Rodrigo Antunes / Lusa
António José Seguro in Parliament, in his first speech as President at a ceremony commemorating the 25th of April
António José Seguro spoke today for the first time as President of the Republic in a solemn session celebrating the 25th of April, in which he highlighted that freedom is as natural as our lives, but it does not disappear all at once — it disappears little by little.
The President of the Republic, Antonio José Segurospoke today in parliament, with a red carnation in his lapel, in what was his debut as head of state in a solemn session of the carnation revolution, which took place 52 years ago.
It was the last to speak in the Assembly of the Republic and began by saying: “The freedom is as natural as our life”.
The “starting point” for the freedom we have was the 25th April, which is of a “value unquestionable, overwhelming supportintergenerational, that we assume it as natural, as natural as the air we breathe”; here came the first spontaneous applause, from the most left-wing deputies.
The President of the Republic reinforced that “what we heard today in this Assembly is April”. Why “We are equal and free in thinking, being, loving“. In Portuguese History “there aren’t many moments like this”; therefore, he left an “emotional greeting” to the April captains.
In a democracy, freedom “is not an accessory, it is its foundation”. Freedom is synonymous with “real opportunities to study, work, love, thinkto believe or not to believe, to dream, to build.”
Looking at culture, “a free society is a society that creates”. In scientific progress, “where there is no academic freedom, knowledge stagnates” and investigators must “think without fear.”
At a time when algorithms, artificial intelligence, influence choices, “Freedom requires transparency and accountability. Decisions that impact people’s lives should not be opaque.” Because “technology serves human beings, not the other way around” – new applause.
Party financing
Os applause was louder right afterwhen António José Seguro spoke about party financing — which .
The head of state warned that freedom is also synonymous with “responsibility and integral institutions, transparency in the exercise of public officetransparency in political donations”, essential to guarantee a “healthy and fair” democracy.
“Making donations public is not an administrative decision. It’s a commitment to ethics and respect for the Portuguese. Where there is opacity, suspicion grows; where there is clarity, it strengthens legitimacy”, he warned.
Seguro argued that citizens have the right to know who supports who “and with what interests”, and associated freedom with “justice in due time”; trust is “eroded when processes drag on indefinitely”.
O Fighting corruption is an “immediate priority”. Fighting corruption means fighting for “equality, justice and ultimately freedom”.
Freedom is something “inseparable from the material dignity of people; Those who live in poverty cannot define their path, and these are fundamental requirements of a truly free society.”
Women vs. men, young
Afterwards, a message about gender (in)equality in the job market: “I have a lot of difficulty… I really have a hard time understanding that women earn less than men when they carry out the same activity”.
Os young people were the focus of the final part of his speech. At a time of “tough challenges”, the “present is mortgaging the future of young people”, citing climate change as an example.
The January storms in Portugal show that “tomorrow has already arrived“, said the president. And “this fight should not wait for economic interests” – new applause.
Seguro also appealed to the investment in mental healthat a time “suffering from silence, from the suffering of a generation that lives in uncertainty caused by the pandemic, war, precarious work”.
Young people who at the age of 30 live at home with their parents “is not just a market problem, it is a right that the State has to safeguard, it is a requirement of freedom”.
The President of the Republic will not accept “in silence” that a young person does not have money to buy a house. “No country is built like this,” he said.
“It disappears little by little”
Insurance also left a list of April conquestssuch as access to healthcare, freedom to speak, freedom to vote, job opportunities for women.
But he left a warning: “Freedom does not disappear all at once. It disappears little by little.” First, with a law that seems reasonable, then something that remains in the void, then a voice that stops being heard, then another… These are “arguments that seem harmless and, nowadays, algorithms”.
“Democracy has flaws. But it’s the only place where our voice counts“, stated António José Seguro. And it is not by moving away from politics that we “improve politics”. Therefore, he left a direct appeal to young people: “Be aware, report. Don’t be spectators of democracy, be protagonists.”
The president finally highlighted that freedom is built with courage and determination. “Don’t take freedom for granted.” Faced with a threat to freedom, “either we defend it with courage, or we risk losing it in silence”.
