Thousands of people in Lisbon protested on Saturday, at the government's poor and uncoordinated response to the summer fires that have killed over 100 people this year.
Banners included messages including, "Enough incompetence," "Enough Fires," "Shame," "Criminals," and "We demand responsibilities and demand protection."
Minor scuffles broke out between groups of demonstrators before they settled down to a silent protest, as had been planned.
Similar rallies took place in many council capitals across the nation, including Faro, as people expressed their shock and sorrow while awaiting the results of a key Council of Ministers’ meeting that went on for 11 hours.
Two reports into the fires at Pedrógão Grande in July and the October firestorm that swept across large parts of central and northern Portugal, exposed serious failures in the government’s handling of these emergencies and the availability of working communications equipment.
In advance of a ‘no-confidence’ vote, scheduled for parliamentary consideration on Tuesday, the government on Saturday evening announced a long and fairly detailed plan to deal with the aftermath of the two fires. (here)
In response, the Left Bloc said on Sunday that government’s proposals were on the right track but that there was more to do, especially with the emergency communications system, SIRESP, which the government wants eventually to nationalise.
The Left Bloc also hoped for "the introduction of an integrated vision between forest management and forest fire prevention," which should be "under the same umbrella."
Left Bloc MP, Pedro Filipe Soares, said also that the Armed Forces have a "supporting role, but they can not overlap those civil bodies that are responsible for Civil Protection."
The Communist Party sees the government’s new measures as positive, but points to a lack of "budgetary quantification," adding that now there must be a reinforced budget to protect Portugal’s forests and that there are "various omissions and lack of budgetary means to achieve them.”
At a press conference in Lisbon this Sunday, the Party’s João Frazão, reacted to the measures announced by the Council of Ministers,"The scale of the problem calls for a serious response that requires political determination, integrated measures in its approach and budgetary options. In addition, there are a number of omissions in the decisions taken by the Government, lack of budgetary quantification or means and other resources to achieve them."
"In the next few days, during continuing debate on the 2018 State Budget, we will see the Government's determination to accommodate these costs," concluded Frazão.
The vice-president of the Social Democratic parliamentary group, Carlos Abreu Amorim, said many of the measures are "extremely positive," and that the government "can count on all the necessary collaboration" from the PSD so that the firefighting measures it announced on Saturday are carried out.
Amorim said that the PSD will now study the measures in depth and that it intends to add others - in particular the creation of a military unit to deal with disasters "that is apt, professionalised and has the logic of a military operation, to intervene not only in fires, but in any kind of catastrophe that may arrive to ravage the country."
However, the role of the Armed Forces, "namely the Air Force in the coordination of air resources, does not appear to be sufficient,” "firefighters have an invaluable role not only in firefighting but in all related activities and we will support any measure that is able to combat such situations and also protects and dignifies the role of firefighter," added Amorim
The president of the Confederation of Commerce and Services (CCP) considers that the aid package for companies affetced by the fires is positive. Speaking to Lusa, Vieira Lopes said the measures are "globally positive,” although he believes there may be some questions about how they will be implemented.
"We have not seen any reference to exemptions or delays in payment to the tax authorities. There is nothing mentioned and this is important for us, given the way the tax authorities act in relation to any failure to pay," said Lopes, arguing that, at a time when many companies are standing still waiting for reconstruction, it would be important to impliment a professional training plan.
According to the Minister of Labour, Vieira da Silva, 5,000 jobs now may be at risk due to the destruction caused by the fires and €100 million will be made available to help rebuild affected companies.
The President of the Republic today welcomed the "swift and comprehensive manner" in which the government has reacted and produced its action plan.
"I have been analysing the measures announced by the Council of Ministers. I want to emphasise the rapid and comprehensive manner in which the Council of Ministers determined to deal with everything in a short space of time," said Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
Rebelo de Sousa added that "this is the beginning of a process," adding that the plan needed cooperation for it to work.
The Air Force says it will be up for any firefighting missions that its personnel are assigned to.
Air Force spokesman, Manuel Costa, said that it is still unknown in practice how all of this will work, despite the prime minister announcing that the Armed Forces will play a stronger role in emergency support and that the Air Force will be responsible for the management and operation of air cover.
The president of Portugal’s Fire Brigades accused the government of giving an "emotional and hasty response" to the summer fires, pointing out that many of the measures the Council of Ministers has announced are exactly what firefighters have been saying for years.
Jaime Marta Soares argued that the government's action plan should not have been rushed and that professional organisations including the firemen, Navy, Army, Air Force, Police and GNR should have been heard before any decisions were made.
The fire chief said Portugal's forest have been left in a deplorable and dangerous condition due to the policies of successive governments, "I give only one example, the Pinhal de Leiria, which is State-owned and a national disgrace." (here)
Overall, the government’s proposals, although rushed, have gone down well -with many details still to be discussed. A framework has been set and strategies will follow in consultation with the organisations involved.
The cost of the new measures, especially those with long-term impact on next year's and future State Budgets, will need to be formalised but with the European Commission already sympathetic to the inevitable financial impact, (here) there is no reason why Portugal’s fire prevention and firefighting capacities can not become first class.
Portugal's President, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa is on the left.
