The Secretary-General of the Socialist Party (PS), José Luís Carneiro, stated on Wednesday that the government is “slow to respond” to several projects targeting the Interior region, which he is currently visiting via the National Road 2.
In an interview with SIC Notícias, Carneiro emphasized that political power must understand that institutions, especially Civil Protection and others, “need political backing.”
“It was not the first time the government demonstrated incapacity. It also happened, unfortunately, during the blackout management. Political leadership must be present: what the country needs is not ‘TikTok firefighters’ or absent prime ministers,” he said, adding, “The country needs a present prime minister who assumes responsibilities to ensure a fundamental function of the state: the security of citizens and confidence in their democratic institutions.”
During his journey through the country’s Interior on the National Road 2 after departing from Chaves towards the Algarve, Carneiro noted that he has “heard a very clear appeal for a commitment to the cohesion and development of the Interior region of the country.”
When questioned about the end of district coordination during his role in the previous socialist government, José Luís Carneiro was asked if this ‘cut’ might have also contributed to the lack of coordination currently under discussion: “No. The proof is that in 2022 and 2023, and still part of 2024, with 2023 planning, Portugal had some of the best indicators of prevention, planning, and firefighting.”
The PS leader pointed out that in 2023, the projection of resources moved to 13 minutes, whereas in previous years it was 20 minutes, which is an indicator to consider, despite criticisms already existing at the time regarding the end of district coordination. “Reignitions, which were above 8% in 2022, were reduced to 4% in 2023. Today they have increased to 9%,” he stated, echoing a point already discussed this afternoon during the debate with the prime minister.
Carneiro “available” for a pact with the government, but demands “clarity”
Faced with the possibility of ‘closing’ a pact with the government on firefighting, José Luís Carneiro stated his availability but first accused the Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, and the Executive of “insensitivity,” particularly during the Festa do Pontal, which was criticized. Instead, he argued, he should have been at the national headquarters of Civil Protection: “The prime minister is the chief responsible for Civil Protection in the country, just as a mayor is in their municipality […]. Why did the government allow the decapitation of the intermediate structures of Civil Protection, which now sees a departure of highly qualified senior technicians over the last year?”
Carneiro emphasized, however, that it was necessary to know what the government “wants to do,” and insisted that the PS wished to know what previous proposals were made: “When the government explains clearly what it did, we will check if we are in harmony on how we approach these development matters.”
The debate on the coordination of firefighting took place this Wednesday for about an hour and a half, within the framework of the Permanent Committee of the Assembly of the Republic. The session was attended by the head of government, Luís Montenegro, and the Minister of Internal Administration, Maria Lúcia Amaral, who did not speak.
Other members of the government were present, but the absence of the Minister of Agriculture, José Manuel Fernandes, was noted and criticized by the PS leader, who said the situation showed “the commitment” the Executive sought to establish.
Besides the 25-year pact and criticisms about the absence of measures for firefighters among the 45 announced last week, the government also heard the opposition label the recent management as “incompetent.”
At the beginning of the debate, the prime minister assured he was “always on the ground,” at “the helm,” and, at the end, reinforced this idea, stating that to act as such he did not need to “wear a Civil Protection jacket.”
