The Admiral Henrique Gouveia e Melo has joined the chorus of criticism against the government’s actions—or lack thereof—in health care, stating that “if the Minister of Health is failing, the Prime Minister is also failing.”
“The Minister of Health is hierarchically dependent on the Prime Minister. If the Minister of Health is failing, the Prime Minister is also failing. Who chose the Minister of Health? The Prime Minister. If there is a specific area that has a persistent and continuous failure over time, not providing responses to the Portuguese, the fault does not lie with the person responsible for that area; the fault belongs to the Prime Minister,” he stated in an interview with Antena 1.
The presidential candidate went further, recalling that as head of the government, Luís Montenegro “has the power to change” the directive in that area.
“If he doesn’t change, it’s because he thinks everything is going well,” he remarked, indicating that “it seems easier to dismiss the lower fuse than the upper one.”
Gouveia e Melo also claimed that the lack of strategy “is not new,” and criticized President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa for speaking “candidly about a problem that has lingered for years.”
“Previous governments were at fault, as is this government. This government has been in power long enough across two terms to do something,” he said.
He specified: “There are means available, but there is also disorganization, a lack of objectives, and there is no command and control to ensure those objectives are met. But this is not only in health; the state is failing in many areas. It’s not enough to create beautiful laws, it’s not enough to say in the media that we are going to do this. The executive power must respond to the Portuguese people. The Portuguese need to feel that the government is not just legislating for television.”
Regarding the revision of the Nationality Law, a measure that, according to the Minister of the Presidency, António Leitão Amaro, makes “Portugal more Portugal,” the Admiral offered sharp criticism.
“What is this ‘Portugal more Portugal’? Is it being wrapped in a flag? I don’t like giving lessons to anyone, but I don’t accept patriotism lessons. […] Portugal becomes more Portugal when we are more prosperous, with a more cohesive society, when public services do not fail, when there is trust in the courts, when pregnant women do not have to give birth on the street or in ambulances. That is the real ‘Portugal more Portugal,'” he declared.
[News in progress]
