Portugal’s Minister for Culture resigned today after a row and subsequent calls for his head after he threatened two journalists with a good slapping.
João Soares, the son of the former president Mário Soares, is no great loss to culture nor current politics if reports of his cronyism are correct.
The shame of having the Prime Minister António Costa apologising on his behalf to the journalists will be hard to overcome if Soares wants to return to the Socialist fold.
António Costa said today that this was not the way the government wants to be behaving, at least when it comes to matters of culture.
Soares offered his resignation which gratefully was accepted by the PM who said that ministers must behave as ministers, "I have reminded members of this government, when they are acting as members of the government or when they are at the breakfast table, they must not fail to remember that they are members of the government."
As for the journalists, Dr Pulido Valente and Augusto Seabra, the PM said he had the highest esteem for Valente and a high regard for Seabra.
An online petition today was set up demanding Soares’ resignation but this was not needed after all, saving the embarrassment of a public discussion about the minister’s performance, or lack of.
Soares came under fire early on in his four month brief by replacing the head of the Belém Cultural Center with one of his own chums, a point highlighted by the press.
Augusto Seabra was under no doubt that Soares was in post as Minister for Culture due to his famous father and not due to his ability. Seabra wrote that the Soares appointment was just like the bad old days of socialist government and Soares only got the job as he is part of ‘a brotherhood of socialists and Freemasons.’
Soares, sensing the row was escalating, this afternoon sent a text message to one of the newspapers which read, "I am a peaceful man, I have never hit anyone. I did not react to opinions, I reacted to insults. I apologise if I scared them." This did little to calm the affair.
Soares' resignation leaves the door open at the Ministry of Culture for an appointee based on their merits, not on their name.
