The chairman of the PSD accused the government on Wednesday of lying about the negotiations on the TAP privatization process with the European Commission and demanded clarifications.
“The Prime Minister understands that the negotiations he conducted with the European Commission in the restructuring plan included the privatization of the company, but the Minister who was in the role at the time and who negotiated with the European Commission understands that the privatization was not in that plan integrated. One of the two is lying,” concluded the Social Democratic leader.
Luís Montenegro shared the idea on the sidelines of a visit to the Agros dairy cooperative in Póvoa de Varzim, Porto district, as part of the party initiative “Sentir Portugal”, repeating sharp criticism of the way the TAP process was carried out. executed.
“We are in the realm of truth in the representation of the Portuguese state. How is it possible that there can be a difference of opinion of this magnitude on an issue as simple as direct negotiations between the state and the European Commission”questioned the PSD president, referring to alleged disagreements between António Costa and the previous Minister of Infrastructure, Pedro Nuno Santos.
“We are talking about the Secretary General of the PS and his supposed successor. António Costa said that Pedro Nuno Santos was lying, or Pedro Nuno Santos called António Costa a liar. The country needs to know because conclusions need to be drawn.” marked.
Luís Montenegro opined that “if the Prime Minister was lying, he should stop it”, and “as the Minister who oversaw the area, he will not be able to become Prime Minister”.
Still in the atmosphere of criticism from the PS leader, the Social Democratic president addressed the controversies with Public Health, stating that he was “concerned about the lack of response that the minister has given to the biggest concerns of the people”.
“By not having a GP, not opening emergency rooms when they need them, or not making timely appointments or surgeries, people end up turning to the private sector because the SNS doesn’t have the answers they need. But not everyone has the means that”Luís Montenegro noted.
The PSD leader concluded that this was a factor of “social inequality” and also criticized the process that led Fernando Araújo to the position of Executive Director of the National Health Service.
“It appears he is in hiding as he was appointed over a year ago and the government has not even been able to present the regulations for his functions, which would give him room to maneuver to produce his work. It is worrying “It is not safety for the people, it is an inexplicable failure on the part of the minister,” Luís Montenegro concluded.
Montenegro accuses the government of turning its back on farmers
PSD president Luís Montenegro accused the government on Wednesday of turning its back on farmers, arguing that the sector should be a “strategic priority for the country.”
“In the dialogue with farmers it becomes clear how far removed the ministry’s supervision and the government’s political leadership are from reality and from those in Portugal who still resist occupying the territory and encouraging agricultural activity” , the Social Democratic leader insisted at the end of a conversation. meeting at the Agros dairy cooperative, in Póvoa de Varzim, Porto district.
During the visit, part of the party’s ‘Sentir Portugal’ programme, the PSD leader spent almost two hours with producers from one of the country’s largest dairy basins, noting the difficulties experienced by the sector.
“Agriculture, livestock and forestry are a strategic priority for the country’s development, not only because they strengthen our food sovereignty, but also because they are effectively implemented in employment opportunities, territorial occupation and settlement of youth. But the ministry and the government have turned their backs on this sector”accused Luís Montenegro.
In his criticism of the PSD executive, the leader of the largest opposition party has again raised the issue of the 2024 state budget, implicitly implying the PSD’s vote against the document, but without directly announcing it.
“We will hold parliamentary sessions on Monday and Tuesday and then we will announce our voting direction, but because we are direct and blunt, we will not surprise the country with our position,” he said.
Luís Montenegro reiterated that the government presented a budget “with a lot of pomp and show and well-designed pictures, but in the end with the same result”, and analyzed that in the last eight years of PS administration “everything that is essential for the people is worse than what was”.
‘The PSD would have been much more ambitious when it came to pushing back the IRS. By moving into the fifth tier, the government is telling the country that anyone who earns 900 or 1,000 euros in Portugal is a rich person. This is social absurdity and a narrow-minded vision of society,” he argued.
According to the Social Democratic leader, “the middle class covers everyone up to the eighth level, between 1,200 and 2,000 euros net per month”, as this reward “is not a fortune for those who have to feed a family and have an income.” housing costs, travel or energy”.
“It’s a limited income, especially in some parts of the country. The government must assume that we are going to break the record in terms of tax burden and revenues and we must ask ourselves whether families, after giving a large part of their income to the state, will receive a return on public services” , he said.
Source: DN
