BE leader accuses Miguel Albuquerque of “political responsibilities”
Photos below are from Mandy Carter of the burnt area that took almost all of Curral das Freiras.
“The latest fires in Madeira that shocked the country” was the reason for Mariana Mortágua, the National Coordinator of the Left Bloc (BE), to travel to the Region and more specifically to the ‘burning’ Serra de Água.
In the form of a political assessment, it concludes that the political management of the great fire reveals a “brutal failure” with the responsibility of the president of the Regional Government, but not only.
“It is very important that we can remove political responsibilities and these political responsibilities are Miguel Albuquerque’s but also those of the parties that support the PSD here in RAM: Chega, Iniciativa Liberal, PAN and CDS”, she accuses.
Surrounded by burnt earth at one of the viewpoints below the Pousada dos Vinháticos, Mariana Mortágua concluded: “Everything failed in the fires”. Starting with prevention and criticizing the region’s non-inclusion in the National Fire Fighting Plan, “which prevents national resources from being activated immediately”.
To make matters worse, the fight against the fire that raged for almost a week and a half was made worse by the fact that “the Regional Government not only failed to intervene immediately but also refused to provide assistance from the Republic. The Secretary responsible for Civil Protection (Pedro Ramos) even dared to say that he only had 10% of the resources available to fight the fire. Now that is extremely irresponsible”, she added.
The same applies to the stance of Miguel Albuquerque, “president of the Regional Government who preferred to continue on vacation in Porto Santo, leaving an entire population abandoned”.
Arguments to reaffirm that “the BE has understood for a long time that Miguel Albuquerque is not qualified to preside over the Regional Government of Madeira, nor is the PSD qualified to do this job”. She emphasizes that this position is not only related to the issue of the fires. But such was also “the arrogance, the haughtiness, the disrespect that Miguel Albuquerque showed for the people of Madeira. It was of such an order that it is inconceivable that he should remain as president of the Regional Government as if nothing had happened”, she stated
The national leader of the Left Bloc took advantage of her visit to the Region to assure that the Left Bloc will propose the reinforcement of aerial fire-fighting resources positioned in Madeira and to be supported by the State. A proposal to this effect will be presented to be included in next year’s State Budget.
She also explained why she had only come to Madeira now.
“Disaster scenarios are not a stage for politicians to make propaganda or to show off to the country. Now that the most dramatic moment has passed, we cannot forget the dramas, we cannot forget the catastrophe, we cannot forget the anguish that these people in the region experienced and there are political responsibilities that must be taken on and that is why we came here”, she added.