Cláudio Castro: Lula still hasn’t shown what he came for – 06/04/2023 – Politics

After three months of the Lula administration, the governor of Rio de Janeiro, Cláudio Castro (PL), still sees a lost administration.

“It was a government that started with a lot of good will, wanting to show that it was moving forward. I think the fights are paralyzing the government. The government still hasn’t managed to show what it came to,” he said this Thursday (6th) in an interview with Sheet.

Elected with the support of former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL), Castro says that his assessment does not come from the point of view of an opposition governor. “The opposition is Congress.”

The governor points out a distancing from President Lula of Rio de Janeiro, mainly in his work in public security.

“It’s been three months since we’ve received a call. We’re not wanted for anything. Every new superintendent [da PF e PRF] who came here and talked. So far she hasn’t had conversation.”

After flirting with a departure from the PL and a gradual departure from Bolsonarism, Castro guarantees to have the former president as a leader. “We are of the same party. He IS our leader.”

He says he sees Bolsonaro as the natural candidate for the presidency in 2026 and refuses to try for the position someday. “Presidency is slavery.”

How do you evaluate the beginning of Lula’s government? It was a government that started with a lot of good will, wanting to show that it was moving forward. But it seems to me that there is so much internal fighting. I think these fights are paralyzing the government. The government still hasn’t managed to show what it came to. They said the other [governo, de Bolsonaro] just fought and this one just fought too.

If they stopped fighting and started working more, going back to that idea of ​​being a collaborative, participatory government, I think it has everything to really work.

What kind of fight? We, for example, were unable to discuss anything about the Tax Recovery Regime.

With all this issue of fiscal framework, of tax reform, we cannot discuss things further here.

In public security, the Federal Police disappeared. I don’t know what they are doing in Rio. PF, PRF must have other priorities than fighting crime, preventing guns, drugs from entering. We have never seen so many weapons in communities as we have in the last three months.

This cannot be a remnant of the arms policy of the Bolsonaro government? The rifle was never released.

But CACs are being used for that. It seems much more like a loosening of boundaries than anything else. If it were [maior quantidade de] pistol, you might agree. But what we are seeing is heavy weapons, a lot of drugs, a power that I haven’t seen here for a long time.

We need to have the help of those who helped us before, which were the PF and the PRF. It’s been three months since we’ve received a call. We are not wanted for anything. Every new superintendent who came here talked. So far he hasn’t had a conversation.

When he created the Marielle case task force, he removed the Civil Police. This lack of integration greatly hinders our work.

Mr. complained to Minister Flávio Dino about this? I called him and said, “I’m worried.” He was supposed to come here and have a meeting with me.

How is your relationship with the president? I went [a Brasília] in office, on the 9th of January [após os ataques golpistas]. Then he came to Rio one day and I went [ao evento]. Then he called the governors and I went. Last time he came [ao RJ]I was not invited.

Do you think there’s an attempt to get away from you? It’s not what his people talk about. But in practice… Maybe all these confusions are preventing him from being closer. I invited him to Consud [encontro dos governadores do Sul e Sudeste] and neither he nor the Minister of the Civil House [Rui Costa] replied.

The fact that they are governors of opposition weighed? Opposition is Congress. So much so that he called on the 9th [de janeiro] and the 27 went. In the meeting with him the 27 went again. I haven’t seen any governors opposing it. Neither Tarcisio [de Freitas, governador de SP]not the mouse [Junior, do PR]nor Jorginho Melo [SC]. Quite the opposite. He [Lula] went to São Paulo to help [após as chuvas no litoral norte] and Tarcísio gave a commendation. Governors are ruling.

And is there reciprocity from the federal government? It’s just distant, but it’s being super-Republican. The role of any governor is to govern. There is no opposition in the Executive. The opposition, if it is made, will be at the time of the campaign. It is up to the governor to dialogue.

What is Bolsonaro’s role today? His role is to make opposition, who had half the country on his side. This opposition is even healthy for Brazil. The whole world has. The opposition makes you think, reflect, it has an important role for the country. I think Bolsonaro fits into this opposition that Lula made until December 31st.

Mr. Do you think he has the leadership skills that are expected of him? Clear. He was President of the Republic, elected the largest group of [deputado] federal and senator.

Is he a leader for you? We are from the same party. He is our leader.

Mr. see yourself as a bolsonarista? I’m a castrist. In many things I think the same as Bolsonaro, but I also like the social agenda. I have my way of doing politics and I don’t give up to be branded as something else.

