Castro needs to change his team to avoid being dragged down by the crisis.

RICARDO BRUNO

The hearing today at the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) regarding the removal of Governor Wilson Witzel raised, on several occasions, considerations about the continued criminal activity within the state government. At times, justices justified the precautionary measure taken by rapporteur Benedito Gonçalves as an extreme measure to stop the ongoing actions of criminal groups within the state's public administration. Several secretaries and presidents of foundations and autonomous agencies were even cited in alleged acts of corruption.

The suggestion of continued criminal activity within the secretariats and superintendencies necessitates, in response, that Governor Cláudio Castro start from scratch. That is, to rebuild the entire cabinet from A to Z, refounding the government on new foundations. For Cláudio Castro to have even minimal governability, it is necessary to restructure the government's action strategies with an entirely new team, demonstrably without ties to the group that controlled the administration.

There is no room for compositions that contemplate partial changes. A public effort is needed to "decontaminate" Guanabara Palace from the accusations and suspicions investigated in Operation Tris in idem.

Such changes usually occur in elections when opponents win. And, upon taking office, they reshape the public face of the administration. In administrations originating from the same power core, it's more complicated. Commitments are demanded, friendships are invoked, and demonstrations of loyalty are requested.

It is, therefore, an arduous and politically embarrassing task for Cláudio Castro to rebuild the machine. But circumstances offer him no other option: either he inaugurates a truly new government or he will be swallowed up by the accusations and suspicions that made Wilson Witzel's government unviable.

The radical government reform, in itself, does not guarantee the tranquility of Cláudio Castro's coming days. However, the maintenance, even if partial, of the current team, terribly discredited and contaminated, is a sure sign that it will not work.

There aren't many alternatives for the acting governor. Either he starts from scratch, based on strict and transparent criteria, or he will be dragged into the common grave of exile, where Witzel, Tristão, Peixoto, and their ilk already are.