Work to arrest every thief who governed this state
Em um país onde o poder frequentemente se perde entre o espetáculo e a substância, o presidente Lula escolheu uma inauguração científica para lançar um desafio moral ao governador interino do Rio de Janeiro: que o tempo no poder seja medido não por obras inauguradas, mas por criminosos responsabilizados. A mensagem ecoa uma tensão antiga na democracia brasileira — a distância entre a autoridade formal do Estado e o controle real exercido por milícias e facções sobre a vida cotidiana. Com uma reforma constitucional aguardando aprovação no Senado, o momento carrega a promessa de reconfigurar, de forma duradoura, quem de fato governa o Rio.
- O Rio de Janeiro, cidade mais famosa do mundo, segue sob o domínio de milícias e organizações criminosas — uma contradição que o governo federal declarou não poder mais tolerar.
- Lula rompeu o protocolo de uma cerimônia oficial para transformar a inauguração em um recado público e direto ao governador interino, expondo a urgência que o momento exige.
- A janela de atuação de Couto é estreita — seis a dez meses — e o presidente deixou claro que obras de infraestrutura não serão o legado esperado, mas sim prisões e processos contra figuras do crime organizado.
- A PEC 18/25, já aprovada na Câmara, aguarda o Senado e pode criar um Ministério da Segurança Pública com poderes federais ampliados, quebrando o ciclo em que governadores se tornam reféns das estruturas policiais.
- O apoio federal foi prometido, mas condicionado: Couto precisará agir, priorizar responsabilização sobre palanque, e demonstrar que o Rio pode ser governado por eleitos — não por chefes de milícia.
Durante a inauguração do Centro de Desenvolvimento Tecnológico em Saúde da Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, o presidente Lula transformou a cerimônia em um recado político de peso. Dirigindo-se ao governador interino do Rio de Janeiro, Ricardo Couto, o presidente foi direto: ninguém espera viadutos ou praias artificiais. O que o povo quer é a prisão dos criminosos que saquearam o estado — incluindo deputados ligados a milícias organizadas.
O pano de fundo tornava a mensagem ainda mais contundente. O Rio, lembrou Lula, é a cidade mais famosa do mundo, mas é noticiado internacionalmente pelo controle de facções criminosas. Essa contradição, para o presidente, tornou-se inaceitável. Couto, nomeado pelo ministro do STF Cristiano Zanin em abril, tem um mandato interino de meses — e Lula o enquadrou como uma oportunidade histórica, não para inaugurações, mas para responsabilização.
Lula aproveitou o momento para avançar sua agenda de segurança. A PEC 18/25, já aprovada na Câmara, aguarda o Senado para criar um novo Ministério da Segurança Pública. O presidente reconheceu que a Constituição de 1988 limita a atuação federal nessa área, deixando governadores presos a estruturas policiais que não conseguem reformar. A emenda poderia romper esse ciclo institucional que, segundo ele, permitiu ao crime organizado prosperar no Rio por décadas.
O apoio federal foi prometido — mas com condições claras. Couto precisará agir, e não apenas administrar. A pergunta que fica é se o governador interino usará sua janela para começar a desmontar as estruturas que mantêm o Rio refém, ou se o tempo passará sem que nada de essencial mude.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stood at the inauguration of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation's Center for Technological Development in Health on Saturday and delivered a direct challenge to Rio de Janeiro's interim governor, Ricardo Couto. The message was unambiguous: forget the ribbon-cuttings and infrastructure ceremonies. What the people of Rio need, Lula said, is for Couto to spend his time in office hunting down the criminals and militia members who have run the state into the ground.
"Nobody is waiting for you to build a viaduct. Nobody is waiting for you to build a bridge. Nobody wants an artificial beach," Lula said, his voice carrying the weight of someone accustomed to being heard. "You know what people expect from you in these coming months? Work to arrest every thief who governed this state. And the deputies who are part of an organized militia." The president's words were a rebuke wrapped in a directive—a public signal that the federal government had little patience for the usual political theater while Rio remained in the grip of organized crime.
The backdrop made the message sharper. Rio de Janeiro, Lula noted, is the most famous city in the world. It should not be known for being controlled by criminal factions and organized gangs. Yet that is precisely what international news outlets report. The disconnect between Rio's global reputation and its actual condition on the ground had become intolerable, at least to the federal government. Lula was not asking Couto to solve everything. He was asking him to focus on one thing: accountability for the people who had stolen the state's future.
Couto, who was appointed interim governor by Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin in April and will remain in the position until the court decides on elections for a temporary executive mandate, has a window—six months, perhaps ten, Lula suggested—to make a mark. The president framed it as an opportunity, but the undertone was clear: this is what will be remembered. This is what matters. Not the infrastructure projects that can wait, but the prosecutions that cannot.
Lula also used the moment to push forward his broader security agenda. The federal government is waiting for the Senate to approve PEC 18/25, a constitutional amendment already passed by the Chamber of Deputies that would create a new Ministry of Public Security. The current constitutional framework, Lula explained, leaves the federal government with limited authority over security matters. Governors often find themselves trapped by institutional police structures they cannot control or reform. A new ministry with expanded federal powers could change that dynamic, giving the federal government real leverage to intervene in state-level security crises.
"To actually confront these issues, we have to define what role the Union plays," Lula said. "Under the 1988 Constitution, the Union doesn't have much of a role in security. Many times, the governor becomes a hostage of the police. And then, he can't free himself." The logic was straightforward: constitutional reform could break the cycle that has allowed organized crime to flourish in Rio for years, protected by institutional inertia and the fragmentation of authority between state and federal governments.
Lula promised Couto the full backing of the federal government, but the promise came with conditions. The governor would have to act. He would have to prioritize prosecutions over pageantry. He would have to prove that Rio could be governed by elected officials rather than militia bosses. The people of Rio, Lula concluded, deserve nothing less. A state as powerful and beautiful as Rio de Janeiro should not be run by criminals. The question now is whether Couto will use his interim tenure to begin dismantling the structures that have held it captive, or whether the window will close with little changed.
Citas Notables
Nobody is waiting for you to build a viaduct or bridge. Work to arrest every thief who governed this state and the deputies who are part of an organized militia.— President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
The governor often becomes a hostage of the police, and then he can't free himself. This is why we need to define the Union's role in security.— President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why did Lula feel the need to make this statement so publicly, at a health facility inauguration?
Because the symbolism matters. He's saying: this is what federal power looks like when it's focused. Not ribbon-cuttings, but accountability. And he's putting Couto on notice in front of witnesses—the press, the public, the judiciary watching from the sidelines.
Is Couto actually in a position to arrest these people, or is Lula asking for something impossible?
That's the real tension. Couto is interim—temporary, constrained. But Lula is also signaling that federal support exists if he moves. The constitutional reform is the long game. Right now, it's about will and visibility.
What happens if the Senate doesn't approve this security ministry amendment?
Then the federal government remains structurally limited. Governors stay trapped. Rio stays the way it is. The reform isn't just about this moment—it's about reshaping how Brazil handles organized crime at the state level.
Does Lula trust Couto, or is this pressure because he doesn't?
Probably both. Couto is a judge, not a politician—that's unusual. Lula is giving him a chance, but he's also making clear what success looks like. No ambiguity. No excuses.
What's the real cost if nothing changes?
Rio stays ungovernable. The international embarrassment deepens. And the federal government loses credibility on its core promise: that it can restore order where state governments have failed.