PS accuses PSD leader of trying to rewrite history and whitewash government measures

This Saturday, the deputy general secretary of the PS accused the SDP chairman of trying to rewrite history, trying to whitewash the government’s anti-inflation measures, and making a “childish” speech about pension policy.

This criticism was made by Joao Torres in response to statements made this afternoon by Luis Montenegro in Coimbra during the celebration of the 49th anniversary of the PSD, when he stated that Portugal is currently losing more quality of life and well-being than between 2011 and 2015 years when the Social Democrats ruled in coalition with the CDS-PP.

“With incredible air conditioning [assistência financeira externa]we did it [entre 2011 e 2015]despite all this, not to lose as much quality of life and well-being as has been lost in recent years,” the social democratic leader said.

However, for João Torres, this discourse is “disconnected from the reality of past, present and future” but rather “an attempt to rewrite history by telling a truncated history of governments since April 25, 1974”.

“The story that Luis Montenegro told certainly shames those who witnessed many of the circumstances of democratic Portugal after the Carnation Revolution, especially when it comes to episodes of external financial assistance, where the truth is objectively absent. Speaking about the commitment of Portugal, the then European Economic Community (EEC) lost sight of the decisive role of PS in the accession process,” he said in statements to the Lusa news agency.

“Number Two” in the socialist leadership also criticized the SDP president for “trying to whitewash the results of management and measures to respond to inflation.”

“It has been more than a week since it became known that Portugal was the country in the euro area that grew the most in the first quarter of this year, and one of the countries that grew the most in homologous terms, but Luis Montenegro continues to speak. about impoverishment. There was a time when it was possible to comment on these economic results, but does not do this, because they want to hide the good results of management,” he said.

The Deputy General Secretary of the PS also accused the SDP leader of seeking to “whitewash the government’s response to inflation.”

“He even does it sometimes in a completely childish way. The most paradigm case of this childish opposition concerns pensions, in connection with which I said that the government was campaigning. Reality constantly contradicted the narrative of the largest opposition party,” he said.

For the Deputy General Secretary of the PS, Luis Montenegro’s Saturday speech “seemed to be a defense and internal justification for his own weakness and inability to consider himself an alternative.”

“It was a speech in which he acknowledged his failure as leader of the opposition. And that’s a shame, because all Democrats want a strong and credible opposition. But Luis Montenegro’s opposition was a shot in the side,” he added.