Address by the President of the Republic, Michel Temer, during ceremony to celebrate the "80 Years of History of the Institutional Security Office" - Planalto Palace/DF
Planalto Palace, 3 December 2018
I want to begin by saluting the Minister of State Head of the Institutional Security Office, dear friend General Sérgio Etchegoyen,
Ministers of State Eliseu Padilha, Torquato Jardim, Joaquim Silva and Luna, Marcos Galvão, Yana Dumaresq, Moreira Franco, Carlos Marun, Grace Mendonça,
Prosecutor General Raquel Dodge,
General Eduardo Villas Boas,
Admiral Eduardo Leal Ferreira,
Federal Deputies Antonio Imbassahy, Benito Gama, Heráclito Fortes, Osmar Terra, Mauro Pereira,
Former Deputy Chiquinho Scorse,
Dear former Ministers, Executive Secretaries, Heads of the Military Staff and GSI Cabinet, Kalout, Special Secretary for Strategic Affairs,
Rogério Galloro, Diogo Oliveira,
Ladies and gentlemen military officers,
Ladies and gentlemen teachers and students of the Military School of Brasília,
From the outset, I would like to say that being here today, celebrating the eightieth anniversary of the Institutional Security Office, I need not emphasise the honour and satisfaction of participating in this moment.
GSI’s history is a source of pride for the whole of Brazil. When it had just been created - and there goes eight decades since then - it was given the task of nothing less than planning the Brazilian war effort in World War II. The GSI was already born, therefore, playing a role of immense responsibility - and at that time it played it, as it does today, with extreme competence.
That, I am a witness to. When I think of the GSI, what comes to mind is trust and tranquility, it's professionalism and readiness. It is a certainty that the President of the Republic always has at his disposal, a body of elite officials capable of keeping him informed, in a comprehensive and precise manner, on the most important and urgent issues in Brazil. Capable of proposing weighted and efficient courses of action.
You know, ladies and gentlemen, that, during my presidency these remarkable qualities in the Ministry as a whole were embodied in the figure of General Sérgio Etchegoyen, with whom I had the pleasure of having daily contact. General Etchegoyen is a symbol of the best there is in Brazilian public service. And he is respected for his dedication, his intelligence and his patriotism. This, moreover, is the recognition that I want to extend to all members of the GSI, current and past, with my word of thanks for what they have done and do for Brazil. Incidentally, I will make a small aside here to comment on the speech by General Sérgio Etchegoyen, who provided a very quick, extraordinary historical overview. And who had the extraordinary kindness of not mentioning, as was soon mentioned... something that is common in our country, that is to mention crises and more crises. But on the contrary, what he mentioned were achievements and victories obtained throughout history, which shows the intellectual, personal, patriotic, optimistic quality of General Etchegoyen. I needn't say how touched I was for hearing his words, after all, in a country where criticism is so common, when I hear someone say good things, of course this causes me, as it did, an extraordinary institutional emotion.
That is why I say that, as soon as I took over the Presidency, we immediately set out to reinstate the GSI, which had been abolished for a certain period. And it was not a difficult decision. After all, one need only look at the body's decades of history to conclude that its performance, that its attributions, have an indisputably strategic nature. The truth is that, in a continent-sized and complex country like ours, the President of the Republic cannot dispense with direct advice on intelligence, national security.
Throughout my administration, many were the most sensitive subjects whose resolutions was only possible because bodies like the GSI fulfilled their role. Many of these, I confess, were unknown to the general public, but others have already come out with great repercussion. In all, I can assure you, ladies and gentlemen, I have always counted on the careful and balanced analysis, the firm and competent hand of the GSI.
That is why I once again want to extend my compliments to all the GSI heads in attendance, to all the Executive Secretaries, to all the civilians and military personnel who have made and make the GSI this great institution of the Brazilian State. And I want to highlight one more point. Just as I mentioned, I had daily contact, from the very beginning of our works, with General Sérgio Etchegoyen. But I must say - and here is a reminder of his competence - that he didn't just give me intelligence information, national security information. On the contrary, I actually trespassed on his kindness, because so many times I asked him what he thought of various issues that did not concern national security or intelligence. And from him I have always received words that were greatly pondered. Sérgio Etchegoyen, General Sérgio Etchegoyen, knew how to be a dedicated officer and is an intellectual by training, and being an intellectual, he was able to collaborate in other acts of our government. That is why I have a very special compliment to give this great figure of my government, which I extend to all those who assisted in this task, wherein I include his wife.
My compliments.