Welcome to the Official page of the Presidency of the Portuguese Republic

Mister President,
Mister Speaker of the National Parliament,
Prime Minister,
Ambassadors,
Mayor of Santarém,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

National Day of Portugal... A day for congratulations. It can be a shining day and used for commonplaces. But it can also be a day for plebeian modesty and plain speaking.

This day has severally changed its name. At first it was Camões. Then it became Portugal, Race or the Communities. Now it is Portugal, Camões and the Communities. With or without tolerance, with or without a specific political intention, the subject of celebrations is always the same: the Portuguese. Wherever they are.

Camões and Portugal have been celebrated for more than 100 years. With differing tones, with differing ideas in accordance with the spirit of the time. What are always commemorated are the country and its people. For this reason the National Day of Portugal is always criticized. Such as Eça de Queiroz did when the first day of Camões was celebrated. He then asserted that the Portuguese, rather than quilts on their verandas, needed culture.

Peculiar day, this! It has already been a “republican manoeuvre”, as it was called by Jorge de Sena. It has already been the “glorification of the race”, as it was named in the past. And as Camões, it was used to praise imperialisms which he didn’t countenance. And as the Communities, to seduce our emigrants, whose remittances were very welcome.

States enjoy commemorating and to be commemorated. But they do not often know how to associate the people to such a gesture. At times, when it happens, it is awkwardly carried out. “Decreed celebrations, imposed by law, will never be popular”, Eça de Queiroz also said. He was right. But I must say that we have the unique joy of associating the national celebration to Camões. A poet, instead of a martial date. A poet who gave us voice. Who is our voice. Or, as stated by Eduardo Lourenço, a people who believe themselves to be Camões. Who are Camões. It is true to say that the people appreciate commemorations, if they do not spy a trap or a machination in them.

Commemorations are carried out to create or strengthen unity. To assert continuity. To reinterpret the past. To use History to the advantage of the present. To call on a hero that provides us with cohesion. To renew historic legitimacy. These are, and can be, ethical objectives. That is, if we are able to resist the temptation to appropriate ourselves with the past and with the heroes, in order to find excuses for the contemporary deficiencies.

This day should not go past without us viewing ourselves. But we can consciously do so. And with modesty.

With haughtiness we guarantee that Camões is the great writer of Portuguese language and one of the greatest poets in the world, but it would probably be preferable to study him, to make him known and to guarantee his perpetuity.

We assert, with verve, that the Portuguese navigators discovered the routes of the world in the 15th and 16th century, and that the Portuguese emigrants have coursed them since then. It would be preferable to so assert with the sense of duty to contribute towards the fastness of this community.

We say, with pride, that Portuguese is one of the great six languages of the world. But we should say so with the responsibilty we should assume for it.

When a Portuguese that represents us, that describes us, is chosen, we should choose a hero. He is Camões. We can celebrate him with narcissism. But also with the decency of who searches for the best in him.

Our greatest heroes, headed by Camões, became famous due to freedom and to their unsubmissive spirit. Due to adventure and enterprising effort. Due to their humanity and, at times, to tolerance. Unfortunately, they were so often used in the exact opposite sense: obedience or symbols of an obscene superiority.

Even today we knew how to render tribute to Salgueiro Maia. In him we celebrated freedom, but also the man himself. That this tribute be not ritually replaced with our duty to take care of democracy.

National commemorations are frequently tempted to emphasize or invent what is exceptional. The unique character of a people. Its glory. But we all feel today the limitations of that nationalistic recipe. Truly, commemorating Portugal and celebrating the Portuguese can be an act of lucidity and conscience. In our past, personified in Camões, what is more impressive is the lack of proportion between the people and the deeds, between the dimension and the achievement. Such as this extraordinary capability to resist, the pillar of the “persistence of nationality”, as stated by Orlando Ribeiro. But let this not delete or scumble the remainder. Celebrating Camões is not sharing the epic sense which he gave to his greatest work, but to understand the man, his freedom and his creativity. As it is equally to realize what we did rightly and what we did wrongly. We discovered worlds, we made war, sometimes unfairly. We civilized, but we also colonized without humanity. We learnt how to encounter freedom, but we lost years with wars and dictatorships.

