AD Under Fire for Neglect, Prioritizing Wrongfully, as per Rui Rocha's Allegations
Rewritten Article:
In a lively session at the Mosteiro de São Bento da Vitória, Porto, Rui Rocha, the leader of the Liberal Initiative (IL), unleashed a barrage of criticism against the Alliance (AD) for failing to deliver on much-needed reforms. He bemoaned the country's predicament, stating that AD's misguided priorities had led to structural gaps in crucial areas.
"C'mon, Portugal's been hanging in the balance because of AD's screw-ups," Rocha grumbled, slamming the PSD/CDS coalition for their mishandling of critical issues.
In the health sector, the IL leader underscored Portugal's staggering figure of 1.5 million citizens without a family doctor, critiqued the rotating closures of emergency departments, and decried the endless waiting lists for consultations and surgeries.
"Listen, we shouted this to AD. We repeated it over and over—band-aid solutions won't cut it, won't fix the damn problems," Rocha exclaimed, adding that the core issue lies in the obsession with the National Health Service (SNS) as the heart of the healthcare system.
"That's messed up, no doubt about it. SNS is cool, but the real heart of the healthcare system should be the people, the Portuguese. That's the change needed in this country," he stressed.
Regarding housing, Rocha described the current situation as a "scam," with young adults stuck in their parents' homes, professionals missing out on opportunities, and cohabitation becoming a necessity post-relationship.
"We told AD their measures were weak. It's bloody obvious that the PS has a significant part to play in this mess, but AD, coming in afterward, made things even worse by taking the wrong and ill-conceived measures," he complained.
According to Rocha, AD's measures boosted demand in the housing market but ignored measures aimed at increasing supply, as promised during their election campaign.
"We're gonna remind AD they forgot these crucial measures. Our party will also come up with ideas like cutting construction VAT to 6% or simplifying the process," he promised.
In taxes, Rocha asserted that AD had broken their promises by implementing insufficient tax cuts that barely benefited the majority of Portuguese.
He further attacked the state of the Portuguese administration, calling Monday's blackout a "textbook example" of the state's fragility and its neglect of critical functions.
"We had a minister say the solution was to take gas from official vehicles and bring it to a maternity ward. That's a tragedy if it wasn't ridiculous," he lamented, surrounded by members carrying posters advocating for a leaner state, lower taxes, and faster development.
"Portugal, this time it's liberal because IL knows its stuff. This time it's liberal because IL is up for any challenge. This time it's liberal because IL has the answers for the nation and the courage to implement them," Rocha stated.
He opened his speech acknowledging the widespread perception that this election campaign lacked substance and focused on controversies.
"If you're hunting for controversy, you won't find it here. IL has no crap to sell, but more importantly, IL has solutions for Portugal," he declared.
Additional Insights:- Housing: IL advocates lowering the VAT rate in construction projects, aiming to stimulate housing development, and encourages homeowners to rent properties through undisclosed measures.- Healthcare: Rocha emphasizes the need for clarity in crucial healthcare situations and highlights systemic issues, but his party lacks specific policy proposals.- Taxation: The sole tax proposal detailed is the VAT reduction for construction, with broader taxation reforms, such as income or corporate tax changes, not addressed in search findings.- Modernization of the State: Rocha advocates resolving inefficiencies in emergency communications and improving crisis coordination. He also advocates for greater transparency regarding disclosures, particularly regarding Prime Minister Montenegro’s family business ties. Specific proposals for digitalization or bureaucratic streamlining are not mentioned in the search results.
- Rui Rocha, the Liberal Initiative's leader, criticized the Alliance for their insufficient tax cuts aimed at benefiting the majority of Portuguese, calling it a tragic policy-and-legislation oversight.
- In politics, the Liberal Initiative (IL) has proposed patching up Portugal's housing crisis by reducing construction VAT to 6% and simplifying the rental process, addressing the current situation that has left many young adults and professionals in a state of cohabitation.
- In the general news, a tragic event occurred when a minister suggested taking gas from official vehicles to supply a maternity ward during a blackout, a policy-and-legislation move that Rocha, the IL leader, strongly opposed.
- In the Portuguese healthcare sector, Rocha criticized the Alliance's consultations and surgeries waiting lists, stating that their obsession with the National Health Service (SNS) as the heart of the healthcare system was misguided, and the real heart should be the people, the Portuguese.
