In an opinion column, Mafalda Anjos argues that courage is a defining quality of leadership, alongside attributes such as vision, intelligence and eloquence. She says courage is not the absence of fear, but the choice to resist or act despite it, particularly in moments of adversity.
Anjos invokes Ulysses Guimarães, Humberto Delgado, Nelson Mandela, Salvador Allende and Alexei Navalny as examples of political figures who stood by their convictions while facing danger, punishment or death. She presents their actions as evidence of character and moral strength.
The column places Flávio Bolsonaro at the opposite end of that scale. Anjos accuses him of being a coup plotter and a traitor, and says he chose to flee rather than face his country’s justice system. She notes that corruption has not been proven, but argues that cowardice will define his reputation.
Sources: Folha Poder.