On the streets of Ponta Delgada, those facing rain and wind remain oblivious to the political storm that has hit the Azores parliament in Horta.
In the cafes, the televisions are tuned to sports channels, although RTP/Açores has been broadcasting the debate on the Plan and Budget for 2024 live every day since Monday afternoon. The interest in the outcome of the political drama that took place this week in the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores does not seem to overlap sufficiently with everyday life.
The budget proposal presented by the regional government of the Azores already had the provisional stamp of ‘leader’ before reaching the plenary, thanks to the announced votes against by the PS, BE and IL, and the decision of the individual PAN deputies. and Chega makes it unviable. With 57 deputies in the room, the figures are not favorable for the government coalition which includes a total of 21 deputies from the PSD, three from the CDS-PP and two from the PPM, and which, it seems, during the decisive vote this morning, can only count with one more vote in favor of the independent deputy (formerly He arrives ).
On the street, few seem to know anything about what is happening on the other island of the archipelago, in the “Casa da Autonomia” in Faial. The center of concern for those who agree to speak out is the conditions in which they live, or even, in some cases, in which they survive. And it is the discouragement over who was elected that is most striking.
“They don’t think about the people,” says Sara Soares. “They think about themselves and the elections,” complains the 40-year-old beautician, for whom “the parties must reach an agreement”. According to you, “the political instability in the Azores and in the country will not help business” and “people will feel a lot of resentment”. Therefore, it not only rejects the non-approval of the region’s plan and budget, but also rejects the idea of early elections in the Azores. “We all feel the economic crisis, especially us as self-employed people,” he says.
In the same street, Carlos Medeiros, 49 years old, fish preparer, passes by, who in his haste to return to work shares the opposite opinion: “The budget must not be approved and elections must be held”. In his most closed accent he complains: “With the salary I have, a man has to put in a lot of effort to pay for water, electricity, cable TV and school fees.”
George, who emigrated to the archipelago 19 years ago, also has no compliments. In court he says about his justice and complains about the high rents and the high cost of living: “Politicians are only concerned about their wallets, they don’t care about the people.”
“It’s a delay for people and their daily lives,” said Aguinaldo Sousa, 51, a building inspector, referring to the non-approval of the 2024 plan and budget and possible regional elections. “In my opinion, with this government there were situations that were resolved for the better: SATA, which started to become more profitable – and that alone is welcome because less money comes from taxpayersand the introduction of inter-island fares of 60 euros, which is very different from having to pay 150 or 170 euros to go to Flores,” he explains. However, he regrets that there is still “a lot of work to do” on the social level .”In a poor man’s house, when there is no bread, everyone scolds and no one is right.“This is how Carlos Sá, a well-known merchant in the city of Ponta Delgada, summarizes the regional political situation. “We will be harmed by this whole situation,” he says, referring to businessmen and the Azores in general. “I think all of this is not justified and that we, our children and our grandchildren, will pay for it. This will come from our work,” he emphasizes. “Let whoever is there, work. And if it is Vasco Cordeiro, let him tomorrow work,” he says, adding that we are witnessing “a wave of greed for power.”
Retired teacher Linda Dutra also does not understand that the parties cannot reach an agreement: “They must understand each other in order to govern and bring something good to the people of the Azores. From my experience, I don’t see anything new every time the government changes. What I always see is bad talk, bad talk. Fighting for something good for the Azores proves difficult!”
The bad weather has kept the fishermen on land and that is why in another municipality on the island of São Miguel, in Porto da Lagoa, retirees and professional fishermen live next to the equipment houses. Then the reviews about politics slip into the difficult lives of those who earn their living fishing or retire.
“It worries me, but I don’t have a solution. With common sense, I think they should understand each other and think a little more about the people,” argues Nuno Pereira, 45, referring to regional political instability. The fisherman who has lived in Spain, Belgium and Switzerland has no doubt: “You can live better in any country in Europe”, and making a living from fishing in the Azores “is difficult”, since “very little has been done by the fishermen”. sector and they are reducing quotas, closing the space for us to fish,” he says, lamenting the new marine protected areas the region is preparing to create. “They should help us a little more,” adds fellow fisherman João Costa said: “They want to close the areas where we go fishing, how will the fisherman live? But the European Union is responsible for this,” accuses Eduardo Cordeiro.
The conclusion of this whole conversation comes from the retiree Jorge Gata, who took shelter from the rain in one of the packing stations in the port: “We were tired of seeing the news: only setbacks and people talking bad about each other.” You wonder why elections are held: “They promise so much and when they are in power they do nothing. And we already know they won’t do it. No one performs miracles!”
Meanwhile, the debate in the Azores parliament follows the rules, including project announcements, returns to the past and even episodes with photos of computers and deputies from the other bank. And will there be a Budget for 2024 today or is there a threat of a political crisis?
pgouveia@açorianooriental.pt
Source: DN
