The three PSD/Madeira deputies in the Assembly of the Republic could become an “independent group” if they are sanctioned by the party’s national leadership for defending the interests of the region, warned this Thursday, February 19, the leader of the regional structure, Miguel Albuquerque.
“If Madeira’s deputies start to be sanctioned for defending the interests of the region, we have other options within the parliamentary framework that we can take”he stated, highlighting that “PSD/Madeira does not bow to anyone, much less when the interests of the region are at stake”.
Miguel Albuquerque, who was speaking on the sidelines of the inauguration of the new facilities of the region’s Mobility and Transport Institute, in Funchal, where he traveled as president of the Regional Government (PSD/CDS-PP), was reacting to the approval of the proposals to change the social mobility subsidy, on Wednesday, in the Assembly of the Republic.
The diplomas were made possible with votes against from the PSD and CDS-PP benches (parties that support the Government), with the exception of the six social democratic deputies elected by the autonomous regions of Madeira and the Azores, who voted in favor.
PSD deputies Paulo Moniz, Francisco Pimentel and Nuna Menezes, elected by the Azores constituency, and Pedro Coelho, Vânia Jesus and Paulo Neves, elected by the Madeira constituency, exercised the right to freedom of vote that had been previously announced by the PSD parliamentary leader, Hugo Soares, but did not intervene in the discussion.
“If Madeira’s deputies are sanctioned or subject to restrictions on speaking in defense of the region’s interests, we will take action. That’s all I have to say”stated Miguel Albuquerque, warning that the three elected could become an “independent group”.
The head of the Madeiran executive and leader of the regional PSD considered, on the other hand, that the Government and the national leadership of the party suffered a “heavy defeat in the national parliament”, with the approval of the diplomas to change the new mobility allowance regime.
Albuquerque also classified the speech by the management of the PSD parliamentary group on the matter as “regrettable”.
“It was an arrogant, centralist and stupid speech, in a way, because, in essence, it came to blatantly attack the rights of Madeirans and Azoreans, as if the right to mobility were a gift from the Republic, or a favor they were doing to the residents of the islands”he maintained.
The Madeiran social-democratic leader stressed that those elected by the region “they were on the right side, on the side of autonomy, the people of Madeira and the interests of Madeirans and Porto Santos”reiterating that, if they continue to be subject to the “cork law”, the party’s regional leadership will “rethink” the relationship with the national structure.
“The Government was defeated and well defeated on an issue that it wanted to insist against the Madeirans and the Azoreans. This is absurd, everything that is happening”he stated, reinforcing: “They were touching on an issue and maintaining a position that is untenable from a constitutional point of view.”
Albuquerque considered it essential that the Government and the national leadership of the PSD “change hands” and return to “dealing with issues in the region that need to be resolved”, such as the review of the Regional Finance Law, the second aerial means of fighting fires, the debts of the health subsystems and the rehabilitation of the degraded PSP police stations.
“At this point, it remains to be seen whether the central government will follow this centralist trend, or whether it will change its hand, in order to try to resolve the problems that need to be resolved between the region and the Republic and that take time to be resolved”he reinforced.
The Assembly of the Republic approved, in general, two bills from the regional parliaments of the Azores and Madeira on Wednesday that waive the requirement for regularized contributory status when accessing the social mobility allowance (SSM) for air travel.
A diploma from Chega was also approved, with PSD, CDS-PP and IL voting against, and Livre and PCP abstaining, which defends the simplification of the SSM, proposing that the designation be replaced by “Right to Compensation for Territorial Continuity” and that the granting of this subsidy “implies the purchase and effective use of the ticket corresponds to the payment of a variable amount without a maximum limit”.
With general approval, these three diplomas are sent to the 14th Infrastructure, Mobility and Housing Commission, for discussion in the specialty.
Parliamentary assessments want to change the PSD/CDS-PP Government ordinance that defines how to determine the value of the social mobility subsidy, which it introduced as a criterion for access to reimbursement for tickets to “regularity of the beneficiary’s contribution and tax situation, before Social Security and the Tax and Customs Authority”.
The measure, which was suspended until March 31, generated protests from regional executives and political parties in the Azores and Madeira, who accused the Government of the Republic of discriminating against citizens of autonomous regions.
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