In an interview with the television channel TVI, António Costa was asked about the words of former President Cavaco Silva, who warned on Wednesday that the Portuguese political situation is “very dangerous at the moment”.
“I don’t know what Professor Cavaco Silva specifically referred to. Dangerous for whom, for what? It depends on the point of view. I don’t know,” the prime minister replied.
Costa stated that if the former president of the republic’s intention is “to see people from the democratic right, and in particular from his party, [PSD]to be somehow conditioned and limited by Chega’s action”, he also believes that this is “dangerous”.
“If he were from the PSD he would find it even more dangerous and that’s why I understand he thinks it’s dangerous,” he stressed.
The prime minister referred that he had drawn attention to the fact that “one of the biggest problems that exists today in liberal democracies in Europe is the way these far-right movements manage to condition democratic rights”, adding that the risk of far-right parties – the right is not to “become the majority”, nor to “win elections”, but rather to “condition” the other parties.
On this point, Costa alluded to recent statements by PSD leader Luís Montenegro and Lisbon mayor Carlos Moedas – without ever naming them – expressing “a little concern” to see that “some PSD party leaders made certain comments about immigration”.
“I’m a little concerned, to be honest, but I believe, and I have a deep conviction that the deep PSD, the PSD voter corps, will never agree to a PSD drift that leads to it embracing Chega’s ideas, and that Chega lá will continue in its little corner, properly packaged, as it should be,” he underlined.
After the interview, in backstage statements broadcast on CNN Portugal, Costa reinforced this message, reiterating his surprise that “PSD officials” who took part in the recent immigration law reform said “now it seems they don’t know what what does the law say”.
“Clearly, as we all know, the country needs immigration. Today there is a series of essential functions in our activity, in our society, where there is a huge lack of human resources and where human resources come from abroad with great success “, he stressed.
Costa acknowledged that “there are integration issues that are not always easy to solve” but stressed that “there are important resources in the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) for all municipalities to invest to provide the country with better housing conditions” .
Elaborating on the allusion to the words of PSD leaders, uttered after a fire in Mouraria, in Lisbon, which killed two men of Indian nationality, Costa stressed that “not every time there is a problem, everything is in the case be brought”.
“There was a problem, it is very serious – loss of life, lack of living conditions – it is clearly necessary to strengthen the inspections of civil protection, inspections of living conditions and, above all, to accelerate the implementation of the planned investments “, he said.
The prime minister recalled that “there are funds from the PRR to ensure dignified living conditions”.
“Because we want people in Portugal to work, to contribute to the development of our economy, but to live with dignity,” he said.
Source: DN
