The communist leader addressed journalists at the conclusion of a public session about the northeastern region of Trás-os-Montes, in the municipality of Bragança, where he stated that while the country does not have unlimited resources, it has sufficient means to improve people’s lives and advance essential projects by making necessary choices.
“(…) We have two options: invest 5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in war, or allocate the necessary money to improve people’s lives. It’s a terrible principle,” the secretary-general said.
Paulo Raimundo continued, saying that increased investment in the sector could be justified for reasons such as improving military equipment workshops, assisting veterans, or improving current salaries and working conditions within the branch.
“If it were this way, we are open to it. We find it important. The idea of progressing towards the madness of 5% of GDP is merely to cater to those who want to sell war materials,” concluded the leader.
The session took place at the decommissioned railway station, now transformed into the Estação das Artes, a cultural space, and marked the start of the region’s municipal elections, with several district candidates present, including Mirandela’s candidate Vera Correia.
Paulo Raimundo mentioned that choosing the location was an “act of resistance” because the party believes the Tua Mobility System could still become a reality, with trains returning.
Prior to this, he addressed the issue, linking it to the national resources matter and the necessity of making choices that could benefit the population, reminding that up until now, “nothing has been done.”
The plan was supposed to be operational by March 2017 as a counterbalance to the construction of the Foz-Tua dam, restoring train traffic between the enterprise area to Mirandela, with an investment of 10 million euros.
“The Ministry [of Infrastructure] explanations, but they could have convinced us. In concrete terms, nothing has progressed (…),” reiterated Paulo Raimundo.
