, causing the inherent solidarity in our model to soften and empty with a delay beyond tolerable.
What is the scenario left by the Bolsonaro government in the field of social security?
R: Unfortunately, a scenario compatible with the Bolsonaro brand of government, which imposes the loss of rights also indirectly, whether due to inertia, delay in service or the inability to think about the poorest and most vulnerable Brazilians. The disbandment of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security and its absorption by the Ministry of Economy initially showed its lack of priority in this topic, confirmed by subsequent acts of its direction in several areas. I believe that binomial social and fiscal responsibility are not incompatible, as we see in other countries that adopt regimes similar to ours, especially in Europe. The scenario, in short, is that of deconstruction.
What are the elementary measures that will be implemented at the beginning of the Lula government in this portfolio?
R: I think that the first action in Social Security should be the remodeling of the INSS service, the recovery of the humanization of the service, without implying the abandonment of the use of technology, taking measures to take care of this insured in its difficult moments. trajectory (disability), requires his social security coverage and does not receive it in time, or even in moments of greater joy such as childbirth or retirement do not become a nightmare in which Brazilians have to use bank loans or help from family members to continue to wait for their right, not to mention others who do not have even this most primitive protective cord and need its benefit without noise.
Anything inconsistent with improving care needs to be urgently rethought.
What is your PEC pump analysis to secure social projects?
R: The Transitional KZP is a necessity, hunger and all the circumstances left by the current government impose the political action of President Lula even before taking office. Hunger and misery are visible even in the big cities, in scientific research conducted by our best research centers that prove their existence, even though some do not believe it.
Our social structure is beginning to weaken, because the hunger and weakness of Brazilians is, in our opinion, a great atrocity that mortally offends the guarantee of the dignity of the human person in its most primary content. For this reason, in this house race, the fight against hunger is the highest priority.
What projects have you already implemented in the field of social security?
R: I am a career Federal Prosecutor, I joined the career when we were INSS attorneys in (2000) and had the privilege of serving as Attorney General for almost 7 years, from 2011 to 2017, knowing the problems, the solutions. what works and what doesn’t.
Among the biggest projects we have worked on, I remember:
a) the signed agreements for the administrative payment of rights, in which millions of Brazilians received their rights without the need for a long court dispute or a queue at the INSS, which means that Brazilians were recognized with their rights without worries and that debt payments were paid in installments to avoid concentrated fiscal impacts. As stated above, social and fiscal aspects can be harmonized without prejudice to social rights, especially those of the poorest.
b) we have evolved legal models that generate income for INSS, currently around 6 billion reais that contracted banks pay INSS to process payroll payments.
c) increasing regressive actions with INSS, namely: regression of accidents, regression of traffic and regression “Maria da Penha”. All require that those who damage the social security treasury be responsible for the corresponding compensation to the social security fund. In other words, he did not respect the safety standards at work and thus the one who caused the accident at work must compensate, since the resources belong to Brazilians and their misuse, in avoidable situations, must be compensated. Likewise, other important public policies were reinforced with regressive actions, such as traffic safety policy and the fight against gender-based violence. We prosecute those who cause traffic accidents while intoxicated or using drugs, causing premature and avoidable retirements. Of course, with a strong didactic pedagogical character.
Finally, the regressive actions ‘Maria da Penha’, together with the Maria da Penha Institute and the personal support of D. Maria da Penha, prosecute those who kill and injure women by generating INSS pensions. The project had great support from society and Dilma’s government (2011-2016). From this project we ended up being inspired to publish a small work entitled “WOMEN’S HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE INTER-AMERICAN SYSTEM FOR THE PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS“, from the publishing house RTM, in 2020, one of the products of our research at the University of Lisbon and the University of Milan (2017/2020). In fact, I owe all my professional evolution to social security, whether at work or in scientific research and everything that social security has given me that I want back.
How do you evaluate the entry of your name by OAB to occupy the position of Minister of Social Security?
R: The appointment to the post of Minister of Social Security depends on several factors, in particular the political situation and the need identified by the President of the Republic for this position. Of course, an eventual appointment by the OAB would be an honour, I am a public advocate and therefore part of the OAB, a body which has always fought for democracy and the rule of law and which, strictly speaking, has fought against dictatorship. It would certainly be an honor to be nominated.
In your assessment, what is the importance of a technical name to integrate the Ministry of Social Security?
R: The appointment of a technical name for the Ministry of Social Security fulfills the need to rebuild the Ministry of Social Security and always carries an important hint that the work to be done will not suffer political interference.
What measures do you intend to take after being elected Minister of Social Security?
R: Of course, we have a lot of proposals in a plan that we have made with the help of professors and fellow public servants, but in the next Ministry of Social Security, in short, we will take care of social security policies and different social security regimes . , supporting and cooperating with the policies of the federal subjects, for the balance of all systems, but above all, supporting and leading the humanization of care for Brazilians and thus restoring the confidence of Brazilians in our defense system.
