Last week’s parliamentary activity once again brought to the center of the debate a difficult question that still consumes many good people: how should democracy deal with those who constantly test its limits? The risks of giving rise to the victimization that is part of “anti-system” narratives are weighed on one scale; on the other, the risks of normalizing abuse and abuse when we just shrug our shoulders.
First of all, it is worth understanding that the Assembly of the Republic is not only a stage for political confrontation, but also, and above all, the home of democracy. A space where freedom of expression and lively debate must coexist with rules of institutional respect, responsibility and decorum. When these rules are systematically challenged and disrespected, we are faced with an attempt to redefine the boundaries of the democratic game.
This is what Teresa Morais decided not to let go unnoticed, this week, in Parliament. The vice-president of the AR took the reins of the sessions, in the absence of president Aguiar-Branco, and decided to be vocal in defending the honor of the institution she presided over at that time.
First, in the fortnightly debate with the prime minister, pointing out to André Ventura that he could not distort the rules of interpellation at the table to continue the political speech and not backing down in the face of the disregard of Chega’s president, who tried to belittle her by telling her that she “shouldn’t even be there” that day.
Then, the next day, when he decided not to let Ventura’s accusation pass to congresswoman Isabel Moreira, from PS, and the parliamentary leaders of Livre and PCP, of remaining silent when women are raped by foreign citizens. By stating that no deputy wants to hide rapists or ignore crimes against women, Teresa Morais did not make a party intervention, nor did she wave any feminist flag. He “limited himself” to doing the essential thing: defending the honor of the institution he presided over at that time.
There are those who see in this attitude the naivety of feeding the populists’ preferred narrative: that of the “system” that wants to silence them. Just remember how the former president of the Assembly of the Republic, Augusto Santos Silva, was so often accused of contributing to Chega’s growth for this reason.
A different approach is, for example, the style of the current president, José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, who advocates letting the dynamics of parliamentary debate regulate conflicts.
Both approaches have obvious risks. But when one day we look back to take stock of this political time, it will be important to realize that there were those who did not hesitate to raise their voices to defend democratic institutions and the values of decency. Teresa Morais, surely, cannot be accused of having watched in silence.
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