Manuela Ferreira Leite shows how to make a point, with elegance
Usually perceived as one of the ‘dry old faces of former PSD years’, former finance minister Manuela Ferreira Leite has shown she has a keen sense of humour. A recent guest on satirical show Isto é Gozar com Quem Trabalha, she showed a side that everyday people rarely saw when she was a member of parliament.
Today, as political parties are throwing every last bit of energy into convincing voters that ‘they’ are the ones people should be voting for, she has managed to put the boot in, with great elegance.
Luís Montenegro is a “a loyal, serene, peaceful person, not subject to psychological alterations”.
Leaving party-faithful listening to these words under no illusions as to who is not loyal, serene, peaceful or without psychological alterations, Ms Ferreira Leite moved effortlessly on to say Luís Montenegro is “a man of his word” – the sort that if he owes someone money, he tries in a logical, considered way to resolve the problem of paying that debt”. He doesn’t come up with a solution that means he doesn’t pay the debt.
In short, “any one of us could buy a second hand car from Luís Montenegro…”
What this positive assessment of AD’s leader said about the only other contender for the job of Portugal’s prime minister spoke volumes.
Ms Ferreira Leite did get ‘stuck into the Socialist legacy’ at a lunch meeting in Lisbon today – referring to the Socialists “taking our money through taxes and then giving us pennies” in return. But the way she ‘elevated’ the AD leader without criticising his rival was in stark contrast to the messages coming out of the PS camp throughout the campaign, and particularly in the last few days.
Commentators on SIC Notícias concluded yesterday that the PS campaign has all been about ‘looking back’ and evoking the horrors of the past (under PSD); blaming the right for the troika years (without accepting that the country was bankrupted by a previous Socialist administration) – while the right’s focus (AD and Iniciativa Liberal) has been much more about looking forwards, and talking positively about changes they hope to bring about.
Today’s papers/ commentary slots on television are all pointing to a sea change in Portugal’s politics, with the right very possibly winning through to get its chance to steer the country to a brighter future. But polls have been widely off the mark in the past, so there really is no telling…
PS Socialists meantime are encouraging the electorate that wants a government of the left not to vote for any of the other smaller left-leaning parties (something the smaller left-leaning parties will not be appreciating), and CHEGA is using the day to predict ‘three large parties’ in parliament after March 10 (meaning CHEGA will cement its place as the 3rd political force), seeking a definitive say in the future government: “We don’t want any kind of permanent parliamentary understanding, this is out of the question“, leader André Ventura repeated today.
