This Saturday, the Secretary General of the Social Democratic Party, Pedro Nuno Santos, criticized the government’s behavior in its first 30 days in office.
“The government is the biggest source of instability. This is not the opposition,” he emphasized in statements made to journalists after leaving a meeting of the National Political Commission of the PS. “In 30 days in opposition, we did more than the SDP in the government. (…) I don’t remember a government starting its tenure in power so badly,” he added.
In the warning to the executive of the dissolved administration of Santa Casa da Misericordia de Lisbon to remain in office on pain of punishment for committing a crime, Pedro Nuno Santos saw an example of “contributing to instability in public institutions.”
Recalling AD’s “short victory over PS” in the March legislative elections, he expressed satisfaction with the approval of a socialist proposal to cut the IRS. “We are here not only to observe,” the secretary general emphasized.
And the project to abolish tolls in the former SCUT, approved by Chegi’s vote, “costs less than half of the IRS reduction that the government wants to do,” said Pedro Nuno Santos. “I campaigned on the promise of toll abolition. (…) Tolls affect everyone equally. They are not progressive. In the Algarve and in the interior, no one knows what public transport is,” he explained.
Accused by the government of forming a negative coalition with Chega, Pedro Nuno Santos rejected this label and emphasized the differences between the two parties. “The PS has no alliance with Chega and rejects Chega’s proposals. SDP is seeking an agreement with Chega. (…) If Chega’s proposals are bad, the PS will vote against him. Chega is a party far from Chega. PS in parliament,” he said.
The vote condemning the party led by André Ventura for the position of the President of the Republic on colonial reparations also does not deserve the support of the PS, he assured. At the same time, he expressed the party’s disagreement with the payment of reparations. “Our focus is on cooperation with Portuguese-speaking countries,” he said.
Asked about the government’s proposal to increase risk allowances for security forces, he said he preferred to wait until the end of negotiations to take a position. “We are a responsible opposition. The first news is not very good, but we will not approve any initiative while negotiations are ongoing,” he said.
Author: Miguel Bravo Morais This Sarah Reis Teixeira
Source: CM Jornal
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