New Brazilian Defense Minister, Nelson Jobin, is likely to assure political support in Congress - where he played a key role in forcing presidente Fernando Collor de Mello to resign in 1992 to avoid impeachment.
But he´s really looking for is a few billion dollar from federal funds, as President Lula promised him.
Jobim, former Justice minister and president of the Supreme Court, took office on July 25th with one mission and a goal:
The Mission - solve the Brazilian air crisis, which had costed two huge air accidentes, killing almost 400 people inthe last 10 moths. In Brazil, as a heritage from the military dictatorship (1964-1985) the air trafic control is operated by the Air Force troops, bad paid people kept under military rules, so the problem is up to a lawmen at the newly-created Defense Ministry, getting toghether the Air Force, the Army and the Navy under a Civilian unified command.
The Goal - everything comming out well, the air crises solved, the military payment updated and a brand-new civilian agency for commercial air trafic on the stage, its time for Nelson Jobim, after a successfull Parliamentary career, to get Lula´s blessing for his running for President in 2010 elections (Lula cannot run for a 3rd term).
Former Fernando Henrique Cardoso´s Minister of Justice, Jobim (PMDB-RS) would be running under the coalition between Lula´s Workers Party (PT) and the old Movement for the Brazilian Democracy Party (PMDB), which overtrew military rule and has the last regional “colonels” (local political chiefs) and corruption-accused people like Renan Calheiros, president of Senate and Congress (joint sessions with Chamber of Representatives).
Renan´s type of PMDB is going out of scene and maybe - Lula may thinks - Jobin´s honest PMDB could be a good partner to face FHC´s social-democracy party (PSDB) and the liberal Democratic party oposition former PFL).
Known as ethic (which means also not to accept as normal some level of electoral corruption), he is also respected by top military commanders under Lula´s administration since Janunary 2003.
Jobim´s got the support of political parties - including radicial socialist and green oposition - but needs more than that: he need cash, not only Lula´s promises, but he only will be secure in office when he gets minister of Finance, Guido Mantega´s support.
And Mantega will then to have to accept lower primary deficits and expendture of 2 or 3 billion dollars more each year from now to the end ot PT rule, in 2010 december.
PT and PMDB are alread allied in the cabinet and they want to keep like this untill next presidential elections
in 2010 October.
The problem is the most recent escandal in Brasil, envolvin the president of Senate, Renan Calheiros (PMDB), senator by the same samall and corrupt state of Alagoas where came from Collor de Mello, now elected as representative after 8 years of political rights cutted-off by law as penalty for corruption charges.
Let´s see what Jobim has already got ( he is smiling at the ABr photo) and didn´t told us (yet).
PS - New Defense minister´s wife was the head of anti-money washing agency created under PhD Pedro Malan´s administration in Finance Ministry (1995-2002).
