“Being at the helm means stepping up, being a leader, but Montenegro has shown that he knows neither how to lead nor how to step up, nor how to be a prime minister, and that is why we must quickly replace him in that position,” said André Ventura in Beja.
Speaking at the presentation of the party’s municipal candidates for Beja, the president of Chega recalled that during the debate on fires in parliament on Wednesday, Montenegro stated that he was always at the helm during the fires.
“Being at the helm is not being at Pontal while the country is burning, not being stuck in Lisbon while the Portuguese are suffering and have no means, not sitting at the Pontal party while there are no aerial means to tackle fires,” he reiterated.
Admitting he was shocked by “the way [the prime minister] arrogantly treats people and the situations” caused by the fires, Ventura considered his posture to be “almost as if ordinary people and situations are allergic to him.”
“Almost as if he were an elite politician, confined in his condominium, without having to answer to anyone and without even wanting to cross paths with anyone,” he emphasized, accusing the prime minister of having an attitude of “disdain for people’s suffering.”
“And the attitude of arrogance and haughtiness in not recognizing that they failed, that we could have done better” in fighting the fires continued Ventura.
The Chega leader noted that the State fails when, despite all the taxes the Portuguese pay and the deductions they make, “when the moment comes, it isn’t there,” considering that this time, “the State was not there.”
“Chega acknowledges that the State failed and assures the Portuguese that when it can, it will do better,” while “the prime minister is unable to understand that the State failed, looks at the Portuguese with disdain, and simply says it will carry on,” he stressed.
Ventura said he was “tired of seeing the country burn,” arguing that “every year it’s the same thing, for decades the country has burned,” but repeatedly it is said that “something was done, yet everything stays the same.”
“This time, we won’t allow it. We will ensure that it is investigated thoroughly” to determine “who is profiting” from the fires, he added.
At the end of the session presenting the candidates, the president of Chega declined to make statements to the journalists.
