During the closing session of the PSD/CDS-PP parliamentary days in Évora, Luís Montenegro addressed the upcoming political debate in parliament, scheduled for Thursday, in which he and the entire Government will participate.
“We will focus on discussing our commitment to the Portuguese people and what truly matters to their lives. The Portuguese are not very interested in who follows whom, who speaks to whom on what day, or whether the debate takes place here or there,” he stated.
The PSD president stressed that people “want job opportunities, career advancement, and responses from the National Health Service” (SNS), assuring that he will not shy away from addressing this topic, nor other structural or specific negative issues.
“In the state of the nation debate, we will stand up for the health policy we are developing (…) We are not indifferent to the issues, but the country cannot dwell solely on these issues when thousands of cases are successfully managed. The country must also recognize that the SNS, in most cases, works well,” he argued.
Montenegro claimed not to have “a rosy, orange, or blue and yellow view of the National Health Service,” referring to the PSD and CDS-PP colors.
“Those who sometimes watch political debates might think there wasn’t an election campaign two or three months ago. Many who now participate in the public discourse aren’t saying what they said before; they are merely focused on a specific language of political debate, commonly known as politiquês,” he criticized.
In contrast, he urged the PSD/CDS-PP majority to focus “on the language of the Portuguese people.”
“If there is a need to solve immigration issues, let’s solve them. If there is a need to address street safety, let’s do that. If there are constraints within the SNS, let’s concentrate on resolving those,” he added, citing several examples.
At the conclusion of his speech, Montenegro reiterated the Government’s priority on state reform.
“In every Cabinet meeting, ministers are urged to embody the spirit of state reform, promote simplification, digitalization processes, and eliminate redundant procedures with their respective services,” he stated.
The PSD leader indicated that the government structure will show “the Prime Minister, through his minister in charge of state reform, aims to directly engage with all public bodies to reshape their management and interactions with citizens and businesses.”
“To once and for all end this ordeal, which is often the dialogue between citizens and administration, between businesses and the administration,” he declared.
