Chosen by President-elect Lula as Minister of Defense, José Musio Monteiro Filho is an experienced political negotiator, eloquent public speaker and professional politician. With five federal terms under his belt, he is well aware of the perks and hardships of public life, especially in the PT government.
In 2007, during Lula’s second term, Musio left the leadership of the government in the Chamber and took over as Minister for Institutional Relations. He traded the plains for Planalto, gained prestige, became even closer to the leader, but, like few others, he knew the power of friendly fire. At that time, he became a kind of preferred target for the other two Lula ministers.
The head of the Social Communications Secretariat, Franklin Martins, held Musio responsible for every leak that came from Planalto, which forced Musio to do everything possible to prevent his colleague from seeing him talking to reporters. Dilma Rousseff, then head of the Civic Chamber, believed that Musio was playing into the hands of political parties by strengthening their lobbying position in the electricity sector, the apple of the manager’s eye.
The good-natured Musio compared his office in the palace to bolo de rolo, a typical delicacy from his native state of Pernambuco. But he made an important reservation: there really was a shaft, a problem, a headache. This was not an exaggeration. One day, the top government quarreled over a dispute over candidates for the post of director of the National Library. Even the positions of the third echelon were controversial.
Retribution came in 2009. Lula nominated Musio to the Federal Court of Auditors (TCU), where he remained until the end of 2020. When he decided to retire, Mushio told those close to him that it was time to relax and have fun with family and friends. His sermon foreshadowed his final retirement from public life. From January 1, he will return to work in Brasilia – under the leadership of Lula, but without Mārtiņš and Dilma in nearby offices. Politics is really an addiction.
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