The Prime Minister, António Costa, defended this Wednesday the choice of the CEO of Partex, António Costa e Silva, to design the program of economic and social recovery of the country, saying that those who are outside the “party bubble” can contribute to “Improve the quality of the political session”. The government leader says that it is his "style" to invite independent personalities and accused the right of "stinginess" for bringing up a topic for debate.
During the biweekly debate, António Costa was asked three times by the parties about the Government's invitation to the CEO of Partex. The Social Democratic Party (PSD) introduced the topic in the debate, showing its surprise that a government with 70 members (including ministers and secretaries of state) went to order the country's economic and social recovery plan to “a private one”.
“There are 70 members in the government, 19 ministers, 4 ministers of state, and yet they commission this work, which should be of great importance to a private sector. Weird. On the other hand, what was in 2012 is no longer in 2020. It criticizes what the government at the time of PSD / CDS did and is now doing exactly the same ”, shot the vice president of the PSD bench Adão Silva, referring at the invitation of the then Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho to the economist António Borges.
In response to Adão Silva, António Costa considered that the situation is not comparable because António Borges responded in Parliament on behalf of the PSD / CDS Government. "This is scandalous, I invited a person to lead a job in the Government", clarified the Prime Minister, guaranteeing that the negotiation with the parties and social partners of António Costa Silva's plan to draw will be exclusively for members of the Government.
António Costa also accused the PSD of being "tired of being in a state-level debate" and having returned "to the small meanness of politiquity". “I respect the opinion of those who are self-sufficient and think that the political system can live on itself, for itself, without counting on anyone else. We have already realized what the PSD's governance style will be. It is not mine and if you don't mind, as long as I rule, I will do it in my style, ”he said.
The executive leader also clarified that he did not invite anyone to "advise business" but to "think strategically about the country".
"Ministers do politics, technicians do technical work"
The parties on the left, who also criticized the choice of 'paraminister', did not want to extend the debate over the Government's invitation any longer, but the CDS-PP was not satisfied. The parliamentary leader of the CDS-PP, Telmo Correia, returned to criticism and questioned the Government “if it did not already have a Planning Minister” and if this invitation is related to a possible remodeling of the Government.
"I do not question the person and the function, even though it is strange that someone who says that he will work for free for the Portuguese Government is paid by a company of the Thai Government", quipped Telmo Correia, after a Government order was published that indicates that António Costa Silva will not receive anything for the work done.
To reply to Telmo Correia, António Costa threw to Telmo Correia that "if I had had the opportunity, I would have concluded that it is very important for those who exercise executive functions to have specialist technicians". "Ministers do politics, specialist technicians do technical work", he underlined, referring to Telmo Correia, who was Minister of Tourism in the Government of Pedro Santana Lopes, which lasted for more than seven months.
“For those who exercise executive functions to be able to count on the support of technicians, specialists and people who are away can contribute something new and of value to the reflection and the work that the Government is doing”, insisted António Costa.
“Out of the box” vision to contribute to “going further” in political reflection
Even before, the Prime Minister had mentioned that he learned a lot by calling people “outside” of the “party-media bubble” to collaborate with him because “they have a vision outside the box” and help “to reflect and go further”.
In addition to the choice of Partex CEO, António Costa Silva, to prepare the 2020-2030 economic and social recovery program, the leader of the socialist executive says that he invited, as Minister of Justice, Boaventura Sousa Santos. The same happened when he was Minister of Internal Administration in which he called Nélson Lourenço and when he was in front of the Lisbon chamber in which he had the support of João Caraça.
After the PSD and the CDS-PP, Chega also questioned the prime minister about the choice of António Costa Silva: “Why do you seek an external consultant, when you have already sought another and have the largest government in history? And is it true or not that Pedro Siza Vieira goes to Finance and Mário Centeno to Banco de Portugal? ” However, António Costa did not answer any of the questions.
In order not to "question a fourth time", the president and sole deputy of the Liberal Initiative, João Cotrim Figueiredo, announced only that he had presented an urgent request to hear in Parliament António Costa Silva. In the application, João Cotrim Figueiredo considers that “these matters are truly defining the future of Portugal, so your scrutiny should not be left out of the Assembly of the Republic”.
