Army commander says speech was taken out of context – 02/28/2023 – Politics

The commander of the Army, General Tomás Paiva, told general officers on active duty this Tuesday (28) that the leaked audio in which he said that Lula’s victory was unwanted by the majority of the Force should not be analyzed out of context.

According to Tomás, the focus was on resuming conversations with subordinates in the Southeast Military Command —an internal conversation, with officers and sergeants, with the aim of pacifying political matters in the barracks.

He also confirmed that the audio is his and, even with the precedent, he did not ask the generals to leave their cell phones outside the auditorium of the Army Headquarters, in Brasília.

According to reports, Tomás said that the position expressed in the audio was not changed. He reaffirmed that he maintains the conviction that politics interfered with the life of the Army during the Jair Bolsonaro (PL) government and that it is necessary to work hard on communication to depoliticize the Force.

The commander’s conversation with all general officers takes place at least twice a year, at the beginning and at the end of the instructional year, but is usually carried out by videoconference.

This Tuesday, the meeting was face-to-face and was attended by approximately 150 general officers of the Force —something that had not happened since 2001. Sheet spoke with four of those present, in a private way.

Tomás also spoke with the Minister of Defense, José Múcio Monteiro, by telephone to clarify the case. Interlocutors of the minister claim that he considered the commander’s speech legalistic, but that leaked internal speeches will always contain phrases that could have bad repercussions.

Múcio received criticism about the commander’s statement, but responded to interlocutors that the situation in the Army is under control and highlighted the work of Tomás — who, starting in March, will make constant visits to military commands in the region to maintain close contact with the troops.

The audio leak, initially published by the Roteirices podcast and to which Sheet had access, had a negative impact on the Army.

In the recording, Tomás says that the electoral victory of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) was “unwanted” by the majority of the military. “It is not possible to say with certainty that there was any type of irregularity [na eleição]. Sadly, it was the result that, for most of us, was unwanted, but it happened.”

The commander reinforced that the Armed Forces worked to monitor the election and did not identify any irregularities.

“The difference has never been so small, but the guy says: ‘General, there was fraud’. We participated in the entire inspection process, we made a report, we did everything. Was there fraud? No. I’m telling you, you can believe. Did we find fraud? No,” he said.

“This electoral process that elected the current president and did not elect the former president was the same electoral process that elected a mostly conservative Congress. It elected mostly conservative governors,” he added.

Tomás also explained about the conversation that Bolsonaro had with cadets from Aman (Military Academy of Agulhas Negras) in 2014, when he announced his intention to contest the 2018 elections. he was not present when the then deputy used the space to campaign.

Generals privately stated that the disclosure of the conversation created internal distrust, with discussions about the importance of ensuring means to prevent internal meetings from being recorded by subordinates.

During this Tuesday’s meeting, Tomás distributed to all general officers a 21-page leaflet with the “Army Commander’s Guidelines” for the years 2023 to 2026.

The document highlights the guidelines to be adopted by Tomás for the next four years, highlighting communication actions to preserve the image of Força as “non-political” and “non-partisan” —terms that were not mentioned in the previous version of the guidelines , issued by former Commander Freire Gomes.

“In this complex, ambiguous, volatile and uncertain scenario, in which disruptive forces compete with initiatives that may challenge sovereignties, the Brazilian Army, a state institution, non-political and non-partisan, must be permanently ready to fulfill its missions, guaranteeing the sovereignty of the Brazilian people, their security and their natural wealth, their culture, their values ​​and their traditions”, highlights the commander.

Tomás also mentions that the Force operates in a “challenging environment” with the aim of “fulfilling its missions set out in the Magna Carta, in line with society’s aspirations and national values ​​and traditions”.

“We will ensure the confidence that Brazilian society places in us, preparing ourselves to respond effectively and efficiently to the challenges that Brazil faces”, he adds.