“Listening to the Government, everything was prepared, everything was planned, there were more operatives on the ground, there were more resources to be made available and then, in the end, what there was was more disorganization, more difficulties in solving the problems and, above all, what there was was more fires and more business around the fire business, which is what happens with the scandal of the aerial means, the 338 million [euros] that come out of our pockets to rent the aerial means”, stated Paulo Raimundo, in Marinha Grande (Leiria).
The leader of the PCP, who spoke at the presentation of the CDU (PCP-PEV) candidates, mentioned that following this were “more promises, more pacts, more working groups, more commissions.”
“We were even confronted with productions trying to be Hollywood-style productions, but, poor things, the actors are so bad, they disguised poorly”, he declared, alluding to a video on social media featuring Chega leader André Ventura extinguishing a small fire.
According to Paulo Raimundo, “it was a bit of everything during this period,” but “the only thing that didn’t happen was to implement what has been decided for years.”
For the PCP General Secretary, the country doesn’t need new plans, projects, or commissions, but instead, “a policy at its service,” urging the implementation of the measures already decided.
“Once and for all, there should be the courage to respond, not to the interests of those who, in this case, make a business of the fires, but to the interests of the populations, the forest, the territory, the interior, the majority interests of those living and working in our country”, he advocated.
The PCP General Secretary also called for “courage to invest 3.5% of GDP [Gross Domestic Product] in the territory, in cohesion, in the forest, in populations, in their lives, in firefighters, in security forces, courage to invest 3.5% of GDP in the country.”
“This is the only war where it’s worth investing money, where it’s worth investing resources, this and only this is the only war where it’s worth investing,” added Paulo Raimundo.
To those present, and referring to the candidates for the municipal elections, he stated they are a “necessary and urgent alternative for Marinha Grande,” a municipality that the CDU has led and where it left “an exemplary work” and a “decisive contribution” in its construction.
The candidate for the Marinha Grande City Council is Sérgio Silva and for the Municipal Assembly is Alexandra Denguncho.
Mainland Portugal has been affected by multiple large-scale rural fires since July, especially in the North and Center regions.
The fires have resulted in four deaths, including a firefighter, and many injured, completely or partially destroyed primary and secondary homes, as well as agricultural and livestock enterprises and forest areas.
According to provisional official data, about 252,000 hectares have burned in the country by August 29.
In October 2017, more than 80% of the Leiria National Forest, which spans 11,062 hectares and covers two-thirds of the Marinha Grande municipality, burned in the fires in the Central region.
