Parliamentarians advance in the creation of the Parliamentary Front for the Protection of Indigenous Peoples
Dubbed the Kokar Bench, the collegium promises to tackle guidelines such as environmental licensing and demarcation of indigenous lands.
The request for the formation of Parliamentary Front for the Protection of Indigenous Peoples was submitted this Tuesday, the 7th, at Chamber of Deputies. 203 signatures were collected from deputies and senators, who promise to stand up for the interests of indigenous peoples, who won five representatives in the House. The front is being coordinated by federal deputy Celia Xakriabá (PSOL), who has the support of Ministry of Indigenous Peoplesgovernment-related departments and associations, such as Association of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (Abib). “Those who don’t listen to the call from the head bench, those who don’t listen to the call of the earth, won’t listen to anyone else’s call,” declared Celia during the filing of the application. To become official, the parliamentary front still needs the order of the speaker of the chamber. Arthur Lira (Progressives). The bench, as it has been called, promises to tackle divisive agendas in the National Congress, such as environmental licensing and the time frame for demarcating indigenous lands.
In an interview with News of New Pan, federal deputy Silvia Waiãpi (PL), who is indigenous, claimed that she was excluded from the bench: “I was not invited, not least because what they do in parliament is not the integration of indigenous people who will fight for indigenous rights at a time when I was singled out, when I was excluded by a parliamentary front that claims to fight for indigenous peoples, but that separated and isolated an indigenous woman just because she disagrees with political prejudices”. A member of the Parliamentary Agricultural Front and former Minister of the Environment, Ricardo Salles (Novo), responded to the criticism leveled at the rural group during the event: “It is clear that the group of the agribusiness group, FPA, is not the bull and the bullet . they stay This is funny. The bench of agribusiness is the one that represents the largest amount of jobs created in Brazil, development, taxes, income and that kept Brazil even in the pandemic, when all sectors were closed. Agriculture continued to work, bringing food into Brazilian homes and generating taxes. In other words, it is absurd to make such a statement.”
*With information from journalist Berenice Leite
