MAINTAINING ORDER AND THE CONSTITUTION

 Or  

How the Government Thwarted the Coup d'État of the "PT Government"

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By Antonio Fernando Pinheiro Pedro

On March 23 of this year, Senator Ronaldo Caiado, from the Democrats of Goiás, came forward with a bombshell news: Dilma was considering declaring a State of Defense.

The news matched the rumors of a rather uncomfortable fact. President Dilma, cornered by the precarious political situation of her government, was advised by her "hardcore" PT group to use the expedient of urgently convening the Defense Council, aiming to declare the State of Defense.

However, when she communicated her intention to the Army Commander, she was surprised by him, who firmly and objectively informed her that there was "no reason for the intended decree". Displeased, the head of the executive reacted in an absolutely unrestrained manner, mistreating the military officer, who simply took a step back, saluted, turned his back, and left... solemnly.

The news leaked and was received in two main ways on social media. On one side, some accused the senator of creating unnecessary alarmism. On the other, especially right-wing extremists and supporters of military intervention, called the Army Commander, General Villas Bôas, a coward, traitor, careerist, and other worse names... for loose the opportunity to drop the entire regime in that moment.

But the institutional process followed another way. 

When the leftist denial machine of the Planalto Palace came into action, Senator Aécio Neves, from PSDB, emerged to make it clear that Caiado was not bluffing.

The opposition issued a warning: the PT core in the Planalto really had coup plans.

However, the actors in this absurd drama are not in the opposition. They operate at the center of power, within the government itself.

It was up to the Army Commander to put an end to what would have been a disastrous farce. And he did so without deviating a single millimeter from his functional duties, acting strictly within the Constitution.

After learning of the president's ill intentions, General Villas Bôas called the commanders of the four military regions to Brasília and held an emergency meeting of the High Command.

The High Command then supported the idea of informing that the Brazilian Armed Forces would not accept any order they considered absurd.

In fact, after analyzing the situation, the regular functioning of national institutions, and strict adherence to the dictates of the Constitution, there was no legal-institutional requirement justifying the convening of the Council and the declaration of the State of Defense.

Once the decision was made, all members of the high command, in uniform, went to communicate their concern to the Minister of Defense, Aldo Rebelo.

Aldo was informed that the Military Regulations were very clear: manifestly illegal orders are not to be obeyed.

The commanders added that it was even the duty of every military officer to arrest anyone who dared to issue any kind of absurd order in the hierarchical scale.

Aldo, although a communist, was always a patriot. He understood the issue, went to Dilma, and informed her that there would be no support from his department for the declaration of the State of Defense.

Thus, the government put an end to the coup attempt by the PT "government" itself...

All movements were public and regular. Senators of the Republic and other authorities who came to speak with the General were instructed to enter through the front door of the Command, without any measures to conceal the meeting.

All actions were regimented and legal. The idea was to make it clear that there was no conspiracy, articulation, or action in the shadows. The institutions operated within the constitutional order to dissuade the head of state from adopting destabilizing and reckless actions.

The clear and objective fact was that the Brazilian Armed Forces would not adhere to any kind of restriction on citizens' freedoms, freedom of the press, and the activity of the National Congress.

Thus, "guitars put in their respective bags," the state organisms continued monitoring the impeachment process peacefully, allowing decisions to be made in the plenary of the Federal Chamber and Senate.

The so-called "social movements," linked to Dilma Rousseff, whose leaders, it seemed, were already expecting the presidential maneuver to start their "fight against the coup," ended up, in the end, "dancing to a different tune."

The General Command of the Army thus maintained strict observance of order and the Democratic Rule of Law. It fulfilled its military and institutional mission. It helped preserve democracy and institutions.

General Villas Boas was a decisive figure. He behaved with exceptional serenity and showed no willingness to engage in arguments or dialogue with zealots of any bias. He deserves the respect that history will bestow upon him.

In contrast, "Titanic Dilma" and her core group of leftist advisors continue to move forward, sinking along with the government and the economy of the country.

The leftists are destroying Brazil’s international image by vociferously opposing the impeachment process of their president, which is nothing more than a typical organic manifestation of our democratic constitutional regime, which they have chosen to label as a "coup"...

Freud would easily diagnose this childish and foolish behavior as "symptomatic"...

Antonio Fernando Pinheiro Pedro is a lawyer (USP), journalist, and environmental consultant. He is the managing partner of the law firm Pinheiro Pedro Advogados. He is a member of the Green Economy Task Force of the International Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Brazilian Institute of Lawyers (IAB), and of the National Commission on Environmental Law of the Federal Council of the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB). He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Portal Ambiente Legal and the person behind the blog The Eagle View.