Former Internal Administration Minister Eduardo Cabrita accused the government on Wednesday of having “abandoned” fire prevention efforts and criticized Internal Administration Minister Maria Lúcia Amaral’s comments on the number of helicopters, describing them as evidence of “total political unpreparedness and inexperience.”
“What is regrettable is that we are regressing several years in how we approach these issues. We only start talking about them when they arise,” Eduardo Cabrita stated in an interview with SIC Notícias, referring to the forest fires plaguing Portugal.
The former minister in António Costa’s socialist government explained that “what changed” since the 2017 fires, which claimed over 60 lives, was the “priority given to prevention,” accusing the current government of having “abandoned that prevention effort.”
Emphasizing that there is “a lack of communication” and “political coordination” in combating fires, Eduardo Cabrita reminded that “this is not a matter exclusive to Internal Administration.”
The former socialist minister also regarded the comments made by current Internal Administration Minister Maria Lúcia Amaral about the lack of aerial firefighting resources as “proof of total inexperience in this area.”
“I have a lot of respect for Dr. Maria Lúcia Amaral’s qualities, but in this matter, it is of a total political unpreparedness and inexperience in Civil Protection,” he asserted.
The issue arose from the minister’s defense on Tuesday that the number of aerial firefighting resources is irrelevant, as what is causing “difficulty for the operatives” in the ongoing fires are the terrain characteristics.
Maria Lúcia Amaral stressed that, regarding the fires most troubling authorities, “the existence of 72 or 76 or 80 aerial resources” would be irrelevant, “because what causes difficulty for the operatives is the extremely rugged nature of the terrain, the difficulty of access.”
Eduardo Cabrita stated, “to say that aerial resources are irrelevant is something that proves a total disconnect from the intervention needs in these types of areas.”
The former minister lamented that the current government of Luís Montenegro treats the fire issue “as if it were a recurring fatality that happens in remote places somewhere every summer.”
“And that is not the case. It is something that requires political coordination, intervention from various sectors, and a focus centered on prevention,” he emphasized.
Eduardo Cabrita stressed that the issue of fire prevention was a “political priority” after the 2017 fires but was abandoned by the AD government.
“It was an issue that did not only emerge in the summer. It was a matter that, throughout the entire year, was a continuously reiterated political priority. That disappeared with Luís Montenegro in the last two years,” he argued.
The former minister further stated that “we have a government that has shown itself incapable” during the management of fires, but highlighted that there is a Civil Protection structure that “deserves the trust of the Portuguese.”
It should be noted that, according to the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority, as of 7:00 PM this Wednesday, 17 significant rural fires were ongoing.
