The President of the French-language Socialist Party, Elio du Rupo, told Prime Minister Charles Michel to calm down and watch what he’s saying.
In a press release published on Saturday, he said he was shocked by statements that appeared in the Sudpresse papers. Mr Michel compared Mr Di Rupo’s words to those of the Far-right, said he had “lost it” and accused him of “inciting hate”. This was because Mr Di Rupo “dared to say that this government had attacked Social Security more than any other in decades”.
“I would ask Charles Michel to just calm down and watch what he’s saying. It is clear that we have very different opinions when it comes to Social Security and the government’s policy, but you can still show the other respect and act properly while debating politics” the Socialist President said in the press release.
“He has raised the legal pension age to 67, reduced the amount refunded for specialist appointments and prescriptions, reduced part-time worker’s income and above all threatened the financing of Social Security for the next few years (through a bill submitted this week). Because of this, Mr Michel struggles to defend what he has done to Social Security. So he uses outrage and personal attacks to divert attention away from it. Politics deserves better than that”, said Mr Di Rupo.
The Socialist President does share Mr Michel’s opinion that “Belgium is one of the countries least affected by the economic crisis thanks to its social security system”.
“In fact, the Belgian social model is one of the best in the world. That’s precisely why it is important to protect and reinforce it, and not undermine it as the MR-N-VA government is currently doing”, said Mr Di Rupo.
