“It is a shame, an outrage to the autonomous rights and citizenship of the Portuguese in the autonomous regions,” said JPP Secretary-General Élvio Sousa during a press conference in Funchal.
He was referring to the opinion of the Madeira Regional Government (PSD/CDS), in a document requested by the Assembly of the Republic regarding the attribution of the mobility social subsidy.
The PCP presented a bill so that island residents for flights to the mainland (beneficiaries of the subsidy) only have to pay the final amount (with the subsidy already applied) at the time of ticket purchase. Similarly, the JPP (with a single deputy) submitted a vote proposal in the national parliament in the same direction.
Currently, most trips must be initially purchased at the sale price, with the resident then needing to request a refund at the postal service to pay only the defined maximum fare.
In the opinion from the Madeiran executive, it states that “all beneficiaries could obtain the mobility social subsidy (SSM) very shortly after the ticket issue date,” and that the “Regional Government issues a generally unfavorable opinion on what has been proposed,” as noted by the chief of staff of the regional secretary for Tourism, Culture, and Environment, Eduardo Jesus.
According to Élvio Sousa, this means “the Madeirans will continue to be guarantors of the State with the approval of the centralist regional alliance PSD/CDS.”
“In other words, this document clearly shows that the PSD/CDS Regional Government does not want the payment of only 79 euros and 59 euros [at the time of purchase] for trips to the mainland, but wants to have the Madeirans pay the total amount through a platform, and then receive the refund very quickly,” he stated.
The JPP parliamentary leader in the Madeira Legislative Assembly accused the three PSD deputies elected by Madeira to the Assembly of the Republic of “betraying the rights of the Madeirans” for having used the “miraculous platform as bait” to secure votes.
“The PSD, both in the Regional Government and the three PSD deputies, is bending and controlled by centralism,” he said, arguing that “they traded the rights and aspirations of the Madeirans for an electronic platform that will continue to demand hundreds of euros from families and companies to travel within their own country.”
In Élvio Sousa’s view, there is no doubt that the executive “has been deceiving” the Madeirans and Porto Santo residents regarding this matter.
For the leader of the largest opposition party (holding 11 of the 47 seats in Madeira’s parliament), “betraying their word, the PSD and CDS have already given up on upfront payment and are nurturing the construction of an electronic platform […] to continue making the Madeirans bear the full cost of the trips between the region and the mainland.”
The opinion of the island executive, issued on July 16, “shows, clearly in black and white, that this PSD/CDS government is in the hands of centralists who wish to keep the Madeirans and Porto Santo residents shouldering the State’s expenses and responsibilities,” adds Élvio Sousa.
The opposition leader highlights that the PSD’s history regarding the subsidy “is bleak,” recalling that it was the Regional Government that proposed a cap that ended up inflating travel prices.
The new mobility social subsidy model for residents and students from the Azores and Madeira, regarding trips to the mainland and between archipelagos, came into effect on April 3, including a reduction in the maximum fare covered by the beneficiary.
The maximum fare paid by Azores residents on trips to the mainland decreased from 134 to 119 euros, or from 99 to 89 euros for students, with a 600-euro eligible cost limit for the ticket.
For trips between Madeira and the mainland, the maximum fare for residents dropped from 86 to 79 euros and for students from 65 to 59 euros, with a 400-euro eligible cost limit for Madeira and 500 euros for Porto Santo.
For trips between the two archipelagos, the maximum fare for residents decreased from 119 to 79 euros and for students from 89 to 59 euros, with a maximum eligible cost limit of 600 euros for the tickets.
