No one in their right mind could expect a regional government to be able to keep its debt at zero, let alone do so without negative consequences for the rest of the archipelago. Contrary to what you read in commissioned missives, economic conservatism is not, and never has been, a policy of caution. It is, above all, a strategy to enhance the large financial groups while trampling on the weakest and most socially weakened. It’s about giving more privileges to those who come from abroad to buy public companies, fajãs and so on, and giving much less to those who live here and only wish they could afford to pay rent in the center of their city. It’s about privileging those with the most and who, in a welfare state, should contribute according to their income.

José Manuel Bolieiro finally accepted this reality in the aftermath of a recent meeting with the representatives of the island councils. It was a historic moment, for it brought to the table those who, at least in theory, speak for each of the islands for a debate with the political leader at the highest level—the highest-ranking political leader in our archipelago.

It should have been a space to promote new ways of looking at the immense difficulties we face. But that would have meant more legitimate representation on the island councils, which we apparently don’t have. I don’t think it’s fair that the less privileged are supposedly being represented by those who never wanted to recognize them.

In any case, Bolieiro said at that meeting that there wasn’t enough money for everything. We don’t know if there have been any structural changes in this government’s communications offices, not least because they decided to abolish the body that was supposed to serve this purpose and whose name was only changed.

Nevertheless, it is inevitable to recognize that political leaders have realized that there is no money lately. After years of captivating funds in all public departments, memos, circulars, and internal directives to get the debt to zero, and so many conservative speeches promoting big business and liberal initiatives by the finance secretary, Bolieiro assumes that it hasn’t done much good. There’s still no money.

Well, if there isn’t money for everything, you have to think about how to use what there is. First, it’s still raining in public departments, and these problems keep worsening day after day, storm after storm, and heat wave after heat wave. In museums, buildings are becoming ruins, and the regional government’s solution was to change the name of the person in charge, who was no longer the head of the heritage services but a cultural promoter.

In schools, the staff is torn between the work of helping our children and the sacrifice of being full-time cleaners, emptying buckets of rainwater, cleaning archaic drips, and surviving without knowing what tomorrow will be like. There are offices where it takes so long to turn on the computer that they might as well get the old fax machines from the museum reserves if it weren’t for the problem that they’re broken because it rains in there too.

Bolieiro said that there was no money for the maintenance of the infrastructures, excusing himself with the fallacy of EU funds when the purpose of these was never maintenance, trying to wash his hands of it. But, Mr. President, there is money for some things, let’s face it. While the schools are falling apart, there seems to be money for a personal office in the Education Department. And while that office is being built, there’s also new work on the building next door, so there can be a temporary space there. In other words, there are two contracts in a row, serving the lady whose values would serve the teachers, the museologists, and all the people who work in culture and education who are still catching buckets.

There may not be money for everything, but there should be. In sports, stones are already being thrown at the glass roofs of the new management team, which creates problems for the organization itself. In terms of health, life is as we know it. António Ventura doesn’t quite know where he stands after so many baths in glyphosate, but he does know that the bullfight must go on. Mind you, there are even additional subsidies of 10,000 euros for the bullfighters. And they’re talking about subsidy-dependents? There’s no money for what they don’t want.

We don’t know what solutions this government has in store. So far, a dark cloud remains over several of its leaders. Promises are made promises one day, only to deny them a few months later. The people voted for this, of course. It’s less certain whether they voted with the knowledge of what would happen.

There’s no money, Mr. President, but there is money for a lot of things. Let’s understand the priorities or change the politics before there is nothing to save.

Alexandra Manes is from Flores Island but lives in Terceira Island, Azores. She is a regular contributing writer for several Azorean newspapers, a political and cultural activist, and has served in the Azorean Parliament.

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).