Portugal's president insults his people

Portuguese President Aníbal Cavaco Silva stated last Friday in an interview that he didn't know whether his pension would cover his expenses. This statement comes as an insult to the Portuguese, who are suffering the brunt of the crisis, writes Bruno Proença, editor in chief of the liberal business paper Diário Económico: "In no time at all Cavaco Silva has transformed from gentle as a lamb to beastly. As a central figure for social dialogue the president has tossed away his political capital with the people with his silly comment on his pension. ... Anyone who heard him speak could be certain that his words were unrehearsed and expressed his deepest convictions. The president really believes that roughly 8,000 euros per month is too little and he needs more. I don't even want to know what expenses he has, but one thing was clear to me: he doesn't live in the same world as the majority of Portuguese who eke out a living on an average income of less than 800 euros."

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