In a statement released, the sole deputy of the Juntos Pelo Povo party in the Assembly of the Republic urged a meeting between the head of state and the executive leader that “goes beyond photographs and declarations of circumstance” and brings “concrete measures, because the country is burning, and there is no more time to waste.”
“One of the topics that must be on the table is the drama of forest fires and the national shame of continuing without serious prevention,” stated Deputy Filipe Sousa.
The Madeiran party criticizes the “lack of planning and governance failure,” which led Portugal to enter the “critical phase of summer without its own aerial resources,” deeming it “unacceptable that a country, which knows exactly when the fire season begins, still relies on last-minute negotiations and improvised rentals.”
Filipe Sousa refers to the fact that Portugal activated the bilateral cooperation mechanism with Morocco to receive two Canadair planes to fight fires, following the breakdown of aircraft operating in the country.
JPP demands “serious prevention, all year round,” as well as “permanent and national resources, functioning coordination and an end to reliance on hasty solutions.”
“Fire does not wait for meetings or bureaucracies. Flames don’t care about excuses. It is time to act with responsibility and courage because each day that passes without a decision means more territory, more lives, and more future lost,” the party concluded.
The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, and the Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, are meeting today at the Faro City Hall, both press offices announced.
The information that the weekly meeting between the head of state and the executive leader will take place in Faro at 6:00 p.m., instead of being held at the traditional site of the Palácio de Belém, was publicized nearly simultaneously, first by the Presidency and a minute later by the Prime Minister’s office.
