Analogical government and lessons of Shein
The clumsy way in which the Lula administration announced and then backtracked on the taxation of Chinese retailers is evidence of a political model that is still analogical and does not know how to deal with social media. More than regretting the impact on the government’s popularity and the economic consequences, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s Workers’ Party (PT) must learn the lessons of the "Shein case" in order not to repeat it in the tax overhaul, in the investigative parliamentary committee (CPI) of January 8 (when the halls of power in Brasília were invaded by former President Jair Bolsonaro’s supporters), in the fiscal plan and in other discussions that will emerge in Congress.The right-wing has shown great efficiency in using these weapons against the government. The case of the Saudi jewels hardly reached public opinion, which was busy discussing gasoline prices. Radical supporters of Mr. Bolsonaro were responsible for the invasion and looting of the headquarters of the three branches of government, but the pressure of social media helped to collect the signatures for the CPMI on the riots and to build the narrative that it was the Lula administration that had something to fear. The invasions of the Landless Workers’ Movement (MST) have made farmers unite in antipathy to the PT and will lead to another investigation that is bad for Mr. Lula’s party.The Shein case must be investigated by the government so that it doesn’t happen again. Mr. Lula had a good reason to crack down on Chinese companies and collect R$6 billion a year. Some of these websites cheat inspections, evade taxes, and harm companies that create jobs in Brazil with unfair competition. Does a low-income young woman pay less for a blouse? Yes, but she runs the risk of not having the income to buy it because the Brazilian retailer has closed the store in her town, and of not having medicine for her children at the healthcare center because the tax has not been paid by the middle class, which takes advantage of the same trick.The Finance Ministry’s argument was correct, but from then on, the communication lacked everything — starting with a little good sense. Finance Secretary Robinson Barreirinhas underestimated the impact of the measure and announced it in an exclusive interview with news outlet UOL published during the Easter holidays. First Lady Rosângela Lula da Silva, known as Janja, in an act of spontaneity, took the initiative to reply to a friendly user...
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