Brazil is losing the ‘war against Covid’ under the command of Captain Jair Bolsonaro

by Felipe Tirado, King’s College London.

Reviewed by Matheus Lucas Hebling

The Covid pandemic has often been described by the Brazilian government as a war. While Bolsonaro himself, a former captain in Brazil’s army, often argues that it is a biological war launched by China, high-ranking members of the executive and legislature tend to use the notion of a war, in a metaphorical sense.
More than 600,000 Brazilians have been killed in the “war against COVID-19” – more deaths than in all the wars Brazil has fought combined. If we restrict to deaths in the military, more servicemen and women have been killed by this enemy than during the country’s participation in the Second World War.
So, Brazil is losing this war – and this is mainly due to the “strategy of chaos” of the soldier leading the country and its generals, as previously discussed. Bolsonaro’s strategy had all the ingredients to create a calamity in Brazil. That is what is currently happening, also as previously reported. Two central aspects, however, have not been broadly covered by previous pieces on the matter: the role of the army in the tragedy and what lies ahead for Brazilians.

The role of the army

The army was central in electing Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro was the candidate of the institution and directly expressed his gratitude to the former commander of the army, General Villas Bôas, for being “one of the responsible” for his election. Since 2014, Bolsonaro campaigned in the Brazilian Academy of Army Officers, with the approval of the High Command of the institution.
The institution is also central to his government. His vice-president, Hamilton Mourão, is a retired general and, before the resignation of the minister of health, General Eduardo Pazuello, during the pandemic, 11 of the 26 ministers were headed by active and retired members of the armed forces. Finally, almost 7,000 active and retired members of the armed forces work in positions with civilian functions in the federal executive.
During General Pazuello’s tenure, the government is reported to have received more than 100 emails from Pfizer offering to supply vaccines. None of them were answered. The Ministry also did not answer adequately when it could have intervened in a major sanitary crisis in the state of Amazonas, leading to deaths due to lack of oxygen in the region. Also, during that time, the military’s laboratories produced a surplus of chloroquine as a treatment for Covid. The institution’s hospitals denied beds to civilians. Its budget for fighting COVID was spent instead on military aircraft and secret missions. At the peak of the pandemic, under investigation, Pazuello left the Ministry.
Shortly after quitting as health minister, Pazuello took part in a political rally with Bolsonaro, violating the Military Criminal Code, as serving officers are not allowed to participate in party politics. Bolsonaro is reported to have pressured the High Command of the army not to bring charges against his former health minister. Pazuello is now the subject of an inquiry by both the Federal Police and a Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI) that is investigating the way the Federal Government has been handling the pandemic. The CPI is also investigating the current minister of health Marcelo Queiroga and other individuals, including various senior military officers.
After Pazuello’s resignation, the chief judge of the Superior Military Court, General Mattos, stated that the CPI disrespected Pazuello during his inquiring at the CPI. That was hardly the case, as Pazuello was treated as a witness and had the guarantee of his right to remain silent. The judge also stated that there were reasons not to punish Pazuello. Since he violated the Military Code, this also does not seem to be the case. The reasons not to punish Pazuello, however, will not be known so soon, as the army decreed 100 years of secrecy over the proceedings.
Afterward, the president of the CPI highlighted the action of “a few corrupt members of the military” during the pandemic. On that same day, the Minister of Defence and the three military commanders criticized the statement of the president of the Commission in a public letter. Senators interpreted the letter as an attempt to intimidate the Commission and its president. As many have noticed, the letter might suggest that the military is not only aware of its role in the crisis but intends to cover things up.
Both General Mattos and the letter of the Minister of Defence praised the role of the army during the pandemic. Assuming the fight against Covid is a war or not, there does not seem to be anything to be praised.

The road ahead

Months ago, an employee of the Ministry of Health reported suspicious transactions in the purchase of vaccines. Instead of inquiring into the acts, the Secretary-General of the Presidency called a press conference and threatened to investigate the whistleblower. Investigating and removing federal employees and retaliating for political reasons is not uncommon in this administration.
Now, along with the omissions of the Federal Government in the pandemic, there are allegations of corruption and reprisals. Therefore, it seems that Brazil will not overcome the pandemic and its unfoldings so soon.
In parallel, Bolsonaro has threatened the elections of 2022 on various occasions, attacked members of the Supreme Court and the parliament, and even threatened the democratic regime. On last 7 September, the day of Brazilian independence, Bolsonaro attempted to regain strength in a movement similar to the one in the US on 6 January but failed. After backlash from the opposition, the Supreme Court, and even supportive political parties, Bolsonaro released a statement stepping back, aiming at regaining the confidence of political parties and the financial elite.

Despite all acts, threats, and attacks of the president, an impeachment seems improbable under current circumstances. Two months ago, when asked about the possibility, the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Arthur Lira, who currently holds more than 137 requests of impeachment, stated that there were no “political circumstances” for such. The conniving posture of Lira, who also criticizes the CPI with the war metaphor, does not seem to have changed after 7 September.
In Brazil these days, there is a saying: “the major act of resistance to this government is staying alive.” This saying indeed seems to be true – war metaphor or not. It could be added to this saying “… until the election of 2022”. Probably, the most important election of the life of many Brazilians, and, hopefully, not their last.

 

Felipe Tirado is a PhD Candidate and a Visiting Lecturer in Law at King’s College London (KCL). He holds Masters in Law from KCL and UFMG (Brazil). Currently, Felipe is a researcher associated with the King’s Brazil Institute and the Center for Studies on Transitional Justice (UFMG), a Senior Editor of King’s Student Law Review, and a member of the Human Rights Commission of the Brazilian Bar Association in the state of Minas Gerais. Previously, he was a researcher at the Latin American Transitional Justice Network (RLAJT), worked as a consultant to the Truth Commission in Minas Gerais and at law firms in Brazil and the United Kingdom.