As mr. did you see his period outside the country? I think he needed that time. I’m not in his shoes to understand what he needed. Each works in a different way. There are people who need to detox a little, go out to look better. I hope he came back stronger.

He is the name of the opposition to [as eleições de] 2026? I’m convinced it is. He had 49% of the votes. It has to be him.

Was the former president responsible for what happened on January 8? This is an investigation that runs in the STF. Guessing, I don’t think so, because the person most affected by that was the [ex-]president Bolsonaro. In the same way that here in Rio we’ve blamed the black blocs on the left all our lives, it’s a loss for him. [Do ponto de vista] For those who don’t have the process at hand, I don’t think it’s smart for anyone to do it, because people don’t like to break down.

But I’m not seeing the process. It’s pure guesswork. There is an investigation that will point out the culprits.

How have you seen the performance of the PL in Congress? It is a very large bench, very heterogeneous. There are people who came from a more centrão stance, another piece of more rooted Bolsonaristas. The PL is still learning the good, constructive opposition of ideas, which does not paralyze the country.

One of the actions of the PL was questioning Minister Flávio Dino for his visit to Complexo da Maré. As mr. did you see this episode? All of us in the Executive have to be calm in responding to the Legislative, which is our supervisor.

But Mr. Did you find his visit to Maré suspicious? I suspect not. He is the Minister of Justice and goes wherever he wants. Here in Rio de Janeiro I say that we can go anywhere. And public power cannot be prevented from entering anywhere. He is a minister, he has the PF, PRF, National Force. He knows where he can enter or not.

Questioning is always valid, but not this nonsense according to traffic. I do not believe that someone who has been governor twice, senator of the Republic, minister, makes a deal with a criminal.

Mr. do you feel comfortable in the PL, after the dispute for control of the acronym in Rio? Super comfortable. Dispute is part of democracy.

The President of the Assembly [Rodrigo Bacellar], a great ally of yours, is going to União Brasil. Mr. are you going too? It’s not going. We’ve already talked and Deputy Bacellar said he’s in the PL. He had an invitation, but there’s no reason to leave. And if so, I won’t.

Is Flávio Bolsonaro a good candidate for mayoralty? He’s a great candidate. If he wants to, it’s unanimous. Let’s all go with him. There will be no dispute. If it is not, we will open the discussion about the best name within the base. For me, it’s Dr. Luizinho [secretário de Saúde, do PP].

Mr. has been making moves that were read as getting closer to Eduardo Paes. Which? I’m close to everyone [os prefeitos]. I’ve just been to Maricá with Mayor Fabiano Horta, who is from the PT, and my party has a pre-candidate there.

Mr. invited deputy Pedro Paulo, in 2022, to be vice on his ticket, for example. It was an idea. I wanted to have the support of Mayor Eduardo Paes. At that time he and Bolsonaro spoke well. It was to make a great front to win the election. They understood that the path was to go to the PSD and support Rodrigo Neves.

Does this decision prevent an agreement for next year? He took another path, right? Now I have people who supported me. You walk with those who walk with you. His option was to walk with Rodrigo Neves. How am I going to say now to my voters, to my party that I’m going to support what was left with the other? Nothing is impossible, but it is very difficult.

His government’s income transfer program had control and planning failures pointed out by the State Court of Auditors. What mr. attribute these failures? Bolsa Família, emergency aid, Auxílio Brasil had the same problems. Unfortunately, there is a culture of people who take advantage of good programs to do bad things. There are control mechanisms to prevent it from happening. But it will happen. There are people who specialize in scamming.

Mr. appointed former deputy Washington Reis, convicted by the STF, to an important secretariat. Is it not inappropriate to name a convict? Washington was mayor three times, federal deputy, state deputy, councilor, went through all Lava Jato and had an environmental condemnation. He’s giving a show at the Department of Transportation. He’s a fantastic public man. As long as I can have it here, I will.

Wouldn’t it be political wear and tear for him to be arrested in office? No, it’s the political game of who is governing. It’s one of the best I have. As long as he’s eligible and fit, he’ll stay here. If Justice didn’t remove it, who am I to anticipate this guardianship?

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Claudio Castro, 44

Born in Santos (SP), he was councilor (2017-2018) and vice-governor of Rio de Janeiro until August 2020, when he took over the Guanabara Palace after Wilson Witzel’s removal. He became governor for good on May 1, 2021, after his predecessor was impeached. A member of the Charismatic Renewal of the Catholic Church, he built a career as a gospel singer. He holds a law degree from UniverCidade.