Portuguese Social Democratic leader says 'Bolsonaro does not value transatlantic relations'

Sputnik - Baptista Leite, a doctor and head of the health section of the PSD's political program, was asked by Sputnik Brasil to detail the party's immigration policy. The Social Democrats advocate, for example, the repeal of the abolition of the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF), which was to be implemented in January but has been postponed.

The PSD proposes a reclassification of the SEF (Immigration and Borders Service) into a security force, assigning police functions to the agency and transferring administrative functions to the joint management of the Internal Security Service. The SEF fell into disrepute after the death of Ukrainian Igor Gomenyuk came to light; he was tortured by three agents of the service at Lisbon Airport and sentenced to prison terms of between seven and nine years.

"Instead of leading to a reform of the SEF, it led the government, for purely political reasons, to decide to end the SEF. We are absolutely against this decision. As it has been extended for another six months, our expectation is that, by winning the elections, we can maintain the SEF and reform it to be more effective in its policies of controlling entry and exit from the country, but also in a logic of integration," he promises. 

Baptista Leite did not shy away from criticizing the Minister of Internal Administration, Eduardo Cabrita, whose portfolio is responsible for the SEF (Immigration and Borders Service). Cabrita is a worn-out figure in the socialist government and should be replaced even with the PS (Socialist Party) victory. Also weighing on him is the death of a victim run over by his driver in an official car in which Cabrita was traveling at 163 km/h, 43 km/h above the maximum speed allowed on the road.

"In Portugal, unfortunately, we have had an extremely irresponsible attitude in management from Minister Cabrita. We had what was announced on paper, a pro-integration policy for immigrants, but then, in practice, what we saw was a decline in one of the most important bodies of the Portuguese State, which is the SEF," he criticizes. 

According to him, the policy of integrating immigrants needs to be carried out more effectively, in conjunction with Portuguese institutions such as NGOs. However, he emphasizes that public services need to be better prepared. He cites the National Health Service (SNS), whose crisis, with 1,2 million people without family doctors, was the subject of a recent report by Sputnik Brazil.

"Despite announcements that this population [of immigrants] has immediate access, regardless of whether they are here legally or illegally, the truth is that they have not been able to access the National Health Service. This contradicts what has been promised. The PSD understands that these are social policies to guarantee the protection not only of immigrants, but of the population as a whole," he states.

'Since Lula, there has been a cooling of bilateral relations'

Asked by Sputnik Brazil specifically about the importance of the migration process of the more than 222 Brazilians residing in Portugal, the largest foreign community in the country, Baptista Leite acknowledges that the Portuguese government needs to rebuild relations with Brazilians.

According to the congressman, after Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's presidency, the two countries have gradually distanced themselves, reflecting a preference by the Brazilian government to give more attention to the BRICS. In February, Jair Bolsonaro is scheduled to visit Russia at the invitation of Vladimir Putin.

On his first international trip in 2022, the Brazilian president is in Suriname, a country without geopolitical significance compared, for example, to Portugal, a historical partner that Bolsonaro has never visited. Meanwhile, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa's last visit to Brazil was full of diplomatic mishaps and embarrassments.

"We have a historical relationship that must be preserved. Portugal needs to know how to win back that relationship. From President Lula until today, there has been a cooling of bilateral relations between the two countries. Bolsonaro clearly does not value transatlantic relations as much as we do. It is fundamental to win back these relations, not only for economic reasons, but also for social and cultural reasons that have unfortunately been lost," he acknowledges. 

Candidate defends PSD as an alternative to extremists.

Baptista Leite defends Rui Rio, president of his center-right party, as a democratic alternative to extremist options, both on the left and the right. When questioned by Sputnik Brasil about whether he sees similarities between Bolsonaro and André Ventura, founder and leader of the Chega party, who has said he admires the Brazilian president, the PSD deputy avoids a direct comparison and prefers to provide a broader context.

"It's something that affects not only our two realities, Brazil and Portugal, it's a global phenomenon. There's a growth of extremes, of populist, demagogic movements, that take advantage of the population's growing dissatisfaction with the system or establishment. Social media has been a strong driver of this polarization," assesses Baptista Leite.

The deputy also confirmed that it is impossible for the PSD to form a coalition or agreement with Chega, as happened in the archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira. The statements were made during a virtual conference organized by the Foreign Press Association of Portugal (AIEP) last Friday (14), in Lisbon.

"With Rui Rio, we know what will happen in any scenario, and the PSD presents itself as a factor of stability for the country. Unlike Prime Minister António Costa, [who] nobody really knows what he will do if he doesn't have that absolute majority that the polls suggest. The PS is uncertainty," he compares.

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