The PSD and Chega deputies on the Azorean Parliament’s Economy Committee have rejected the hearings requested by Liberal Initiative (IL) deputy Nuno Barata to the Minister of Infrastructure, the General Inspectorate of Finance, CTT – Correios de Portugal and the Portuguese Association of Travel and Tourism Agencies, for “full clarification” on the changes introduced and announced under the Social Mobility Allowance, according to a note sent by IL/Açores.

At the meeting of the parliamentary committee, which took place in the Delegation of the Legislative Assembly of the Region in Ponta Delgada, Nuno Barata saw the majority made up of the PSD and Chega reject his request as a matter of urgency, claiming that “there was no point in listening to entities about the Social Mobility Allowance, because everything is going accordingly” and that “the Minister for Infrastructure had already lied to the Economy Committee once before, so it would be pointless to listen to him again”, the same statement said.

According to the IL MP, these were “the justifications put forward by PSD and Chega for rejecting the requests for hearings.”

Given the refusal, Nuno Barata, quoted in the same statement, regrets that “PSD and Chega are not interested in being fully informed about the changes that have been introduced and that have already been announced that will be introduced in the Social Mobility Subsidy model, leaving Azoreans to pay more for tickets between the region and the mainland.”

The hearings that were requested justified the IL MP “because there are doubts about the interpretation and, therefore, different interpretations” of the text of the Ordinance published on September 26 by the Republic imposing, among other things, a maximum ceiling of 600 euros on the reimbursement of airline tickets between the Azores, the mainland and Madeira, as well as maximum ceilings on the ticketing fee, “the so-called ‘spirit of the legislator’ being unclear,” he said.

On the other hand, he recalled, “the Prime Minister of Portugal has announced new changes to be made to the air transport model to and from the Azores, a sensitive matter for the region, as principles of territorial and social cohesion, national solidarity and the mobility of the island’s people are at stake” and therefore need to be clarified, argues Nuno Barata.

Faced with the arguments, particularly from the Chega MPs, Nuno Barata says he “doesn’t understand the justification,” not least because “the request was to hear more entities than just the Minister for Infrastructure.” So he criticizes: “Even after being mistreated by Luís Montenegro, Chega continues to make fun of José Manuel Bolieiro. It’s incomprehensible!”

The PSD and Chega ultimately rejected IL’s request, with the PS and BE voting in favor.

In Diário da Lagoa, Clife Bothelho-director

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADE.