The Azores were on the national news almost daily last week for the worst reasons.
It was a dark week for the reputation of our region and Azoreans.
There was the case of the Azorean MP suspected of stealing suitcases, the Azorean judge on trial for pedophilia, and the local scaremongering, exploited by national sensationalist journalism, about a hypothetical mass deportation of Azoreans from the USA.
Indeed, two or three cases involving Azoreans don’t make a general judgment, but the shame of others is there,e and no one can get rid of the national laughing stock.
The case involving Chega’s deputy is serious, not only from a reputational point of view but also with far-reaching political consequences.
Miguel Arruda was elected by around 17,000 Azoreans, who today must have a guilty conscience.
It’s true that they probably didn’t vote for him specifically, but for the party due to the circumstances we know in national elections, where the leader of the party running for prime minister comes to the fore.
But it’s also true that those who voted for Chega in the Azores should have known that they were electing a list chosen by José Pacheco.
Miguel Arruda will always argue that he represents 15% of the Azorean electorate and should continue sitting in parliament. He can explain as much as he likes. Still, the people have already judged him.
Whatever the outcome of this case, his political career is ruined, so his decision to continue to expose himself politically in office, now as an independent, would be a huge mistake because he would continue to be worn down and unable to intervene in parliament. The TVI interview itself was painful. He was right to correct his strategy by announcing that he would take a psychological leave of absence.
The irony is that Chega has always liked to make judgments in the public square, so now he’s drinking his own poison.
This is also happening with the Left Bloc in the case of the dismissed employees.
As someone said, Miguel Arruda may have stolen suitcases, but the BE has also stolen the political coherence of those who voted for the party.
André Ventura, a shrewd politician, realized he was facing a “disturbing factor” and immediately began damage control, opening the exit door for Miguel Arruda.
José Pacheco was less prudent, didn’t realize the scale of the problem he had on his hands, and made nonsensical statements, accusing everyone and attacking the media. He was obviously politically contaminated.
It’s almost certain that this will have electoral consequences for Chega because it all makes a dent and has a grotesque dimension.
We’ll just have to wait and see in the next local elections.
Another situation to watch closely is the position of the regional coalition in the face of this disaster that has hit Chega.
The government coalition should also establish a cordon sanitaire around this case, which André Ventura realized he had to do.
If José Manuel Bolieiro and his government don’t want to be contaminated by this disaster, they’d better stay away from Chega for the time being.
The coalition’s privileged partner among the opposition parties will not be the best company soon, and the mayoral candidates in the coalition who could count on Chega’s support in the next elections will do best to put their guitars away if they don’t want to be “saddled.”
The reputational dimension of this case is extremely serious in political terms, and the deputy’s continued political activity, voting alongside his own, even as an independent, does no one any favors.
It’s been a dark week.
Especially for those who are ashamed of themselves.

Osvaldo Cabral is a veteran journalist in the Azores. He is te director and editor-in-chief of the Diário dos Açores newspaper.

NOVIDADES will feature occasional opinion pieces from various leading thinkers and writers from the Azores to give the diaspora and those interested in the current Azores a sense of the significant opinions on some of the archipelago’s issues.

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).