“There is something that must be convened, relating to the state of calamity, because to support the populations, particularly in the realm of agriculture, the restoration of agroforestry production, and the rehabilitation of infrastructures and industrial or business equipment linked to rural and forested areas, it is necessary to declare the state of calamity,” stated the Socialist leader, speaking to journalists during a visit to the island of Faial in the Azores.
José Luís Carneiro had already suggested on Sunday the convening of the National Civil Protection Council following severe fires that broke out in several regions of the country. However, Prime Minister Luís Montenegro has since requested trust in the work carried out by the National Civil Protection Service in fighting the fires.
“Naturally, we must trust in the national Civil Protection apparatus, and once again express our solidarity for all the efforts being made,” emphasized José Luís Carneiro, adding that “another matter is the political dimension,” of a state that “acted wrongly” by not seeking support from the European Union, not declaring a state of emergency, not convening the National Civil Protection Commission, and not declaring a state of calamity.
The secretary-general of PS also considered that recent statements by Luís Montenegro regarding European support for combating the fires reveal a lack of understanding about how these mechanisms function to address situations like the current one in Portugal.
“I myself, when I had responsibilities [at the Ministry of Internal Administration], went to the European Commission with my European colleagues, not only to demand resources but also to demand that they be pre-positioned to respond more effectively,” recalled the former Socialist minister.
José Luís Carneiro also expressed dissatisfaction with the clarifications provided by the government on this matter and guaranteed that the PS parliamentary group in the Assembly of the Republic will propose the creation of an independent technical commission to investigate the “lack of political leadership” in this fight against the fires.
“An independent technical commission that can illustrate how political leadership and oversight were lacking” in this process, insisted the secretary-general of PS, recalling that “it is enough to listen to the heads of various directive structures,” “the humanitarian associations of firefighters and even the mayors” of the burnt areas, who, in his view, “have felt a void, particularly in political oversight.”
In his opinion, there are three ministries essential for better coordination in fighting the fires (Internal Administration, National Defense, and Justice), although all should be coordinated by the National Civil Protection Commission which, in his opinion, unfortunately, has not been convened yet.
When asked whether he agrees with the call for the resignation of the Minister of Internal Administration, Maria Lúcia Amaral, demanded yesterday by the national leader of Chega, André Ventura, the secretary-general of PS responded that the blame for the poor crisis management does not lie solely with her: “Responsibilities cannot be attributed to a single minister, and this is why responsibility must be demanded from the prime minister.”
