In statements today, Filipe Sousa explained that he has submitted a request for Minister Maria Lúcia Amaral to be “immediately heard” in Parliament on this matter due to it being “the peak period for potential fires in the region.”
The JPP member highlighted that during a Leaders’ Conference, “the PSD was the only party to vote against [the minister’s immediate hearing], and it was decided to only hear from the minister in September, at the end of the summer.”
“This was the right time for the minister to clarify what has occurred, not when the fire season is nearly over,” he stressed.
The JPP deputy mentioned that the hearing was requested about a week ago and aimed to “clarify the exclusion of the region from the national aerial firefighting plan.”
In a statement, Filipe Sousa considered the PSD’s position to “reveal an unacceptable disregard for the populations of Madeira,” who continue to face the issue of fires with insufficient resources and unfulfilled promises. He labeled the social democrats’ stance as “shameful political obstruction” and “political sabotage” regarding the second helicopter intended to strengthen the Regional Civil Protection Service’s fire-fighting capacity in the region.
The allocation of a second helicopter was announced after the fires in August of last year and was “announced and politically assumed, both by the regional government alliance and by the coalition of the same parties that govern at the national level, the PSD/CDS,” stated the JPP parliamentarian.
The deputy criticized what he described as the “complicit silence of the PSD deputies elected by Madeira in the Assembly of the Republic,” arguing that “they stayed silent when they should have demanded explanations, and they continue to remain silent after their party blocked the minister’s attendance in Parliament.”
“They demonstrate with this behavior that such narrative has only been bait to win votes,” he added, emphasizing that “they have blocked a legitimate request for parliamentary scrutiny and political accountability.”
Filipe Sousa further censured the silence of the PSD deputies elected by Madeira for being “silent and submissive to Lisbon’s centralism, while the Government of the Republic fails Madeira,” recalling that the second helicopter’s deployment was promised during the election campaign, where the party assured that “everything was agreed.”
The deputy emphasized that the party refuses to “condone this political hypocrisy,” highlighting the importance of “ensuring resources adequate for protecting human lives, assets, forest heritage, and respect for the people of Madeira.”
“Those who block political scrutiny protect error and perpetuate impunity. The PSD has betrayed Madeira once again. And the people of Madeira have the right to know why,” he concluded.
A second aerial firefighting resource was scheduled to commence operations in the region, funded by the State, initially starting July 1. However, the Regional Government’s president (PSD/CDS), Miguel Albuquerque, noted that the process was delayed, citing early legislative elections and the inauguration of the new government as reasons.
Since 2018, Madeira has had an aerial resource permanently operating in the Regional Civil Protection Service, which, apart from assisting in firefighting, is used for rescue operations and funded by the regional budget.
On July 21, Albuquerque stressed that this second resource was subject to public tender. On July 25, the Madeira government announced that the public tender, initiated by the national government, received no bidders, making it “very unlikely” that the new helicopter will be available this year.
