The aggravated crisis between military members and the so-called ideological faction of Jair Bolsonaro’s government prompted a reaction from a retired Army High Commander--Eduardo Villas Bôas—who considers the president to be absent in the dispute and wants to limit what he sees as institutional disrespect.
The most respected general in the army reserves said this at a time when active officials cannot publicly protest.
Eduardo Villas Bôas, commander of the army from 2015 until the beginning of this year, called the writers Olavo de Carvalho the “Trotsky of the right,” criticizing the patron of the ideological faction by associating him with Soviet communist leader Leon Trotsky.
“Once again Olavo de Carvalho, from his existential emptiness attacks the military to the Armed Forces, demonstrating total lack of basic principles of education, of respect and of a minimum of humility and modesty,” he wrote.
For him, Olavo is a “true Trotsky of the right,” does not understand that replacing one ideology with another does not contribute concrete solutions to Brazilian problems. "
Villas Bôas is now an adviser to army reserves general Augusto Heleno in the Institutional Security Office, and his letter reflects what the majority of the Army's High Command, the most important Brazilian military group, thinks.
The group had a routine administrative meeting scheduled for Monday (6), where the crisis was debated.
The current chapter of the crisis revolves around Olavo's criticisms of General Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz, the chief minister of the Secretariat of Government and responsible for Secom (Secretariat of Communication).
Olavo has criticized Santos for weeks. The writer is the main influence on Carlos and Eduardo, the most vocal children of Bolsonaro, and a group in the government composed of the Ministers of Itamaraty and Education.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon