The Restoration of Portugal

Portuguese National Flag: borrowed from Here

Just like in 1640, on the 5th of June 2011 the Portuguese engaged in a life-changing political action: they restored Portugal - this time by ousting the Left and bringing the Right back to power. 

This time we have a Right Wing President and Government. It won’t be like in 2004 when the Socialist President, Jorge Sampaio, sabotaged our rightist administration by dissolving the parliament (in the midst of relevant reforms that could’ve prevented our present crisis) in a concerted political plot to put José Sócrates in power. 

I’d like to congratulate the 58.9% of the Portuguese Electorate for having fulfilled its electoral duty and for having respected the memory of those who fought for the right to vote.

To the remaining 41.1% who were “too busy” to vote, I say: shame on you and you are a sham! You call yourself a national citizen, you benefit from the country’s welfare, you pretend to be patriotic and then spit on the memory of the forefathers who fought for the right to be heard; who were tortured and killed for, and in the name of, Democracy. No, politicians are not all the same and politics doesn’t have to be dirty – frankly, people who use this argument, not to cast a vote, are pitiful, embarrassing and disrespectful. 

PSD (centre-right, with 105 MPs) and CDS/PP ([Christian Democracy] right, with 24 MPs) have the majority and are now in place to begin fixing our crisis. 

PS (centre-left, with 73 MPs) left the nation in total bankruptcy. It lied to the parliament and to the electorate; it embellished the public finances; it forced the Portuguese Banks to buy Public Debt in lieu of pressing them to lend money to small and medium businesses (to avoid high rates of unemployment, for instance); it pushed Portugal into external aid and now the Right Wing Government has to abide to the Austerity Agreement PS signed with the IMF, ECB and the EU, while at the same time generating growth – it will be tricky, but PSD and CDS have the proper vision and technicians to do it.

PCP (communists, with 16 MPs) and BE (far-left, with 8 MPs) still resist, but the aim (following the European example) is to obliterate them once and for all – for that to happen the Right must build the foundations to create jobs, increase the minimum wage (presently +/- €480 [+/- US$570]), generate wealth, pay back the IMF as quickly as possible and increase the number of the middle-class citizens. 

Before I go, I’d like to add 3 final things: 

• Lisbon hadn’t elected PSD (founded by Sá Carneiro) for the past 35 years, but last Sunday it changed the course of history, by a sounding majority, when it chose Pedro Passos Coelho – congratulations!
• Passos Coelho said “O PSD de Sá Carneiro está vivo e recomenda-se!” (Transl: Sá Carneiro’s PSD is alive and I recommend it”). Francisco Sá Carneiro had a vision for Portugal: Political Democracy (among other things, holding the government accountable for its actions); Economic Democracy (the predominance of the public interest over the private interests, meaning that the welfare of the Nation comes first); Social Democracy (assurance of the fundamental rights - health care, welfare - just and progressive fiscal policies) and Cultural Democracy (equal access to opportunities: education, culture and encouragement to individual culture expression). 
• The present leader of the Conservative Party (PSD); Passos Coelho, finished his victory speech with the National Anthem – a clear call for the Nation to stand Tall, Proud and United to face the difficult times ahead and help the government to put Portugal back on track.