In anticipation of the upcoming debate on the state of the nation set for Thursday at the Assembly of the Republic, Filipe Sousa expressed his concern that the “political class is completely detached from the real problems of the country,” while acknowledging the current government’s “intention to solve various long-standing issues.”
“The truth is there is a general discontent in our society, with families seeing no solutions from politicians and our leaders to resolve issues; we see the middle class completely burdened with taxes without any solutions in sight,” he added.
The deputy from the Madeira-based party identified “glaring failures” in the nation’s health, education, and security sectors, regretting the “ideological barriers” hindering progress in addressing these issues.
He also highlighted the “immigration issue” as another subject the Government needs to address in parliament but bemoaned the topic being discussed with “hate-filled rhetoric that leads nowhere in solving problems,” calling for a humanitarian and tolerant policy approach.
During the state of the nation debate—the first since the JPP was represented in parliament—Filipe Sousa intends to challenge the Government on matters concerning the autonomous regions, specifically regarding “strengthening autonomous powers,” revising the regional finance law, and promoting the Madeira International Business Center.
Filipe Sousa further emphasized the importance of “balance in public finances,” stating that discussing “large investments” is impossible without financial consolidation.
Following parliamentary recess, the JPP plans to focus, as explained by the sole deputy, on revising the regional finance law to eliminate what he describes as discrimination against some municipalities, as well as including measures targeting Madeira and marginalized social groups in the upcoming State Budget.
“This will be the first State Budget I will go through (…) I will work on it with a strong focus on Madeira, but also on the country, because Madeira is an island, but there are many islands in the mainland: abandoned youth, marginalized elderly (…) I will try to reach these fringes, these islands, and give voice to these islands on behalf of Portugal,” he explained.
Scheduled for Thursday is the debate on the state of the nation, the first since the XXV Constitutional Government took office, which will include the presence of Prime Minister Luís Montenegro and the rest of the government ensemble.
