The president of the Assembly of the Republic, Augusto Santos Silva, defended this Monday that personalities with a more technical profile, such as the outgoing president of TAP, should not participate in meetings of a political nature.
Augusto Santos Silva responded to journalists in Tábua about Christine Ourmières-Widener’s January 17 meeting with socialist deputies and government officials, on the eve of her questioning in parliament.
“The parliamentary groups that support a government and that government can and must hold periodic meetings, at the appropriate political level, but these meetings should not involve other personalities who, because of their more technical profile or the responsibilities they have – either in the head of the administration directly in the state, either the head of the indirect administration or the head of the state’s business sector,” said the President of the Assembly of the Republic, who took part in the ceremonies of the municipal day of Tábua, Coimbra district.
For Augusto Santos Silva, personalities with a more technical profile, such as Christine Ourmières-Widener, “are not allowed to participate in meetings of a more political nature”.
“It’s an episode that I don’t think will happen again because we’re all learning,” said Santos Silva. about the January meeting between the CEO of TAP, socialist deputies and government elements, on the eve of the parliamentary hearing.
The speaker of parliament stressed that he does not agree “with meetings that mix technical and political nature”.
“As far as parliament is concerned, parliamentary groups are free to hold meetings as they see fit and with whomever they wish, and to prepare parliamentary activities, collect information and even opinions they find useful,” he added.
However, in statements to journalists, Augusto Santos Silva left a recommendation to the political groups: “that a clear distinction be made between the political character and the technical character”.
“Assessments of a political nature should involve people holding political positions, such as members of the government or deputies,” he stressed.
The president of AR also spoke about the communication between the president of TAP and the then Secretary of State for Infrastructure, Hugo Mendes. “It is also very important that the Portuguese state continues to strengthen itself and that institutional relations are always preserved. A level of informality as if people know each other and address each other by name – even if that happens – should not be mixed with an institutional relationship”, he noted.
For Augusto Santos Silva, a member of government overseeing a public company or directorate-general must “take on an institutional character” in his communications and dealings with that institution that are overseen by the tutelage he directs.
Source: DN
