Chega wants urgent parliamentary debate on immigration ‘pressure’ on health

Chega asked to schedule a debate in parliament on the “pressure” of immigrants on health, Andre Ventura reported this Monday, given that the PS and PSD have the same position regarding the entry of foreigners into the country.

“Given the importance of this issue and its centrality in the political life of Portugal to divide the waters, Chega decided today to request an urgent debate with the Minister of Health on Wednesday on both immigration and the topic of migration pressure. health,” he said.

Andre Ventura spoke to reporters before visiting a medical center in the Boavista district of Lisbon.

The Chegi leader wants “it to be clear on the right and on the left who is defending what, and there will be no misunderstandings.”

“I am very interested to see what the PSD and PS will defend, because I suspect that on this issue it will be absolutely the same,” he said, declaring that he does not see “big differences” in the speeches of Luis Montenegro and Pedro Nuno Santos.

“In all European countries, immigration is divided left and right. We see that the SDP is saying the same thing as the PS,” he said, noting that “it is the SDP that is copying the PS, because the PS has always had this position on immigration.”

“What I didn’t know was that Luis Montenegro’s PSD is close to Mario Soares’ PS,” he criticized, accusing both parties of striving for “a country without controls, without borders and with completely open doors.”

And he pointed out that “the PS is the one who put these rules in place”, which he called “the most absurd in the world”, saying that the country has “an absolutely stupid openness to immigration and, above all, questions not only Portugal, like other European countries.”

“It’s one thing to defend lusophonia, and that’s fundamental. [porque] Immigration from Brazil, Angola or Cape Verde is not the same as immigration from Bangladesh, Pakistan or India, they are not the same because our history says otherwise. “Secondly, anyone without any controls can enter Portugal, stay there for a year and say they are looking for work,” he said.

Andre Ventura stated that “it is important to discuss immigration” because “Portugal needs immigration” but believed that it should be “controlled and respected by the rules.”

The Chegi leader said the party was “violating the consensus reached by the leadership conference for the next parliamentary days” and asked for “tolerance from all parliamentary groups” in holding these debates.

Having said that Chega will have more votes than the PSD in the March 10 elections and the Social Democratic president responded that change will only be possible if the Portuguese vote for his party, despite the hopes of some political leaders, Andre Ventura responded today that “bragging is sometimes very expensive.”

“I listen to Luis Montenegro at the end of the morning and then I listen to either Dr. Antonio Costa or Dr. Pedro Nuno Santos at the end of the day, and to me it sounds the same, exactly the same. we are talking about immigration, about health care, about education and about the economy. Knowing that the Portuguese want change and want to do something different, I hope to get more votes. If Luis Montenegro thinks he believes in Santa Claus, let’s see if he’s not the one on the 10th, go reindeer,” he noted.

The Chega leader admitted that “the SDP is in a better position than Chega to lead the right” and that “it will not be easy”, but believes that “it is one thing to be unlikely, it is another to believe that it is possible “. the party has more votes than the SDP in the March legislative elections.

President Chegi today visited the facilities of the Bairro da Boavista Medical Center in Lisbon, which is not operating at full capacity, and called on the newly elected Secretary General of the PS to do the same.

“Areas like Boavista, in Benfica, in Lisbon, are repeated throughout the country and should be a good place for Dr. Pedro Nuno Santos to begin his mandate as leader of the PS, so as not to forget the work that the PS leaves behind. ” he said, referring to “empty police stations, closed medical centers, closed emergency rooms, closed government services, all with emergency tax collections.”