Bolsonaro modifies the member of parliament who stifles Brazilian science. ‘It could be a meltdown’

São Paulo – President Jair Bolsonaro has liberalized a temporary measure (MP 1136) limiting transfers of resources from the National Fund for Scientific Development (FNDC) to scientific and research entities. The fund is the main source of financing for the sector in Brazil. Scale related to Financial lack of control from the government. In this way, the president is once again stifling science, technology and innovation in the country. About 50 scientific entities are rising up against the new onslaught.

“This measure appears to be subject to the logic of preventing our scientific development, with a strong (negative) effect on our economy,” he says. Message from the Brazilian Society for the Advancement of Science (SBPC). “The federal government is not giving up the fight against science and technology funding in Brazil,” the document continues. “There have been several initiatives by the Federal Executive to repeal Supplementary Law Resolution 177/2021, which prevents it from taking funds from the FNDCT. In 2021, he diverted resources from CNPq. And yesterday, at the end of the day, provisional measure 1136 was enacted, which distorts the fund’s budget not only now, but for several years, ”the scientists completed.

This action contravenes laws passed by Congress that veto emergency funds from the FNDC. In this way, the executive branch behaves in an atypical manner, because it does not comply with what the legislature decides. The head of the SBPC, philosopher Renato-Janine Ribeiro, says that truth violates the harmony between authorities. “It is clear that by suspending the application of laws passed by Congress several times, by means of a temporary measure, the executive branch does not respect the independence of the constitutional powers. It invades a space which is not its own, but in which it must respect other powers, legislative and judicial.”

Reaction in Parliament

SBPC also subscribed to a file Science and Technology Initiative StatementIn Parliament (ICTP.br), which was attended by 80 entities. The document states that the emergency that Bolsonaro intended will make it “impossible to assess” the damage done to Brazilian science. “Institutions are penalized for being efficient in the use and transparency of public resources. This means that more than 70 actions and programs currently being implemented by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, CNPq, Finep and social organizations associated with the Ministry, will be directly affected.”

Bolsonaro’s vice-president is beyond his current term, in which the funds are set to be cut until 2027. If retained, the measure would limit the possibility of a potential new president from 2023 when he is prevented from creating public policies to stimulate innovation and scientific research.

“To make the situation worse, the MP will still impose until 2027 the percentages of the budget that will be issued to the FNDCT. In practice, all actions and programs that were not honored in 2022 will be moved to 2023, jeopardizing the budget issued for this year, etc. To that, until 2027,” he explains.

Finally, the entities argue that the deputy could lead Brazil to a “collapse” in the technology sector. “The entities that make up the Parliament’s Science and Technology Initiative – ICTP.Br, together with the many other associations and institutions that are part of the Brazilian science, technology and innovation system, urge the President of the National Congress, Senator Rodrigo Pacheco, to return the necessary Parliament 1136”, He concludes the document, which asks parliamentarians to veto the initiative of the Bolsonaro government.