“It is necessary for the Government to stop having a reactive stance towards this situation. We need to understand what is being done to improve the fight and prevention of fires, […] why the Government is also delaying in convening the National Civil Protection Commission and we also need to know what is being done on the ground when the fires are extinguished, particularly concerning the emergency stabilization of the soil,” he stated.
Speaking to journalists at the Assembly of the Republic, the deputy argued that “when such situations occur, ministers are always weakened.”
“We have the loss of human lives, houses at risk, communities at risk, protected areas burning, we have a catastrophic situation where it is also clear that there is a failure in the response that the State is providing, and therefore, naturally this weakens the minister and weakens the entire Government and weakens the State as a whole, and that confidence that people have in the State’s actions,” he maintained.
When asked if the Minister of Internal Administration, Maria Lúcia Amaral, has the conditions to remain in office, the deputy said that “this is an assessment that the minister herself must make,” considering that the problems need to be solved rather than having just a “reactive attitude.”
The deputy also argued that the Government should have mobilized “all possible means” to respond to the fires and indicated that declaring a state of calamity “can be useful” for the “legal possibilities it opens to the Government.”
Regarding the support announced by the executive on Thursday, the Livre party argued that it should arrive on the ground “as quickly as possible, with communication and information as clear as possible, involving local authorities who know the territory, and with as little bureaucracy as possible.”
Paulo Muacho announced that the Livre party presented proposals today, including the recognition of the firefighter profession as one of rapid wear and tear and the creation of “a professional firefighter career within the framework of humanitarian firefighter associations.”
Also speaking to journalists in parliament, BE coordinator Mariana Mortágua accused the Government of “lack of awareness regarding the distress of people in fires,” adding that the “reaction to fires, preparation, organization, and mobilization of resources was delayed.”
Mariana Mortágua also called for “support to reach populations in a timely manner,” and lamented the executive leader’s concern with the “quantitative accounting of measures.”
“In the rush to announce more and more measures, some that do not even make sense, like the issue of moderating fees, which are no longer charged but are announced as a great benefit given to populations,” she criticized.
In a statement sent to media outlets, the sole deputy of JPP acknowledged the need for support for “those who have lost everything or almost everything” but lamented the lack of prevention measures.
Filipe Sousa said that the executive “continues to react to the tragedy instead of anticipating it” and considered that “if there is no courage to invest in prevention, in a year we will again be counting destroyed houses, lost jobs, and human lives taken by the fire.”
