Subway expansion and public security are Tarcísio’s challenges in the government of São Paulo

Tarcisio de Freitas (Republicans, right) was elected governor of São Paulo with 55.32% of the votes in the October elections.

The former Minister of Infrastructure in the Jair Bolsonaro (PL, right) government will take office this Sunday, Jan. 1, and start a new cycle in the state, governed by the PSDB since 1995.

In charge of the most populous state in Brazil, Tarcisio will have many challenges during his administration.

For the political scientist Rui Tavares Maluf, the expansion works of the subway lines, education, health, and the relationship with supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro will be the most challenging.

Currently, there are plans to implement two subway lines.

The 6-Laranja, which connects the São Joaquim station, in the center, to Brasilândia, in the north zone; and the 17-Ouro, which departs from Morumbi, in the west zone and goes to the Congonhas airport, in the south zone.

There are also two extension works: the 2-Green line to Penha, and the 15-Silver line, to the Jacu-Pêssego station, in the east zone, and the Ipiranga station, in the south zone.

In addition, there are studies for constructing the 19-Celeste line and the 20-Rosa line.

There is also the expectation of expansion of the 9-Esmeralda line of the Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanos (CPTM), connecting the stations Bruno Covas/Mendes Vila Natal, delivered in 2021 and Varginha.

“It is not a question of whether new money will come in. It is about paying attention to everything being done now in the expansion field.

The works in the subway are challenging and deserve attention,” the expert told Jovem Pan’s website.

“The subway is always a very big challenge. The next governor will inherit a reasonable number of subway expansion works in more than one line. The big challenge for him is to ensure that the works have deadlines met and to fight, if possible, to get new expansions (at least contracting) during his term.

Obviously, this will require a good relationship with the federal government”, he highlighted.

Another point highlighted by Maluf is the quality of São Paulo’s highways and the privatization of the Port of Santos Pelé, defended by the new governor of São Paulo. ”

He showed interest in trying to convince Lula da Silva about the importance of maintaining the privatization of the Port of Santos.

Even though it involves the federal government, it has repercussions in São Paulo.

It is a challenge that many will be watching. It will require a political belt,” he said.

According to reports made to Jovem Pan, Tarcisio is expected to seek President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT, progressive-globalist) still in January to try to maintain the privatization of the Port of Santos.

Even though the former governor of São Paulo and future Minister of Ports and Airports, Márcio França, already ruled it out.

The idea of the future São Paulo management team is to convince the federal government of the benefits of privatization.

Public security is also on this list.

And the subject is quite delicate; after all it is one of the main flags of supporters of Jair Bolsonaro, who launched and supported Tarcisio’s candidacy in São Paulo.

Even before taking office, the former Minister of Infrastructure faced a crisis caused by the appointment of federal deputy Guilherme Derrite (PL) to the Secretariat of Public Safety.

The congressman, who joined the Military Police in 2007, was a lieutenant in the Rota (Rondas Ostensivas Tobias de Aguiar) and reached the rank of captain when he retired.

In charge of security, Derrite will be ahead of colonels, lieutenant colonels, and majors, all hierarchically superior.

The future governor also had to deal with the dissatisfaction of a wing of the Civil Police, which saw itself as being left out by the congressman’s choice.

To get around the situation, Osvaldo Nico Gonçalves, then Civilian Police general delegate, was chosen as the executive secretary, number 2 of the portfolio.

“Public security was a flag that he raised. We need to have a police force prepared to fight crime, but we have to have an intelligence service and transparency for the citizen. It’s another thing that needs to be paid attention to,” says Tavares Maluf.

During the electoral campaign, Tarcísio defended the non-use of cameras in PM uniforms, but he backtracked, saying that the subject would be discussed.

The former minister may suffer a lot of pressure from Bolsonaro supporters, the majority of his electorate.

“The question I pose is: how will he manage, with his characteristics, to balance the pressure from the supporters of the former president and, at the same time, being a governor who accepts dialogue?”

For this, he counts on the help of Gilberto Kassab, considered one of the most skillful politicians.

“Whether you like it or not, he is an excellent articulator. He has people on his side who will be able to do the job of controlling the pressure,” analyzes the political science professor.

The specialist is concerned when the subject is education. He disapproved of the choice of Renato Feder as state secretary because of his vision privatization.

“For a gigantic network like that of São Paulo, you can’t enter it with this kind of vision. This can’t happen here”, he summarizes.

He is also curious about how the governor will manage Health Care.

One of the guidelines Tarcísio defended during his campaign was the end of the compulsory Covid-19 vaccine for public servants. The proposal, however, should be put aside.

“São Paulo is very advanced with vaccination. We will see how he will work on the health issue. If we will take new steps, after all, the vaccine is not about the individual, but about the society”, finalized.