In the last two weeks, the country has seen a sequence of decisions that could mark a turning point in the relationship between Parliament and society. It was unanimously rejected in the Senate after strong social mobilization. The president of the project that weakened the Clean Record Law. And the Amnesty PL, increasingly unpopular, lost strength in Congress. Taken together, these facts indicate an unprecedented willingness to reevaluate excesses and respond to the social demand for change.
More than just specific episodes, the moment represents an opportunity for the Legislature to rebuild public trust and reaffirm its central role in democracy. The openness demonstrated in recent weeks can be the starting point for an agenda of integrity and predictability. Among the possible actions, civil society has already indicated a concrete path: approving the Pact for Democracy package. In addition, we present five simple measures that can be adopted immediately.
The first is the creation of transparency councils in the Chamber and Senate, with the participation of civil society and governance experts. The Senate already has a council, but it has been inactive since 2017. In the Executive, the Council for Public Transparency and Combating Corruption, of which we are part, brings together institutions such as FGV, IBGC and Global Compact and was responsible for advances such as the Access to Information Law and the Transparency Portal. Last week, the new president of the CNJ, announced the creation of a similar collegiate in the Judiciary. The Legislature must follow suit.
The second measure is the publication of access records to Congress buildings. Today, this information can only be obtained through specific and bureaucratic requests. In the Executive, any citizen can fully consult the entry and exit ordinances of all ministries. Making these records public is a common practice in mature democracies and essential to promote transparency in the actions of lobbyists and interest representatives.
The third measure is to increase the transparency of official agendas. Currently, only the presidents of the Chamber and Senate publish commitments. It is necessary to include all members of the board of directors and party leaders, in a standardized and accessible format. In the Executive, this standard is already a reality, allowing consultations on the agendas of more than 10 thousand authorities (access our tool to see the data).
Fourth, the Senate needs to create a formal resource channel for information requests. Today, there is no defined flow in case of denial, which weakens the effectiveness of the . A simple administrative decision would solve the problem.
Finally, it is urgent to publicize the plenary agendas in advance. Last-minute sessions and flash votes are the basis of current public distrust.
These five measures were formulated by Ficam Sabendo, the Pact for Democracy and the CLP, and other organizations are open to joining.
We close this column with a call: if you know of relevant transparency experiences already adopted by individual parliamentarians or by municipal chambers and legislative assemblies, send them to contato@fiquemsabendo.com.br. The initiatives will be systematized on a public basis to inspire managers and citizens.
Congress now has the chance to transform a moment of crisis into a cycle of institutional reconstruction. Society has demonstrated that it wants to participate. It is up to the Legislature to open the doors and share the power to build a more transparent country.
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