Cobra commander alongside Lula Army non-partisanship – 04/19/2023 – Politics

In an event celebrating Army Day this Wednesday (19), the commander of the Force, General Tomás Paiva, read a speech alongside President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) in which he preaches that respect for institutions and non-partisanship are bases of a “modern army”.

“In an increasingly complex world, it is necessary to look at the examples of the heroes of Guararapes and Duque de Caxias, in order to find the best ways to fulfill our mission”, he said.

“These paths, guided by respect for the population, institutions and, above all, the Constitution, require a modern Army, with dissuasive capacity, professionalism and aptitude to help Brazil even more in the challenges to come”, he added.

The text read in the speech was published in an order of the day, which is sent internally to all more than 200 thousand soldiers and recited in the battalions during the day.

“The Immortal Army of Caxias, State Institution, apolitical, non-partisan, impartial and cohesive, integrated into society and in a permanent state of readiness, completes 375 years of history […] Let us have faith in democratic principles, in the resilience and solidarity of the Brazilian people and in the professional value of our military, heirs of the heroes of Guararapes and faithful guardians of our sovereignty”, completes the text.

The speech was the first given by General Tomás Paiva in a public event since he assumed command of the Army, on January 21.

The agenda follows the guidelines established by the commander, in an internal Force document disclosed by Sheetwhich says the Army should reinforce its nonpartisan and apolitical image in its communications.

The movement takes place after the Armed Forces participated in the government of former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) and, in a kind of symbiosis, went through a process of politicization, with uniforms in the government and the influence of the Planalto in the decisions of military leaders.

Generals heard by Sheet claim that political issues did not influence the chains of command and, therefore, political disputes would not have interfered in the daily life of the battalions.

This Wednesday’s ceremony was attended by the presidents of the Chamber, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG) and of the STF (Federal Supreme Court), Rosa Weber, in addition to the Attorney General of the Republic , Augusto Aras.

Former army commander Eduardo Villas Bôas also attended the ceremony. It is the first event in which the reserve general has met with Lula since he wrote the tweet, in 2018, in which he pressured the STF on the eve of the PT’s habeas corpus trial.

The incendiary tone of the publication, which repudiated “impunity” in reference to Lula, was the Army’s main public movement against the PT.

The presence of Villas Boâs at this Tuesday’s event, alongside Lula, was described by generals Sheet as a sign that the tweet was not a threat. In an attempt to soften the criticism, two of them said that the general’s post was just an expression of the population’s indignation.