We achieved democracy, but were unable to organize justice. We expanded education, but have not yet been able to provide good learning. We’ve done rightly and wrongly. We knew how to abandon the absurd mythology of an exceptional country, unique, in order to become a country like the others. But which is ours. For this reason we have to take care of it. So that others do not replace us for the purpose.

More than thirty years ago, on this day, Jorge de Sena gave us words which are echoing. He brought us a Camões who is human, knowledgeable, contradictory, irreverent, and even subversive.

Much has changed since then. The democratic regime became consolidated. Full of flaws, it is true. Still very rough, of course. But with rules that allow us to live in freedom.

Women’s situation has developed, and their presence in the midst of society. Invisible for a long time, submissive until recently, women have already achieved a different country.

Even the constitution of the people has changed. The plural society in which we live today, with several gods and creeds, with two equal genders, with diverse languages and many habits, with parties and associations as necessary, it would never be recognized by our forebears.

Society and country opened up to the world. In employment, in trade, in study, in travel, in individual relationships and even in marriage, the open society is a recent innovation.

Belonging in the European Union, shyly wished for three decades ago, not by all by any means, is now an accepted fact.

These thirty years also saw the birth of the Welfare State, with special emphasis on the National Health Service, the universal social security and schooling for the younger people. This is certainly one of the greater achievements.

These changes are a matter of joy. But they should not delude what still requires change. What was not possible to be progressed. And the changes that went wrong.

Society and the State are still excessively centralized. Social inequalities persist beyond what would be acceptable. Injustice is perennial. Lack of justice as well. Privilege still gains over merit. Everyone’s indebtedness, the country’s, the State’s, companies and families, is excessive and is a lien on the next generation. Our membership of the European Union is not clearly discussed and does not cause a serious thought on our future as an independent nationality.

A few days ago, the European election confirmed well known situations and diagnoses. The enormous abstention showed once again the permanent crisis of legitimacy and representation of the European institutions. European citizenship is a vague and uncertain notion. It is a concept invented by politicians and jurists, not a reality lived and understood by the people. It is a pretext of the State, not a feeling of the people. Belonging to Europe is, for the people, a philosophy without cultural, spiritual or political tradition. The European States and people should think again, once, twice, three times, before proceeding along paths without exit or false courses which could end fatally.

It is the thought of these generations that leads us to take advantage of a commemoration and a hero to better link the past with the future.

Let us not use our heroes to make excuses for ourselves. Let us use them as examples. Because examples have more durable effects than any proactive teaching.

For justice and for tolerance, the Portuguese need examples rather than lessons in ethics.

For honesty and against corruption, the Portuguese need examples rather than sermons.

For effectiveness, for punctuality, for public service and for habits of civility, the Portuguese are more sensitive to example than to threat and contempt.

For freedom and for respect due to others, the Portuguese will learn better from examples than from solemn statements.

Against moral and civic decadence, the Portuguese will gain more from examples than from pompous speeches.

For rewarding merit and punishing favouritism, the Portuguese will follow the examples which have the highest sense of justice.

More than anything else, the Portuguese need examples. Examples from their forebears and from their betters. The examples of their heroes but also from their leaders. From the richest, whose responsibilities should overcome the limitations of their wealth. From the knowledgeable, whose first concern should be the dissemination of their knowledge. From the powerful, who should look closer at those who provided them with power. From those who are more responsible, whose ethos should be to serve.

Give the example and that gesture will be fertile! It is not worth while to use a commonplace, to give “signs of hope” or “messages of confidence”. Whoever acts as such only has the formula and the rhetoric. Given the example of firm but flexible power, and democracy will improve. Given the example of honesty and truth, and corruption will be reduced. Given the example of humane and fair treatment, and the furrows will lessen. Given the example of work, saving and investment, and the economy will feel its effects.

Politicians, entrepreneurs, union members and public servants: be conscious that, in times of excessive information and publicity, your words become ever emptier and worthless and that your example is ever more decisive. If you have the correct regard for those who work you will be able to better overcome any crisis. If you are true you will be respected, even in difficult times.

In times of economic crises, of lowering ethical criteria in the exercise of entrepreneurial or political office, good example can be the key, not for miraculous solutions, but for the effort to recover the country.