PT calls seminar to attack Armed Forces in Chamber

The Workers’ Party organized a seminar on the constitutional limits for political action by the Armed Forces at the Constitution and Justice Commission of the Chamber of Deputies this Wednesday (16). The author of the request for the event was deputy Rui Falcão (PT-SP).

The seminar was used by a wing of the PT that wants to remove from the Constitution an article that provides for the employment of the military in operations to guarantee law and order — which is considered by the top of the Armed Forces a direct attack on the Army, Navy and Aeronautics.

These operations occur when States are unable to solve security problems or natural catastrophes and ask the Union to call in the Armed Forces.

But Article 142 of the Constitution was misinterpreted by a portion of the population who believed it was a legal tool for the military to act autonomously to curb the excesses of the Judiciary.

The leadership of the Armed Forces has never defended the role of the military as this kind of “Moderating Power”, which is why it interprets the attempt by a more radical wing of the Workers’ Party to change the constitutional text as an exaggeration and possibly a deliberate attack.

The relationship between the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the military has been very tense since the PT took over the government and decided to dismiss Army commander Júlio César de Arruda. The action went down badly with the highest echelons of the military.

They hoped the president would recognize the officer corps’ effort to maintain constitutional order amid calls from the lower-ranking military population for military intervention. But, on the contrary, more radical wings of the PT have taken advantage of the situation to try to diminish the importance of the military and their conservative values ​​in society, which has raised tension even more.

Ex-minister says military cannot act autonomously

The organizer of the event, PT veteran Rui Falcão said that the discussion would be fundamental to “identify the limits and possibilities of action by the Armed Forces within our constitutional archetype”.

According to him, “it is important to identify which improvements are required from this National Congress, in general, and from this Chamber of Deputies, in particular, to eliminate doubts about the constitutionally adequate role of the Armed Forces”.

Former Minister of Defense and Security, Raul Jungmann, who served as president of Michel Temer (MDB), said that the Armed Forces must ensure the defense of the nation and the functioning of constitutional powers, but do not act autonomously and are subordinate to the President of the Republic, who is the supreme commander of the Forces.

“The Armed Forces, constituted by the Navy, the Army and the Air Force, are permanent and regular national institutions, organized based on hierarchy and discipline, under the supreme authority of the President of the Republic, and are destined to the defense of the Homeland, to the guarantee of the constitutional powers and, on the initiative of any of them, of law and order”, says the article of the Magna Carta.

Raul Jungmann explained that the Federal Supreme Court itself confirmed this understanding, and said that this dual function established by law for some represents a duality, but the action must be based on the defense and guarantee of Law and Order, within constitutional limits. That is, he confirmed the validity of the legislation in force and did not embark on the PT speech to amend the constitutional text.

“If the Armed Forces that have the president as supreme commander had the possibility of acting autonomously, we would be facing a superpower, and then the pillars of harmony between the powers would be broken”.

OAB leftist says the role of the Armed Forces is not well defined

Also invited was the former president of the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB), Felipe Santa Cruz, who has always aligned himself with left-wing agendas and has already been accused of propagating his ideology in the order. He said that it is necessary to separate politics from the Armed Forces and that the Constitution does not clearly define the role of the military.

“I think it is very important that we move away from the passions of the current moment, we could say that this lack of definition of the scope of action in many moments was a great disservice to society”, said Santa Cruz, referring to the interpretation of the article 142.

Barros criticizes “enlargement of STF prerogatives”

Deputy Filipe Barros (PL-PR) stated that the subject is complex and “brings with it varied passions”, but recalled that the discussion on the role of the Armed Forces as a moderating power came from a recent context, of “enlargement of the prerogatives of the Federal Supreme Court (STF) and the inanition of the National Congress when its competences began to be vilified”.

Barros defended that there be a more intense debate on national sovereignty, to guarantee that the powers of the Republic are really harmonious and independent.

Deputy General Girão (PL-RN) also defended the end of the excesses of Justice. “We live in a very sensitive moment, we need to re-discuss the role of the Armed Forces”.

Professor defends reversal of militarization process in civilian areas

Professor Adriana Marques, of Defense and International Strategic Management at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, defended a more incisive action by Parliament to reverse the process of militarization in civilian areas, and demanded more commitment from the National Congress in revising normative defense documents which, according to her, should be updated every four years, and this has not been done.

According to the professor, the last revision was made in 2016, and even so in a symbolic way and in a secret session, which does not reflect the adequate participation of parliamentarians.

Another guest, the former minister of the Institutional Security Office, Sérgio Etchegoyen, said that “the moderating power that became part of a given narrative never existed”. “There is an interpretation that is valid, which is that of the STF. It was never discussed that this was attributed to the Armed Forces,” he added in defense of the Armed Forces.

Historian Manoel Domingos, in turn, warned of the need to ensure that the Forces can safeguard the country’s sovereignty, with investments in greater scientific, technical and industrial capacity.