During a campaign dinner in Albufeira, Faro district, Rui Rocha declared that the Liberal Initiative (IL) aims to “change the country.” He distanced the party from political tactics without naming any other party or political leader directly.
“We are not the ones playing behind-the-scenes games. We are not the tacticians, the schemers, the petty politicians. We are not them. They are entangled in their world, in the world of political backstage games. They do not understand the consequences these games have on people’s lives,” Rocha criticized.
Contrarily, he continued, both he and IL members have a “career outside politics,” a “professional path,” and are accountable for their “own worth” rather than “the worth of agendas and contacts.”
“We know exactly the consequences political games have on people’s lives, on those who need to make ends meet, who have to pay their bills, who are looking for houses, managing businesses, paying salaries, and those wanting to grow through their work. We know what that means,” he affirmed.
Rocha stated that this is why IL chose to run for elections with its own people and ideas for the country. In what seemed an allusion to Luís Montenegro and Spinumviva, without directly mentioning them, he asserted that IL will not serve to “certify others’ good behavior,” but to change it.
“We are here to change others’ behavior. That is what we will do starting on the 18th. And, since we are here to change ethical and political behavior, we want to restore the dignity of institutions. We also want to change politics,” he declared.
At the beginning of his speech, the IL leader launched a jab at Luís Montenegro, who earlier in the day had shown irritation over a journalist from SIC asking about Spinumviva, mistakenly identifying him as being from RTP.
Rocha took the opportunity to address journalists following IL’s campaign, extending a “special greeting” and assuring them of his “great pleasure in answering questions from all media outlets, including RTP.”
“And, by the way, including RTP, even when questions are from SIC. We respond to all with equal pleasure and enthusiasm,” he said, eliciting laughter.