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The Prime Minister, António Costa, defended this Wednesday the choice of the CEO of Partex, António Costa e Silva, to design the program of economic and social recovery of the country, saying that those who are outside the “party bubble” can contribute to “Improve the quality of the political session”. The government leader says that it is his "style" to invite independent personalities and accused the right of "stinginess" for bringing up a topic for debate.
During the biweekly debate, António Costa was asked three times by the parties about the Government's invitation to the CEO of Partex. The Social Democratic Party (PSD) introduced the topic in the debate, showing its surprise that a government with 70 members (including ministers and secretaries of state) went to order the country's economic and social recovery plan to “a private one”.
“There are 70 members in the government, 19 ministers, 4 ministers of state, and yet they commission this work, which should be of great importance to a private sector. Weird. On the other hand, what was in 2012 is no longer in 2020. It criticizes what the government at the time of PSD / CDS did and is now doing exactly the same ”, shot the vice president of the PSD bench Adão Silva, referring at the invitation of the then Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho to the economist António Borges.
In response to Adão Silva, António Costa considered that the situation is not comparable because António Borges responded in Parliament on behalf of the PSD / CDS Government. "This is scandalous, I invited a person to lead a job in the Government", clarified the Prime Minister, guaranteeing that the negotiation with the parties and social partners of António Costa Silva's plan to draw will be exclusively for members of the Government.
António Costa also accused the PSD of being "tired of being in a state-level debate" and having returned "to the small meanness of politiquity". “I respect the opinion of those who are self-sufficient and think that the political system can live on itself, for itself, without counting on anyone else. We have already realized what the PSD's governance style will be. It is not mine and if you don't mind, as long as I rule, I will do it in my style, ”he said.
The executive leader also clarified that he did not invite anyone to "advise business" but to "think strategically about the country".
"Ministers do politics, technicians do technical work"
The parties on the left, who also criticized the choice of 'paraminister', did not want to extend the debate over the Government's invitation any longer, but the CDS-PP was not satisfied. The parliamentary leader of the CDS-PP, Telmo Correia, returned to criticism and questioned the Government “if it did not already have a Planning Minister” and if this invitation is related to a possible remodeling of the Government.
"I do not question the person and the function, even though it is strange that someone who says that he will work for free for the Portuguese Government is paid by a company of the Thai Government", quipped Telmo Correia, after a Government order was published that indicates that António Costa Silva will not receive anything for the work done.
To reply to Telmo Correia, António Costa threw to Telmo Correia that "if I had had the opportunity, I would have concluded that it is very important for those who exercise executive functions to have specialist technicians". "Ministers do politics, specialist technicians do technical work", he underlined, referring to Telmo Correia, who was Minister of Tourism in the Government of Pedro Santana Lopes, which lasted for more than seven months.
“For those who exercise executive functions to be able to count on the support of technicians, specialists and people who are away can contribute something new and of value to the reflection and the work that the Government is doing”, insisted António Costa.
“Out of the box” vision to contribute to “going further” in political reflection
Even before, the Prime Minister had mentioned that he learned a lot by calling people “outside” of the “party-media bubble” to collaborate with him because “they have a vision outside the box” and help “to reflect and go further”.
In addition to the choice of Partex CEO, António Costa Silva, to prepare the 2020-2030 economic and social recovery program, the leader of the socialist executive says that he invited, as Minister of Justice, Boaventura Sousa Santos. The same happened when he was Minister of Internal Administration in which he called Nélson Lourenço and when he was in front of the Lisbon chamber in which he had the support of João Caraça.
After the PSD and the CDS-PP, Chega also questioned the prime minister about the choice of António Costa Silva: “Why do you seek an external consultant, when you have already sought another and have the largest government in history? And is it true or not that Pedro Siza Vieira goes to Finance and Mário Centeno to Banco de Portugal? ” However, António Costa did not answer any of the questions.
In order not to "question a fourth time", the president and sole deputy of the Liberal Initiative, João Cotrim Figueiredo, announced only that he had presented an urgent request to hear in Parliament António Costa Silva. In the application, João Cotrim Figueiredo considers that “these matters are truly defining the future of Portugal, so your scrutiny should not be left out of the Assembly of the Republic”.