Young people from seven to 77 years old who survived the adventures of Tintin, of course, know Alcazar and Tapioca, generals who are always ready to make coups to reach themselves in the palaces of lawlessness and marble.
In the real world, we have the bloodiest tyrants like Hitler or Mussolini who militarized their own figures to gain power. Or the de facto military, like those who plunged into terror in Latin America. There are also knick-knacks that Estado Novo has placed in the Belém Palace. And those that indirectly led the Portuguese state to the transition to a democratic regime: the revision of the 1982 constitution, which resulted in the abolition of the Council of the Revolution, and the election of Mario Soares as president of the republic in 1986 represented a normalization and the return of troops to the barracks.
The presence of military personnel in high political positions is usually the exception. Delegating all of us, the Armed Forces exist to guarantee sovereignty, to assume the role of the state in uniting nations (in the international peacekeeping / coercive force) or to carry out other tasks assigned to them. Regardless of what political power is currently supported by citizens. This makes it obvious how undesirable it is for military personnel to actively or passively fuel political ambitions.
Enrique Guveia and Melo, now an admiral and chief of staff of the Navy, makes the covers of pink magazines and has been raised to the rank of national hero for the success of the vaccination campaign he coordinated. A job well done, or if the military weren’t masters of logistics (they were always talked about to coordinate the fight against forest fires). This messianic dimension is emerging for several reasons that go beyond the collective vulnerability exacerbated by the pandemic. There are political reasons from government opponents who were able to speak well about vaccinations without applauding the executive, and there is evidence that there is still a need for strong guardians in Portugal.
The point is not to judge Guveia and Melo, but it is clear that the admiral was sent to the sea, which populism is getting in his way. With waves like those that disqualify politicians, those that exaggerate the perception of crime, those that scare us with heightened coverage of the disease in all its aspects. Imagining a changing sea, even if not so much, many Portuguese dream of being led by charismatic personalities without understanding what that might mean. They prefer someone else’s authority to responsibility for their citizenship.
*Journalist
