The President of the Republic this Thursday said that there can be no democracy without an “independent and broadly reliable judiciary” and that this is where “dictatorial temptations begin,” calling on all parties involved to introspect and reconsider their methods.
At the end of the conference “Justice before and after April 25”, part of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Revolution and held at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa left many warnings and appeals about the sector, in a speech that covered the past, present and, above all, the future of justice.
“Without an independent and widely reliable judiciary there can be no democracy. This is where dictatorial temptations begin, flattering her in order to win, demonizing her in order to weaken and dominate her,” he warned.
For the head of state, it is necessary that other state forces be able to resist “one or other of these temptations,” but also that justice “carefully prevents the identification between the necessary legal control of public officials and the fight against abuses of power.” power and the vision that in the end there will only be one truly righteous power left,” which will be the judiciary.
“Everyone must know how to rethink with humility those moments when they are not being fulfilled, everyone will know what is missing in the structures and means to achieve more and better in the way and at the right time,” he further demanded.
Marcelo Rebelo de Souza also called on all participants to analyze themselves and reconsider “methods or procedures that have served in the past,” but at the moment “are brakes, sometimes huge ones.”
The aim of the President of the Republic is to avoid “the simultaneous excessive exposure of both authorities, which hastens the public condemnation that will fall upon them all”, taking into account the very time of justice.
Making it clear that “building democracy is not an easy mission,” Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa focused on trust, “which cannot be lost or weakened.”
“The first trust between justice advocates, expressed in clear and durable agreements that can be presented to political decision-makers and social partners with a united voice on what is a structural priority and what is critical in an emergency,” – he defended, finding that this was possible “at least between 2016 and 2017.”
Considering trust to be a top priority, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa asks that it exist “between advocates of justice, political decision-makers and social partners,” demanding that they “agree to sacrifice particularism for the vision of a national regime” and that trust exist . be a pact between policy makers and social partners on justice.
“This dialogue and the creation of trust on two complementary levels must include all advocates of justice and all political decision-makers. The former must cease to see the latter as their opponents, because of the globalizing suspicion that they will always be. The latter cease to see the former as their opponents, for reasons of the also globalizing suspicion that they will always be inclined to abuse independence or autonomy as a path to irresistible political assertion.” he asked. .
While defending that “institutional trust is important,” the head of state acknowledged that this “may be difficult,” given “so many recent events that may have given rise to or exacerbated complaints or even animosity, overt or covert, on both sides.” .
“Thirdly, trust between justice and information intermediaries. The media, this other power, which, being a public interest, is currently experiencing economic and financial difficulties that weaken it. It can be difficult not to touch upon the independence or autonomy of each of them, and because this requires a very delicate equation of how justice communicates, an issue that is often discussed but never satisfactorily resolved,” he stressed.
According to Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, “despite so many vicissitudes, justice has withstood the erosion of other state institutions” and “the Portuguese retain a noticeable degree of confidence in it in general”, which he believes is essential for its continuation.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal

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