Montenegro is out of line with Marcelo – “and with reality”

The PS accuses Luís Montenegro of “security populism”, for saying that the Government’s two priorities are regulating immigration and combating crime – a position that contrasts with the message that Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa intends to convey to the country.

Referring directly to the Prime Minister’s Christmas message, the PS parliamentary leader Alexandra Leitão stated that Luís Montenegro is out of line with reality.

“It is not worth drawing an electoral picture of a country that is not what the Portuguese know”, accused Alexandra Leitão, this Friday, at the PS national headquarters, in Largo do Rato, in Lisbon.

On the night of the 25th, the Prime Minister included regulated immigration, combating crime, strengthening public services and carrying out a large investment in public housing among his priorities for the future.

Focusing on immigration and security policies, Montenegro promised “promote regulated immigration to welcome with dignity and humanism those who choose to live and work in our country”.

“We are one of the safest countries in the world, but we have to safeguard this asset so we don’t lose it,” he said.

The opposition accused Montenegro of living in an “oasis”, alienated from reality.

For PS parliamentary leader, Christmas message from Luís Montenegro contrasts with that of Marcelo Rebelo de Sousawho in an article in Jornal de Notícias argued that it was necessary to “promote equality and eliminate exclusions”.

“It was the message from the President of the Republic with which the PS could not agree more”, he highlighted.

“Securitary populism”

On the contrary, the Government of the Democratic Alliance (PSD/CDS-PP) “took a perception of insecurity that is not real and took the opportunity to enter a drift of security populism”, he pondered.

Alexandra Leitão exemplified measures recently approved by the PSD and CDS-PP, such as “exclude immigrants from the right to health that are in the process of being regularized”, contrasts with the message that Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa intended to convey to the country.

In an opinion article published in Jornal de Notícias, also on the 25th, the President of the Republic called for the “monopoly of truth” to be rejected and overcome “unfair discrimination” and highlighted that for many today is just .

“More humanism and solidarity”

For the PS parliamentary leader, at a time like Christmas the message to be highlighted should be “the need for humanism, solidarity and to invest in the Rule of Law and the Social State”.

Asked if she disagrees with Montenegro’s priorities given to security, Alexandra Leitão replied that the PS considers security “a maximum value and one of the State’s primary tasks”.

“But security is essentially obtained through proximity police, through integration measures and also, by the way, to combat domestic violence, which is the crime that kills the most in Portugal”, he said.

The parliamentary leader of the PS added that her party subscribes to the importance of combating drug trafficking and violent crimes, but argued that this was not what was the basis of last week, which was the target of much criticism.

“What the prime minister, directly the prime minister, intended with the special operation they carried out last week was to have visibility, to do political propaganda, was to instrumentalize the police forces and the PS does not agree with that”, he highlighted.