Lula says Caxias Army became Bolsonaro’s Army – 02/07/2023 – Politics

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) said, this Tuesday (7), that the Army of Caxias was transformed into Bolsonaro’s Army, in reference to the politicization of the Armed Forces by his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro (PL).

Duque de Caxias, the Peacemaker, is the patron of the force, and the phrase was said by the PT to General Tomás Paiva, the new commander of the Army, according to the PT.

“And he said to the general: unfortunately, the Army of Caxias was transformed into Bolsonaro’s Army. Which is not a good thing for this country”, he said.

He also stated that the former representative “blew everything up”, and put into practice the “insanity” of trying to use the Armed Forces.

The statement was given during breakfast with media outlets and alternative blogs aligned to the left, which took place at the Planalto Palace. On January 12, he had already held a first meeting with the press.

The Chief Executive also said that he told the commanders of the three forces, “especially Tomás”, that it was neither correct nor prudent that “no state institution is involved in politics”.

According to Lula, state careers, not just military ones, cannot make his job, which he classified as privileged, because of stability, a “political party”. He also cited the Public Ministry as an example.

Arrested and convicted in Lava Jato, Lula had his convictions annulled by the STF (Federal Supreme Court). And, last year, the prosecutor of the Curitiba task force Deltan Dallagnol launched himself as a federal deputy, with a speech to combat corruption, declared his support for Bolsonaro and was elected.

“General Tomás has publicly said that one of his efforts is to ensure that the Armed Forces are not political. That they are legalistic, in order to comply with what is in the Constitution. I think that [isso] applies to all Armed Forces,” he said.

Tomás is the second-in-command of Lula’s government, and took the post at the end of January, after an open crisis of confidence following the January 8 attacks in Brasília.

The new head of the Force was the military commander of the Southeast (responsible for São Paulo), General Tomás Miguel Miné Ribeiro Paiva. In the week in which the then commander of the Army, General Júlio Cesar de Arruda, was dismissed, Tomás had made an incisive speech in defense of institutionality, asking for respect for the results of the elections and affirming the Army as non-political and non-partisan.

Arruda had been appointed to the command of Força on December 28, before Lula’s inauguration as president. He had been chosen based on seniority by the Minister of Defense, José Múcio Monteiro.

According to the president’s assistants, the decision was taken because Arruda showed no willingness to take immediate measures to reduce Lula’s distrust of Army soldiers after the invasion of the Planalto Palace and the headquarters of the STF (Federal Supreme Court) and Congress . Arruda was reluctant to expose the Commando Militar do Planalto, which at least failed on the 8th.

Two days after the dismissal, the said, traveling in Argentina, hopes that the change will bring back the normality of the relationship with the military environment.

“The Armed Forces do not exist to serve a politician, but to protect the Brazilian people.”

On a visit to Argentina, the president also stated that his predecessor did not respect the Constitution and joined the Armed Forces.